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Travel Tips: Theft & How to Avoid It

When you're traveling, keep your valuables safe in a money belt worn under your clothes. Do not flaunt or flash anything you don't want stolen. Keep a copy of your passport in a hotel safe and leave one at home with family or friends, it makes it easier if it is stolen or lost to get this replaced. Also keep copies of airline tickets and travelers' checks receipts separate from originals.

If you have a favorite but expensive or sentimentally valuable piece of jewelry, ask yourself if it is more important to protect it by leaving it at home or in a safe deposit box, than to have it with you on your travels. If the piece is that important to you, then the best bet would be to leave it home. One scenario that many people don't consider is this: the heat in the summer time in the hotter climates can make your hands swell, causing you to want to take off any rings before they get too uncomfortable. If you take a wedding band off, for example, and put it in your pocket, it is there for a pick-pocket to steal, or houseleeping to take while they clean your hotel room.

In Europe, rental cars are a thief's favorite target. Make your car look local: remove the rental company decals and put a local newspaper in the back. Never leave anything of value in view in your parked car, especially in cities. Keep anything worth stealing in the trunk. Open your glove compartment so the thief can look in without breaking in. Avoid parking lots that glitter with broken glass. Get advice on safe parking from your hotel.