How to Protect Yourself and Your Belongings in Hotels and Cars

Whether you travel for business or pleasure, you will probably spend a lot of time in hotels and rental cars. It's always a good idea to take extra precautions to protect yourself from pickpockets, muggers and scam artists.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Luggage Locks
• Money Belts
• Day Packs
• Padlocks

1. Avoid ground-floor rooms and check that all the doors and windows to your room lock securely.

2. Find out in advance if your room has a security peephole, a dead bolt or a safety chain on the door. If not, you may want to bring along a portable door alarm.

3. Leave expensive or heirloom jewelry at home, along with other valuables that you don't need to have with you. Don't bring anything you can't bear to lose.

4. Store your valuables in the hotel safe, if possible, rather than carrying them with you.

5. Keep your hotel information ' especially your room number ' private. If you want to make a date or set up a meeting with someone you don't know well, suggest a nearby café or landmark as a rendezvous point.

6. Check to see who is outside before you answer the door of your room.

7. Clear out your rental car completely when you park it. If you have to leave something in your car, store it in the trunk where it is out of sight.

8. Review your car rental insurance policy carefully to make sure you understand what types of damage and loss coverage you have. If necessary, take out extra insurance.

9. Drive with your purse or wallet on the floor, rather than next to you on the seat, and lock the car doors while driving. This reduces the likelihood of a 'smash and grab'-style robbery.

Tips & Warnings

• Bring a couple of extra passport photos with you; this makes it easier to replace important documents if they do get lost or stolen.
• Some credit card companies offer various types of travel or car rental insurance at no extra cost to the cardholder. Find out in advance what, if any, your credit card company offers.
• Even people who seem non-threatening can be thieves or scam artists. Women with babies, groups of children and even English-speaking backpackers all have their own favorite scams.
• If your room key is lost or stolen, report it to the hotel immediately, and ask that the lock be changed or re-keyed.
• Don't forget to bring all the emergency contact numbers you need, including the numbers for credit card and traveler's check replacements.

on 6/30/2006 If you're backpacking and using hostels, keep your valuables to an absolute minimum - if you can't fit them all in your pockets, leave them at home. When staying at hostels, especially those without security lockers, everything will fit under your pillow or in your sleeping bag when you sleep.

on 11/22/2005 As a former security director in a resort, I know people feel secure when they check into an upscale hotel or resort. Don't act like you're at home. Many staff members have access to your room: don't leave irreplacables for people to steal!