durhamtraveler

We are renting a car at Heathrow and driving to Portsmouth, over night, and then on to Canterbury. No problem with securing luggage because we can leave it in the hotels. However, coming from Dover to Heatherow after the cruise, we will be stopping at venues and will have to leave our luggage in the car. Not all of it will fit in the boot. Would it be OK to have luggage on the back seat while at tourist venues? If not, any suggestions?

newtome

No.

traveller1959

It's a bet. The odds that you loose are low, but higher than zero.

In any case, you need proper insurance.

janisj

>>Not all of it will fit in the boot.<<

Unless you have a very small car or a lot of people, are you sure? Just because one is on a cruise doesn't mean they need a boatload of luggage . . .

But in any case, your question is unanswerable. Like asking if it would be safe in the States. Mostly depends on exact locations.

I <u>never</u> leave luggage or maps showing ANYwhere I park, in the UK, in the States, in my home town.

Michael

not according to warning like these:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...7634933769065/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...7634933769065/

dotheboyshall

<i>any suggestions?</i>

Get over your jetlag before hiring a car.

flpab

I know someone that had their car broke into while parked at Stonehenge.

thursdaysd

"Get over your jetlag before hiring a car."

Exactly my thought on reading this. Take a train or National Express coach to Portsmouth, if not also on to Canterbury. I also wonder what you expect to see in Portsmouth if you're only spending one night.

BritishCaicos

No.

Where in the world would it be safe?

I'm actually struggling for an answer to that one.

hetismij2

OP won't be jet-lagged, they are coming from a cruise, and returning to Heathrow, wanting to visit somewhere along the way.

The chances of your car being broken into are small, but real. Hire a big enough car that you can fit as much as possible into the boot. Park with the boot against a wall if possible. Don't leave anything vaguely valuable in the car - Make sure you have your passports, tickets, cameras, electronics with you. Try not to use jackets to cover stuff - that is a red rag to a thief.

No insurance will cover valuables left unattended in a vehicle.

dotheboyshall

There seems to be at least 2 hire cars involved, one for Heathrow - Portsmouth - Canterbury and the other for Dover - Heathrow.

StCirq

No matter the number of rentals, it is always a terrible idea to leave luggage, or anything else valuable, sitting on a car seat. It's a bull's eye.

janisj

And if these folks are cruising they may be making the mistake of assuming they need a ton of luggage merely because they <i>can</i>.

Schlepping a lot will definitely complicate the rest of the travel (and no, a cruise doesn't automatically require massive luggage. Heck, I did an Alaska cruise w/ one formal night + a captain's table night w/ just a 21 inch rollaboard)

chartley

People who break into cars are not looking to steal luggage. They want light, valuable things that they can easily sell. Money is even better. A coat, or something that looks like am i-pad, a phone, sat-nav or laptop is most likely to attract their attention.

Tou have to keep a sense of balance while not minimising risk. Millions of cars are parked every day in the U.K. without being broken into, and you are unlikely to be targeted personally.

suze

<Would it be OK to have luggage on the back seat while at tourist venues?>

No. It's never a good idea to leave anything visible in a car anywhere.

nytraveler

I would not do that anywhere in the world and be sure things would still be there when you return. We never bring more luggage than will fit in the trunk. Just be sure you have the right size car.

Nothing - not even a map or umbrella or anything should be left in a car parked in a public place.

Caveat: You can't do it in our neighborhood either. Some people with older cars leave the doors open with a note that there is nothing inside to prevent damage to locks or windows. BUT, a friend of mine brought the open jeep wrangler from her country house to the city while her regular car was being worked on and she came down one am to find a bum living in the back of the car.

Nikki

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I would be walking down the street in New York with my husband and we'd see a car with its lights on. As a good deed, my husband would open the car door and turn off the lights. Back before car alarms too, I guess, and before people always locked their cars.

But I did have a suitcase stolen out of a car parked in New York once when we had a station wagon and there was no trunk. On the other hand, this was before cell phones, computers and tablets, so I guess thieves were more interested in luggage then.

More to the point, when I have traveled in Europe and had luggage in the car, I have always made sure to put anything in the trunk or take out what I needed before arriving and parking where we were going to leave it. So nobody at our destination would see us putting things in the trunk. And if possible, as noted above, park with the trunk against a wall.

kwren

Many years ago, I saw a car with a sign where the radio is normally found stating "no radio".

Next to the broken window was a sign reading "get one!"

BritishCaicos

Chartley

That's really poor advice.

anicecupoftea

It will likely invalidate your insurance, as they usually stipulate any valuables are only covered in an unattended car if locked out of sight. As well as losing your stuff, you would also be liable for damage to the car.