starting to get a bit worried-decided to convert $ to Euros for trip but afraid now-info has said that i shouldn't even put anything into the trunk of a rental car where it can't even been seen! shouldn't carry it on me-not all hotels have safes-what's a person to do?

Leave your good jewelry at home.

Use an ATM daily to avoid carrying large amounts of cash and get a better exchange rate. It is crazy to change more than $50-$100 to euros before you leave. Use a credit card for most purchases.

Carry your valuables in different places: money belt, pockets, etc. Never carry everything in your purse.

Don't use back packs or fanny packs (bum bags in the UK).

Be aware of your surroundings.

All this advice applies in big cities in the US just as much as abroad. People traveling = people with cash and valuables, where at home you might just be on your way to CVS with $5 to buy toothpaste. You just stand out more abroad, so you are easier for thieves to spot.

When's your trip. If you convert Dollars to Euros you have to factor the poor exchange rate against the possible rise of the Euro between now and your trip. You could possibly lose money by converting in the US. Figure out what the exchange rate is from your bank or wherever you're planning to exchange to Euros then make a decision. No one can predict the rise and fall of the dollar but you could potentially be talking about saving a very small amount of money. My advice is to get Euros as you go from ATM machines.

If you do carry a large amount of cash then I would keep it in a money belt and on me at all times.

You definitely should not leave money in the car. I would not do that at home and I live in a small, affluent town.

How old is your son? If he's old enough you should both wear money belts, UNDER your clothes. Only one day's worth of money and a transport pass or rail ticket if needed that day should be in easily accessible pockets or wallet/purse. I take a second money belt with copies of my passport and credit & ATM cards and some of my money, and bury it at the bottom of my day pack on travel days. I was pickpocketed once late in the evening in Rome, but all I lost was one day's money and an expiring bus pass.

You don't lose a wink of sleep over this topic - take basic precautions as stated above, then remember that there are <b>thousands</b> of tourists and car-renters who never report that they had <b>nothing stolen</b> during their vacation.

Have you already converted money to euro? It's really easier and safer imo to wait & simply use an ATM card once you are in Europe, to get cash every couple of days.

IF you already have a lot of cash you are going to take, I would buy two money belts & split it up (assuming your son is a teen or adult) and each of you carry half, as already suggested.

I've never rented a car, I travel by train, so can't help with that part.

My one and only trunk theft occurred in Los Angeles which I was visiting as a tourist, and it was a very nice part of town. And this was during a 1-hour period in the middle of a weekday afteroon (obviously I was being observed).

However, I have seen trunk thefts everywhere in the world, as well as car windows smashed and other ways to steal things out of cars. You NEVER leave items of value in a car, ANYWHERE.

Sometimes you have to have things in trunks while traveling, but in general, I think trunk thefts occur from cars parked in very busy tourist areas or at tourist sites, specifically. Or perhaps at hotel car parks, if they aren't guarded.

I wouldn't store things of value in a car trunk for a long time, if that's what you were planning.

I certainly hope you haven;t changed a lot of $ to euros - if so it was a big waste of money (poor rates) and now you have the problem of carrying all that cash.

If you haven;t converted to euros - then plan on paying for as much as possible with credit cards - and pull just enough cash for a couple of days at a time from a local ATM - preferably attached to a bank. This is safest and gets you the best rate of exchange.

If you have already bought all those euros- definitely each get a moneybelt (I think they're a major pain and unnecessary otherwise). But- be sure to use them properly. You carry in your pockets the money you will use that day -do NOT ever pull out the money belt in public. It is for long-term storage of cash - not daily use.

Separately, if traveling with luggage keep everything in the trunk (do not put things from inside the car into the trunk in public), park in manned lots whenever possible and park with the trunk up against a wall or other car (back in). that said we have done at least 30 road trips in europe and never had any sort of problem.

Frankly I think you're worked yourself up into some frenzy of fear that is completely inappropriate considering how rare crime is except in a few easily avoided areas.

I have found great peace of mind wearing a light weight travel vest sold by Magellen Travel Store. The pockets have small zippers, its easy to spread out your valuables, and then you only need to keep travel books in a purse. Some people complain that it makes you look like a tourist. IMO we look like tourists no matter what we wear, so why not be comfortable and have peace of mind?

I must be the only living being who has travelled to Spain 20+ times, has rented cars and drove anywhere with luggage in the trunk, has taken the metro in Madrid or Barcelona, and never had one theft, scam, or awkward situation.

I do have noticed special (multi-lingual) warning signs along the motorways, though, where rest areas also had access to view points that these were high potential areas for thefts. Otherwise, I'd assume that regular caution is sufficient.

The best protection against theft is not to take anything (too) valuable -- including and especially cash. Your cards are protected, but cash is just gone. If you are in a town and find a restaurant that does not take credit cards, it's almost certain that the next ATM is not further than 2 minutes walking. So no need to carry around more than some 50 - 100 Euros in cash.

Dear Mom/Son Team

I hope you have a wondeful time in Spain. Your posts verge on hysteria, even the one about voltage. And I am afraid that you will not enjoy one of the great countries of the world.

Part of traveling is exploration and discovery. It is known fact that you will never learn how to navigate a city, know the best places to eat, and see the sights from a different perspective until you are exiting that city. Understand this and enjoy Spain and every other country you visit.

Every time I've been in Spain I've witnessed at least one pickpocketing, or worse, incident, so I'm one of those who's inclined to think the risk there is greater than in other European countries. That doesn't make it a huge risk, though, or mean that you should be panicking. The only place I've ever been mugged was here in Washington, DC, years ago.

I do hope you haven't already exchanged a bunch of money and are planning to arrive with it! If so, do figure out how to keep it well hidden.

As for the car, whenever I'm traveling in a rental car in Europe I throw a local newspaper or a baguette or something on both the front seat and in the back window. Sounds dumb, I know, but generally speaking thieves aren't going to target a local's car. You can also remove or cover up any stickers that give the car away as a rental.

hi mom,

another tip is to park with what you call the trunk at the rear [ie reverse into the space] and make sure that it is hard up against the wall, tree, etc. that way they can't get at what's in the boot [sorry, trunk] except through the car.
and dito what st.cirq says.

after you've done all this, relax. after all, the spanish manage quite well to live in spain. How hard can it be just to visit?

regards, ann

Oh - please - by "decided" I hope you don't mean you already bought the €.

If so - you are sort of stuck carrying the cash. Big, BIG mistake IMO. You no doubt paid a lousy exchange rate - and if the € inches down against the $ you will doubly lose. So get down to your local big box and buy money belts for each of you. But also know how to use a money belt. (Two weeks ago I actually saw a nicely dressed American woman walking through Harrods w/ her money belt worn <u>outside her clothes</u>!! Guess having money doesn't equal having brains.)

Think of your money belt as though it was a "body safe" - no one else should ever see it and you don't access in public.

If you didn't buy the currency yet -- DON'T DO IT.

Over the course of my life I have spent a total of a year in Spain, none of it as a student or on business. Twenty years ago we witnessed a rash of crimes in Sevilla.

My wife and her sister walked the 500 mile Camino last year without a whisper of trouble. And last year before I met them I stayed on Plaza Santa Ana in Mardid and in Barcelona all the way down on the Avenida Paral.lel almost near the Post Office without a problem.

You are tourist and many things give you away including the way you walk, your hair comb and your shoes. Just be aware of suurroundings.

You will never hide that you are a tourist

We have been to Spain countless times, hired cars, carried a couple of hundred euros and lots of other touristy things. I don't own a money belt, just an ATM card.

Enjoy your time in Spain and for God's sake stop worrying. Europe is not populated by people looking to steal from you.