Luggage in rental car while touring Normandie and Loire Valley
 

We are taking a driving trip through France in October. In some cases we arrive at a destination and stay 2 or 3 days. That is not the problem as we would go to our hotel, unload luggage and then sight-see..... What concerns me is in the areas that we are doing some stops along the way with luggage in the van......How to secure the luggage?

We will be driving from Luxembourg city to Vimi France with a lunch stop along the way in Belgium.

We also plan to drive from Dieppe to Honfleur and do some stops along the way.

Also the D-Day beaches are stops we want to make along our drive to Mont St. Michel.

We also have a stop in Fougeres on our way to the Loire where we will stay in one place for a few days/


I am really worried after reading posts on several sites about stolen luggage from rental cars.

Besides making sure that nothing is left within sight....what to do to avoid theft? We will have a minivan....no trunk.....3 to 4 pieces of luggage......Any ideas would be helpful.


Is it a real concern? Does it happen a lot? Hubby hopes that the reports I've read are exaggerated. Please put my mind at ease or scare me....LOL

I always have all my valuables with me, no computers or tablets left in the car or even coming with us....all that will be in this luggage is our clothes and toiletries. Nothing fancy.

Thanks for any and all help.

Break-ins occur; I recall warnings about them in the Chenonceau parking lot. One way to minimize the is to back up the car against a wall or tree so that the trunk is less accessible. BTW, leaving local papers on the seat are a false reassurance; the professionals can tell who is local and who is not by the license plate and the French tourists are fair game too.

I don't know how common this is, but my husband drove in France in a car with a trunk (so luggage not exposed to view). Everything was stolen. So we are reluctant to stop to sightsee when we have luggage in the car. We travelled with another couple last month, and at Stonehenge I stayed in the car with the luggage so the others would have some peace of mind, as I had already been to Stonehenge before. I think you just need to be careful to park in as public an area as possible, where passersby may possibly notice suspicious behavior.

Make sure the minivan has a cover to the luggage area. Most do.

Break ins do happen and leaving anything in a car is a risk, even if the car is locked and valuables are out of sight. It is often very easy to tell if a car is being driven by a tourist; rental companies leave stickers in the windows, stickers by the refuel point indicating that the car only uses diesel (real owners know very well what kind of fuel their car uses), and other than local department numbers which are displayed as part of the license plates.

I would be very cautious about leaving valuables in an unattended car.

A couple of other things that we do, besides the empty car and baking up against a wall if possible:

We take a flexible chain and lock, and hook everything together. I know a good thief wouldn't see this as a problem, but it makes me feel better.

We try to park in attended lots when stopping for sightseeing.

Of course, none of this is a guarantee against thieves. I just try to make it a little harder for thieves in order to give myself a tiny bit of peace of mind.

"Besides making sure that nothing is left within sight....what to do to avoid theft?"

You've already gotten some great advice, including the important warning that thefts can happen even among the best prepared.

I would add that you should try to avoid opening the trunk once you are wherever you plan to leave the car. If you need to move anything from inside the car to the trunk, do so some distance from where you plan to park so you don't provide anyone with tempting views of the possible loot.

If attended lots aren't an option, parking in plain sight of a busy area -- or at least an area where potential thieves might think they would be observed -- is worth considering,

Good luck!

Wow......Not good. Now I am trying to see if there is any way to alter our route..... This worries me. Crap.....I thought pickpockets were going to be my worst nightmare now this.....Crap

We have done at least 16/17 road trips in europe and have never had a problem. But we always

Make sure there is NOTHING in the interior of the car - not even a map or book - everything is in the trunk - and has been since leaving the hotel

We try to park places with attendants

If not available we

Park with trunk against a wall or tree or ?
Park near an entrance so there is a lot of foot traffic
If stopping for a meal with try to sit by a window so we can see the car

Don;t know if we have been lucky - or if the incidence of theft is less than believed. But I know we were especially careful in both Spain ad Italy

The problem of car break-ins is not reserved to France. The last time my car trunk was hit I was parked in Brooklyn on a residential street.

Most worrisome thing is that we won't have a TRUNK.....we are getting a minivan.

Burta's experience is a caution to those who come to this forum determined to rent a car no matter what because they can stop whenever and wherever. Those who have avoided incidents so far seemed to have selected where and when to park the car securely.

<i>Those who have avoided incidents so far seemed to have selected where and when to park the car securely.</i>

That's a gross generalization. Not true in my case, and I have done a lot of sightseeing while touring.

"Those who have avoided incidents so far seemed to have selected where and when to park the car securely."

I wish I could believe so, but at least in my case, I think luck had a lot to do with it! I try to do what I can to park as safely as I can when traveling with luggage, but there is ALWAYS a risk and I know it.

There's probably not a completely foolproof way to keep a car from getting broken into.

One thing I noticed while in France was the number of cars rented through Eurocar had a big sticker that said, "EUROCAR"

It made me think that Eurocar didn't really think about their customers when they plastered that on their cars. I would have taken the thing off, straight away.

Other than that, good advice up thread.

If you're parking at night, leave your car in a lit area.

Check into your hotel and empty your car before you leave it.

<i>t made me think that Eurocar didn't really think about their customers when they plastered that on their cars. I would have taken the thing off, straight away. </i>

It makes absolutely no difference. All those cars come from the same département as identified by the license plate, at least with Europcar. The best thing is too make sure that nothing in the car is attractive to potential, that your car does not stand out as a car that might contain something worthwhile.

Some people are worriers, and some glide through life without considering the risks they might be taking. I am always surprised when I see small, oldish cars here in the U.K. which the owner has chosen to protect with all sorts of security devices, while the Mercedes parked alongside has no such protection.

Some car break-ins will always happen. You have been given some sensible passive advice as to how to minimise the risk that you are the victim. But keep a sense of proportion. Staying in the car at Stonehenge to protect your stuff is excessive. In Normandy and the Loire, your car will be surrounded by cars from other countries, especially the U.K., which will scream "tourist" much more than a particular license plate or Europcar sticker.

I have been driving for 50 years, and my car has been broken into about 3 times, but never on any of my trips to France, Spain, Italy or elsewhere in Europe. Don't let needless anxiety spoli your time in France.

Although I avoid keeping luggage in the car whenever possible, obviously there are times when there is no solution. I just park in absolutely the busiest place I can find -- right next to path that everybody is walking on to get to an attraction or along a really busy street. Shopping mall or hypermarket parking lots are also good as long as the stores are open.

You can also look for places where the video surveillance is really obviously in view.

If you park at a tourist attraction you will be by definition a tourist, no matter what your car looks like, no matter what is on the licence plate, no matter what is or is not in the car. Tourists go to tourist attractions.

If you park with a whole bunch of other cars and a thief comes by, your chance of being the car that is broken into is statistically improbable. If you park with a whole bunch of cars and yours is the most visible to passers by, the thief will go to a different target.

And if you park between two much more expensive cars, well, you get the idea.

Just don't be the car most likely to be robbed and the thief will go elsewhere.

Why can't you get some sort of van that has a cover for the luggage area? If not that, can you use another car that does have a trunk or luggage cover for the back. To me, that would be a deal breaker.

As for the chances - well it really depends. I had neighbors with an elderly, beat-up Volvo that was always being broken into because they had an expensive radio (on view) while other cars with cheap radios were not. There was even someone who parked on the block who left the car unlocked and with glove compartment open - and a large sign in the window: No Radio, Nothing to steal, Take car if you want - it's insured.

Think about it. Vans don't usually have a trunk. They have a door on the side of the vehicle which slides open. In fact they might have one on both sides of the vehicle. Kinda hard to park that against two trees, etc. Perhaps very close to cars on both sides.

Burta's experience is a caution to those who come to this forum determined to rent a car no matter what because they can stop whenever and wherever. Those who have avoided incidents so far seemed to have selected where and when to park the car securely.>>

we have driven all over Europe in hire cars and in our own cars, and have had ONE incident in 35 years. Of course we try to park in sensible places but it's not always possible and quite often we just forget and park anywhere, just like we would if we weren't on holiday.

It is possible to overstate the risks and to let it ruin your trip.

We worried about breakins before our trip as we had a "crossover" vehicle but the luggage area had a cover - not that I'm sure it would make a difference. We were not always able to park in a busy area but never had any issues nor did we encounter anyone whose car had been broken into. Try not to let these worries spoil your holiday. Should the worst happen, there are plenty of places to shop that aren't expensive. We saw H&M and Monoprix department stores wherever we went.

Being cautious, we keep our passport, credit cards, and money in money belts or the hotel safe (except for one credit card and a small amount of money that my husband keeps in a wallet in a deep pocket). I carry my iPad and phones in a PacSafe purse but my husband keeps his phone in his deep front pocket. We often saw locals with an expensive phone tucked into a back pants pocket so we assume they felt they weren't in danger of having it stolen. We never felt at risk for pick pocketing and never saw any incidents of it. We saw no "gypsies" or packs of children approaching people. We did talk with someone who was robbed on the train between Antibes and Nice but he said that it was due to his own carelessness. Stay alert, don't flash your cash, and be cautious at ATM's and you should be OK.

I worked for Avis for 9 months 40 years ago, and I can still recognize within 2 seconds any Avis, Hertz or Europcar car whether or not it has stickers on it. (Besides the licence plate, one of the main reasons is that the cars are new and clean. Cover your car with filth if you don't want to be a target.) I would imagine that professional thieves are better at identification than I am.

Like Annhig, we have rented cars on all but one of our frequent trips to Europe and have not had a problem with theft. I do worry about it (somewhat) while in transit between hotels, however.

The idea of getting a bicycle chain and locking the luggage together and to the car is a good one. We'll do that next time--just what we need: more to pack and drag along!

I will use the black cover.....We will get cable locks to lock luggage together AND to the vehicle....We will leave NOTHING in sight in the car.....and we will park in well traveled areas.....and hope for the best.

Thank you all for the advice. Since we are "plus size" shopping on the fly is not an option. So hopefully our luggage will stay with us and we won't be stuck with wearing one outfit for 26 days.....LOL

Photobear. You have written about having a "minivan", but that is not a description much used in Europe. What vehicle are you hoping to use, and how many of you are there? The problem with most European vehicles with three rows of seats is that they either have room for passengers or room for bags.

Give us that information, and we may be able to advise you.

I had a normal rental car once and discovered that trunk cover thing was missing when it was already too late. I bought a black blanket at a hypermarket and covered my stuff with it. I can attest that it was pretty much impossible to perceive that there was anything in the back of the car when the black blanket was on top.

I was using the generic term of minivan....My husband has mobility issues and will only feel comfortable in an SUV or minivan type vehicle. We will be 4 people maybe 5. Thank you. We now feel like we can conquer this.

Our hotel parking in Cochem was so far from the hotel with a steep set of stairs that my friend took out what she needed for the night and kept her suitcase in the car. I travel lighter and took mine making way for hers to fit under that little cover in the fast back of the VW. Made me nervous that the car would be broken into. I had friends that lost valuables at Stonehenge. The daughter left her backpack on the back seat and they broke in and took it.

We now feel like we can conquer this.>>

that's the spirit, photo bear.

let's face it, any trip is a leap of faith - so many things could go wrong but IME rarely do. and many things can and do go wrong at home too - it's a fact of life.

Take sensible precautions and have fun!

Ditto annhig!

And ditto drchris -- do NOT leave any cash or passports in the vehicle (use a passport pouch). If possible, take your electronics with you, too, or the few items you consider MOST irreplaceable.

"Since we are "plus size" shopping on the fly is not an option." I've been known to take a few lightweight items (and at the very least, a change of undies) in my day pack on days when I park with luggage in my trunk. Nothing heavy or bulky. Just a thought! ;-)

I use a cable lock (for a bike) too.. lock the luggage itself then put the cable through all the bag handles and through something in the car as well. I use the same cable lock on trains, in hotels.. it won't stop the most dedicated thief but it will stop the in-a-hurry ones.

We are also planning a car trip through France next spring and have read all the horror stories of car break ins. I really appreciate Chartley and Annhig comments. Be aware and smart, but don't let it ruin your trip! I have friends that do what nytraveler mentioned, they place a sign on the dash that states "nothing worth stealing here, just used clothes and half empty bottles of shampoo"

photobear - One of the reasons I was worried about my clothes being stolen was because I am a plus size also. I posted that concern on the forum and received links to stores where those sizes are available in France. You might look for that post just in case.

Since 4 of you are traveling together, do check very carefully how much luggage your vehicle holds. We had a compact(it was larger than that description sounds)- a Renault Captur - which could easily hold 4 people but there was just enough room in the rear for two 22" carryon suitcases and little else. Bags with food and drinks had to go in the back seat.