No safe - leave valuables or not?
 

I don't think any of the places we'll be staying in will have a room safe, maybe one.

We're staying in two B & B's, one hotel (Il Nido i Sorrento), and an apartment in Rome.

I'd like to leave my passport, extra cash in two or three locked suitcases rather than carry it all around in a money belt. My intuition is telling me that there are fewer robberies from hotel rooms than from theft on the street. I'm comfortable leaving my valuables secured in suitcases, but maybe I'm being impossibly naive.

I'll carry cash for the day, copy of my passport and one credit card.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this - is this a dumb idea or not?

I've often left my passport in my room, in unlocked suitcases, both in N.A. and Europe. Never been robbed.

I can't comment on whether I am being stupid or not :)

I never carry my passport with me, unless it is required by law. I leave all sorts of valuables unlocked, and indeed on show, in hotels and B&Bs. Never had anything stolen.

I too can't comment on whether I am being stupid or not.

We leave our passports and extra money in locked suitcases and put them in the closet. We have never had a problem. If there is a safe we use that. If you think of it, the safes they have are not that great anyway. If someone wants to get into them they will. So leave it in your suitcase and don't worry.

hi markland,

I'm the same as the other two - I usually "secret" my passport and other valuables [hard pressed to think what they might be!] in a suitcase pocket, so that should i forget about it when we leave, I've still got it.

i have never [touch wood] had a problem.

I leave such items in my suitcase in my hotel room. I never use the safe because I'm afraid I might forget to retrieve the items before checking out of the hotel. I don't actually unpack much of anything for the same reason.

Perhaps there is a locked safe at reception?

<<If you think of it, the safes they have are not that great anyway.>>

I had my stuff in my room safe in Graz. Went to open it and it wouldn't open. It took the hotel manager over an hour to get it open with all kinds of tools!!! ;-)

We usually leave our passports in our locked luggage, but usually we carry our money with us. Any extra cash is in a moneybelt or securtiy pocket on my shirt. I don't feel comfortable leaving cash in the room, even in locked bag.

I had my stuff in my room safe in Graz. Went to open it and it wouldn't open>>

I always do a "dummy" run with a room-safe before I put anything in it.

I also leave myself a LARGE note saying "safe" so we don't forget to empty it. I do feel happier if there is a room safe to leave passports/cash in.

With so many travelers leaving their valuables in a locked suitcase in the hotel room, where do you think a thief would look first?
There is no perfect answer. Different situations call for different solutions. Think about it, make a decision, hope for the best, and then don't worry about it.
BTW, I have never had anything go missing on a trip to Europe or anyplace else.
I have heard some smart travelers say they never bother to lock their luggage when traveling as a thief can get in it just as easily, locked or not.

Thanks for all the quick replies. You've just confirmed what I already knew :)

Annhig, I also do a "dummy" run before initially using an in-room safe. This safe had been working fine for days... just this one particular time, it somehow jammed.

Here is my line of reasoning for leaving things in the hotel room (in a safe or just hidden someplace):

The hotel room has limited access. Only hotel employees have regular access unless someone has broken in. This limits the pool of potential thieves. Out on the street, I will come in contact with hundreds/thousands of people in a day - much higher probability of coming in contact with a thief on the street. So I'd rather have my stuff back in the hotel with limited access.

Hotels have a vested interest in not employing thieves - if things are disappearing from rooms at a hotel, the word will get out and business will suffer. Hotel managers and owners of reputable hotels will get rid of people suspected of theft. If you stay in family-run hotels, I think the likelihood of a theft is even less because the employees are generally part of the family or well known by the family.

Of all the travelers I know, I know a lot of people who have been pickpocketed or mugged. I only know of a few people who have had things stolen from hotel rooms.

I suppose I could be unlucky - victim of theft by a hotel employee who hasn't yet been caught, or perhaps by a thief who has snuck into the hotel and broken into my room - and if that happens, I guess it happens. You can't guard against every contingency - life is inherently risky. It is all about limiting risk.

I have sealed passports and cash in a sturdy envelope (not too large) and handed to the front desk who willingly deposited it ,in their safe if none is available in the room. (The room safe allows you put in your own code which I think is OK).
If your suitcase has pockets all over the place you can stash some currency there but make sure its completely obscured by zillions of souvenirs, maps, books etc. Meke it hard and lengthy to search through your belongings I reckon.

I also belong to the people who leave things in their suitcase. Nothing was stolen until now (knock on wood).

joannyC - we had the jammed safe situation in Paris. DH spent
half a day with the manager and the locksmith prying the safe
open! (I went out and left DH to it - had a lovely lonely day,
lol)

I always carry my passport with me, but not other valuables.

It is not a requirement to carry your passport while touring Italy? The internet (not official sources like wiki and message boards, I can't find official) all say it is a law in Italy to carry a passport for identification at all times.

Yes I have left passport and spare credit cards/cash in a locked suitcase in my hotel room, if there was not a hotel safe available. So far, so good.

wow. I never would have thought to leave my passport in my suitcase. We always have them in the moneybelt with a very small amount of cash. We don't carry much cash at all, and never bring anything valuable, other than a camera - which we keep with us always.