I just posted this question, but it got lost somewhere. When travelling by car I like to have a base and travel out each day. Sometimes this isn't practical. I am concerned about leaving my luggage in a car because of the possibility of theft. My greatest concern is losing my medications. It would not be practical to carry them with me all day long, because I have many and it would be uncomfortable. How do other Fodorites handle this situation?

why wouldn't you just leave them at your base, either in your room or with the owner of where you are staying?? if you need some during the day just take a small dosage with you or for an emergency...also i carry copies of my prescriptions with me and leave them with any valuable paper i have like trav. cks.....

I guess I wasn't clear. My concern is when it is necessary to travel from one base to another or change locations every day. In that case my medication would be in the car with the luggage. Any suggestions?

Don't be obvious. Have all your stuff in the trunk of your car. Don't have tour guides and maps strewn about the passenger compartment. Have all the things you need in your day pack, so when you park people don't see you rooting around in the trunk that obviously has a lot of stuff.

Look for a "valet switch" in your car's trunk. It's a switch that will de-activate the levers and such that open the trunk from the inside of your car. It's usually on the locking mechanism of the truck. Not all cars have them but if they do use it. The reason behind this is idle thieves will smash a window and grab stuff or pop the trunk and grab out of their too. If the valet switch is tripped not many thieves would take the time to try to pry the trunk open from the outside.

As a previous poster said, have copies of your prescriptions so you can get them replaced if the worst happens. Make sure you have the generic name of the drug. Sometimes marketing names like "Lipitor" for a drug are different in other languages. The generic name makes it easier.

Storing your meds in the trunk is unwise not ony because of the possibility of theft, but also because the trunk will get really hot, which can cause many meds to degrade. Put them in a separate bag, which you can keep under the seat, and crack the window.