Questions about pickpockets or car break ins in the U.K.?

The same applies in the U.K. Buy travel insurance leave any valuables you can't afford to lose at home before you go and take your passport and money with you when you leave the car.

I thought it would be the same.

We never travel with expensive things. Not our style.

In France we used cable locks to secure our bags to each other in the trunk and also secured them to the vehicle itself. Figured if we did get robbed, we wanted to make it as hard as possible for the thiefs. I think we were lucky cause it was the off season and we park in mostly handicap parking because my hubby is mobility impaired so we were closer to guards and entrances most of the time.

Are pickpockets mostly in a London or are other towns targets as well?

Pickpockets are more likely in London but even then it's a rarity. Outside of London it's pretty much unheard of.

Car crime is still an issue but if your luggage remains in the boot and out of sight it should be fine. Thieves are opportunist so if they can't see anything of value then more often than not they won't bother breaking in. It's always a smashed window and a quick snatch and grab rather than rifling through suitcases in the boot.

Generally the UK is pretty safe but there are some sensible precautions to take without being paranoid.

I don't think pickpocketing is quite as prevalent in London as it is in Paris or other European cities. Sensible precautions - keep valuables in a zipped pocket in your bag close to your body - are probably all you need.

The new thing you need to look out for is thieves on mopeds snatching phones out of people's hands on the street. Although even then you'd be very unlucky if it happens to you... it's not hugely common. If you use your phone on the street (say to check maps), move away from the kerbside and head for the inner side of the pavement (sidewalk), next to the buildings. This is polite anyway - it gets you out of the way.

When leaving a car in a car park at a tourist attraction, the sensible advice is not to leave any visual sign that you're on a big trip and therefore might have luggage in the car. Leave satnav (GPS) out of sight, don't leave coats and road atlases and picnics strewn across the car because that gives the indication that you're travelling a long way and might therefore have luggage in the car.

Make sure that your hire car has a proper boot that can take all your luggage and closes properly, covering up the luggage. A few simple precautions like this could make all the difference. Given the choice, thieves will go for the car with the GPS on show...

Jane,
We are driving in Britain for four weeks in October and have yet to rent our car. Most of the Midsize cars have hatches rather than boots, but they also seem to have a plastic cover.

We were looking at renting with Europacar. The British cars are very different from what we have in the USA, can you suggest a good one to rent?

You can't usually specify the actual car when you rent, only the approximate size. But a plastic cover is fine - as long as the luggage is covered up.

How many of you are there? If it's for two, but you have average sized luggage, minis can be a little small for cases. A "compact" would give you something like a Vauxhall Astra or Ford Focus, which would be a sensible medium-sized option with decent boot space.

geovagriffith

I've had a quick look at Europcar, renting from Heathrow for 4 weeks in October and two cars that I considered most suitable were the Skoda Octavia and the VW Passat. They're both full size saloons with an enclosed boot and will be capable of holding several suitcases. The potential downside would be the size and where you intend driving and your confidence in negotiating narrow country roads. Whilst the hatchbacks will have a cover to hide the contents of the boot my experience is that with more than two suitcases you have to remove the cover to fit everything in.

Generally the advice is the same whereever you are. Be careful about where you park and keep aware of your belongings.

For the car, most of the cars available for hire are compact hatchbacks because most of the cars in the UK are exactly that. Having a hatch with a parcel shelf is not going to stand out as a hire car, just keep the lid down as far as possible.

My rule no matter what country i'm visiting is assume pickpockets are everywhere and never leave anything in your car that potential thieves can see. Everything should be out of sight.

About rentals, no matter what vehicle you reserve, you'll get what's available when you pick it up. I've generally gotten an upgraded vehicle from what I reserved. Also, the boots/trunks seem to be smaller in European cars, so leave the large suitcases at home.

No compact cars fir us. Hubby has mobility issues and needs a car where you are not too low to the ground and we are not small people. Looks like a people mover ( minivan/SUV type ) is what we will have to drive. Thankfully my hubby is a very confidant driver and I am pretty good too but I have to admit that the small roads and opposite side driving has me more worried than it has him.

Just to put this in perspective. I have lived 70 years in the UK (including spells in London, Glasgow and Birmingham) and have never had my pocket picked or goods stolen from my car. Of course, I don't leave valuables on display in my car, and always lock it (including when going to pay after filling it with petrol).

Have hired a car many, many times in the UK and have never had trouble with break ins.

Pickpocketing is very rare in the UK, and car break ins not common. I think UK and US are similar in these two crimes.

We found a passat to be pushing it as far as ease of driving (narrow lanes) and ease of parking. You may want something smaller but still higher, those small SUVs are popular in Europe.

"Pickpocketing is very rare in the UK, and car break ins not common. I think UK and US are similar in these two crimes."

For anyone reading this who might visit San Francisco and the SF Bay area, car break ins are a huge problem here.

Susan I hear about that too.

Just a thought about driving from Heathrow. If you have never driven in the UK it's easier to pick up your car out of town. We always drop off in Reading and take the shuttle in to the airport. Then you can get used to the narrow roads!

We've driven many miles in all kinds of vehicles, frequently hatchbacks, and never had any problems with break-ins. I think our last car was a Ford Mondeo, which had lots of room for three of us and all our luggage. Our only car problem was a flat tire on a narrow road in the Lake District.

I've never heard that pickpockets were a problem.

We are flying in and out of Gatwick, would you recommend the same ?

Very true about SF and car break ins regardless of the type of neighborhood it is. Sometimes the entire block where cars were parked overnight is hit. You can tell by the broken safety glass left on the street, one pile after another.