Keeping valuables in luggage in hotel room?

We use hotel safes all the time. Never had a problem.
We also don't take every card or the bulk of our cash with us for daily sightseeing; some of that stays back at the hotel as we feel a little better without EVERYTHING on us unless we're changing cities/countries.

Money, tickets, passport, credit cards all go in my suitcase. I've done it for ages and never had a problem.

If passport, cash and credit cards are on you in a money belt, what are you concerned about? What other valuables? You have no need to worry. Just enjoy your trip.

FYI, I often leave those things in the hotel room, not in a safe. My husband always carries his.

My money and passport are always with me. I leave my laptop out in the open. I've got nothing else valuable with me so I don't tend to use the in-room safes. Your plan sounds fine to me.

I never leave my laptop or other gadgets out in the open. When I leave the room, I put them in my locked suitcase, which stays in the closet. If you're staying in a reasonably reputable hotel in a reasonably reputable neighborhood, it's doubtful that you have anything to worry about.

I do keep my plane/train tickets in an envelope in the hotel safe, and change the code every day.

I am confused. If you plan on wearing a moneybelt everyday ( I never do.. only in transit) then what other valuables do you need locked up?

My only valuables are my credit and bank cards,, and my passport. I leave them in hotel safe.. or leave them in my purse ( inside zippered pocket) .

I did bring a tablet last year.. I left it out on bedside table.. .. and this year I did bring a phone.. ( didn't get a plan or sim etc.. just used it when we had wifi) and I carried it in my purse .

What else is valuable.. no one wants my clothes or makeup.. lol

I will clarify...
We will be staying in reputable B&B's, with the exception of one "larger hotel", Pensione Guerrato in Venice. If there are room safes available, we will most likely use them when not in transit. I was just questioning the advise to leave passports and cash in a suitcase I guess. I wouldn't do that in the US when traveling domestically, either. But the passports are supposed to be with us at all times anyway, so that's a non-issue. Just thinking out loud...... ;)

Probably thinking too much. If the hotel had problems with room thefts it would hit TA, this site, and others within hours. The probability of room theft is so low as to not be much of a concern. We will throw our ipad and phones in the suitcase and lock it. If it is busted open, then we will know it. Never had a problem with room theft in Europe or the US.

I keep passport, money, and cards in a neck wallet (money belt just as good), and put my tablet, e-reader, and anything else like that into the suitcase which I zip closed in the hotel room. So far not a problem in multiple countries. I suppose there's always a first time but I figure nobody would risk their job just for my tablet. If there were an in-room safe I guess I'd use that.

The main risk of hotel theft is from other guests. Maids often prop room doors open in several rooms that they are cleaning on a floor. Helps them be more efficient. But it gives someone walking past a few seconds to look in, see something valuable sitting out in the open, and poof - it's gone.

The hotel safe is good for items that will fit inside.

Putting items in your luggage is also effective because if someone cannot see it, they are unlikely to spend the time gaining access and rifling through the bag.

What valuables? Who travels with valuables?

1. I always use a safe, if available, to store any extra cash or credit card and any valuable electronics etc. Minimize carried cash and credit card just in case of robbery or pickpocket.

2. If no safe, will carry all extra cash or cards on me and just store valuable electronics etc in luggage. Don't want to tempt staff or take chances with liquid asset like cash. Willing to take chance on electronics. Not willing to lug or worry about laptop or any extra camera equipment or other electronics . If stolen, gives me excuse to shop for new stuff.

Leave irreplaceable valuables home. It's easier to enjoy travel if you have to worry about your stuff.

If the valuables you travel with are replaceable, then leave what you don't need in your hotel or B&B. Bring what you need and what would be hard to replace.

What I leave or carry is situational. I don't carry my passport and wallet during ski races, and I wouldn't take them to a beach setting. Yet I do carry my wallet, camera and may carry my passport during recreational ski tours I also carry my wallet, passport and camera while walking/hiking. Computer stays tucked away in my hotel or transported luggage.

I have never had anything go missing from a hotel room in many years of travel. If I have to take my laptop, I do put it under some clothes in a bag, but that's it. I am much more careful with items in cars. We try not to leave a car unattended with anything in it, which means we try not to sight-see en route - in Europe or in the US. Though once, under duress, I locked my work laptop to a hidden lock-down ring in my car so that I could take a hike. You can buy a lock for a laptop. I don't know how good they are, but it would keep someone from casually walking off with it.

Hi Tigerfan, I am not sure what a hidden lock-down ring for the car is. Could you explain or send a link that would show what it is?
Thanks!

jill,

If you're keeping your Passports, cash and credit cards in your Money Belt, what other valuables are you concerned with? I always leave my Netbook and some camera gear in the room when I'm out touring, and have never had a problem. I lock the Netbook in my pack and lock the camera bag, which tends to prevent "opportunistic theft".

I rarely use hotel Safes, as they're not as "safe" as one might think.

What valuables? Who travels with valuables?

Laptops or iPads. Nice cameras left in the evening when you go out for dinner. Gifts or nicer souvenirs that were bought on your trip. And some people leave passports in the hotel. Just a few examples.

If your rental car doesn't have a lock down anchor, you could cable lock it to your spare tire if your rental car's spare is in an inside compartment. The thief would then have to either cut the cable or run with a computer attached to the spare tire. Of course the downside is that if the thief get your spare tire with the computer attached, you will have to pay for the tire.

And the extreme event would be a car thief driving off with all your stuff locked to the vehicle. Do they steal cars in Europe?

The alternative to chaining your computer to the vehicle is traveling with a low cost device, not keeping irreplaceable data on the computer and password protecting the hopefully minimal amount of confidential data stored on your travel computer.

Unless you are in a shared room (hostel or couch surfing or something), I wouldn't worry too much. Yes, the hotel maid or manager could be a thief, things do happen, but at some point you just have to take a small risk

Don't leave it in plain sight (an iPad on the table directly across from the door visible to anyone walking by is not a good idea!). Leave it in your suitcase, maybe under some clothes, suitcase in the closet or elsewhere not in plain sight, and be on your way. If you REALLY care hide something in the extra blankets on a shelf in the closet, or elsewhere that no one is going to look. Or just keep your privacy sign on and forgo room cleaning some days ;) But IMO that's overkill.

my iPad is so old that it wouldn't be of interest to anybody. i leave it out, charging. same with my 2nd generation Kindle.

If you don't have nice stuff, no one's interested in stealing it!!!

Lucky me!

I travel with a minimum of "valuables" - my passport, money, and ATM cards, of course, plus an inexpensive camera and a netbook, or pad. The passport, money, and cards are in my neck wallet and my camera is in my pocket. My computer is a a small case that doesn't look big enough to hold a computer. Any important information for the computer is on a separate thumb drive, not in the computer memory. Everything is with me all of the time. I don't worry about pickpockets, particularly in Germany.

Several years ago, I returned to my room at the end of the day and found a key in my room door, accidentally left there by the maid. So much for room security. The places I stay in don't, generally, have room safes. One of the few times it did, I put my neck wallet and computer in the room safe during the night, and in the morning, the safe would not open. The manager came and tried his master code (I wonder how many people know that), and it didn't work. Then he got a special tool and took off the front of the safe and opened it. I'm sure thieves can get that tool. So I don't have a lot of faith in room safes.

I used to worry about locking everything up, but I'm much more relaxed about it now. My iPad I usually leave charging out in the open in my room. I do keep a pass code on it when I'm traveling. Anything else, I zip into my suitcase. i wouldn't leave money or jewelry lying around, but that's common sense anywhere.