Luggage

Hi, Cindy,

You really don't have anything to worry about as far as leaving luggage in the boot. I've been to Scotland many times, and have never had any problem. This past time, we had one too many suitcases to fit in the boot, so one (mine!) was left on the back seat, covered with a blanket. My hiking boots were back there, too. In 31 days, no one gave us a second look.

As you travel around the Highlands especially, you'll see many cars with personal items piled up on the back seat. If there was any kind of car content theft going on in Scotland, you can bet that the national media would be on top of it.

Having said that, there are parts of Glasgow (and Edinburgh) where you would not want to leave anything visible on the back seat. But as a tourist, you most likely would not be visiting those areas anyway.

At certain popular attractions, you'll still see signs warning you not to leave anything visible in your car. This is just common sense - anything valuable should be left in the boot or on your person.

Scotland is one of the safest places in the world to be a tourist.

As they say there, "Dinna fash yersel!"

Enjoy your holiday!

Mike (Auchterless)

We travel with smaller sized suitcases and a backpack. We don’t like leaving things in the boot but when stopping at places between lodgings it’s unavoidable. The only recommendation is to get anything out of the boot you may need prior to pulling into the parking lot so prying eyes don’t see what’s in the boot. Also don’t leave anything in sight in the car itself (maps, coins, bags, phone cords, gps, etc.) that might tempt somebody. In all our travels, we’ve never had an issue.

It’s not an issue. Just don’t leave anything visible inside the car.

As others have said there is very little problem with theft from cars. Obviously don't leave valuables visible e.g. on the back seat. But anything in the boot is going to be absolutely fine. One tip to make your rental car less identifiable is to remove any sticker from the fuel tank filler flap. Sometimes rental companies put a sticker on the outside of the fuel tank flap to remind you what kind of fuel to use. I always peel that off and stick it on the inside of the flap.

Thanks all for the reassurance. Great idea to remove the gas lid sticker!

Those bar codes in the windows are a dead giveaway as well!

Mike (Auchterless)

We just spent the better part of a month parking (and driving) in densely populated areas, in tourists spots with and without a lot of people, small town parking lots on and off High Streets, and food store parking lots. We had a Toyota Corolla with a cover that pulled over the luggage in the back -- but if you bothered to look, you could still see suitcases and backpacks. Nothing untoward happened to us or the luggage. Of course, we kept the wallet and passport with us -- along with anything else we wanted to whatever we were doing. But that was it.

Honestly, I felt as safe everywhere in Scotland as I've ever felt in my own hometown...