Robbed on a train...

I just can't imagine feeling comfortable with storing a passport, passports, or valuables in a bag on a train in any case.

Man, what a huge pain in the butt. I am really sorry for them. how many people in the family (how many passports to replace)?

What a mess, and a good warning. I always like it when a trip ends in a city with a US Embassy. Just in case.

Thank you for posting this and to me the reporting of these kinds of events are helped by your posting history here. I'm sorry you had to witness the aftermath which I am sure was very sad.

Hope you have a nice holiday in Brussels.

Wow, I can't even imagine. However, I would never be outside my hotel room with my passport unless it was in a money belt or an inside zip pocket of my cross body bag.

Ditto Jazz + Travels and Laurie Beth!! My valuables are ON me. Hope it all worked out for them.

A sad lesson to learn.
As others have said, I have everything important in a small crossbody I wear, or a money belt. I have no problem putting my suitcase in the luggage rack at the end of the car, I can't imagine that's much of a target for thieves.

Ugh. How sad to have a wet rag thrown on their holiday trip! :O(

I never trusted my valuables anywhere at all on the trains but ON me, or nearly so. Let's just say I wouldn't nap without practically sitting on my shoulder bag if it had anything irreplaceable in it, like cash or my Canon, or would be a PITA to replace. WengenK, your post was a good reminder to stay on one's toes. Thank you.

It is exactly for this sort of occurrence that you don't stash the passport in a backpack, cross bag, day pack, etc . or any type of bag. My passport stays on me, either in a zipped pocket or the neck pouch.

We were on our way to Aalter, a small town half way between Gent and Brugge. This is the place that I grew up in, and we were visiting relatives for Christmas...
The US family were on their way to Brugge, so we would have ended up on the same train. They were wearing Christmas pullovers, and looked very American.

I have nothing against people looking "American". You should pretty much be permitted to look whatever you want. But I kept thinking that somehow they must have been specifically targeted because they were Americans, that there was an accomplice on the train scoping out targets.

It was all over very fast. It did not register at first even. And come to think of it. Rushing in the to a train, taking something, and then getting out is actually something I have done too. Like when I am out on the platform an I notice I left my bag, or my jacket. Both have happened.

So these were pros. Scoping their target. And then just walking in and out as if it was indeed their business to do so. And they probably know that most US credit cards still have no PIN on them.

I really feel sorry for that family. That is not how you want to spend Christmas.

What about wallet? Was one in the backpack, too? I wonder if the target had been seen putting a wallet into that particular backpack in a food car or in the station before boarding.

This story reminds me of the following which happened a few years ago. I’m a frequent traveler on the international train between Schiphol Airport towards Brussels, but I always get off at the last stop in the Netherlands, Breda.
So this time I was on that train again, on my way home from our Amsterdam office. It wasn’t very busy so I had two seats to myself, the gentleman on the other side of the aisle also had 2 seats. He sat on the seat next to the window and on the aisle seat he was organizing his things, passport, wallet etc. I was busy reading a report for work so I hadn’t seen him leave his seat, but suddenly I noticed that he wasn’t there, but all his stuff, his wallet, his US passport, his laptop was out in the open on the aisle seat and up for grabs. I stopped reading my report and watched his belongings like a hawk. When he returned, presumably from using the toilet, I first warned him that he should brace himself for a hefty dose of Dutch directness. I then told him in no uncertain terms that what he did was incredibly stupid and had he pulled this stunt at an intermediate stop he would have most definitely lost all his belongings. I’m pretty sure he got the message :-)

Oh my goodness, Dutch_Traveler — that fellow was very lucky that you were his neighbor on that voyage !! How stupid !!

Walking in and out, stealing. same happened to someone in our group in Lima, Peru. Nice hotel. Someone walked in when all bags were assembled for the bus and simply picked up a bag and walked out. It was someone's camera and all his camera and pictures now gone. This was way before cell phones. So a nice 35mm camera and accessories.

I wonder if it's a difference between small town/rural life and big city. Nobody, I believe, would do something so foolish in New York city or any other city of such a size. There are still areas around here where residents boast that they "don't lock their doors". Somebody like that doesn't have the built-in reflexes necessary.

Thank you for the reminder, WengenK!

I always have my essentials in my money belt on trains, and my iPad in my tote I have around an arm, but this would be annoying to anyone not wanting to replace clothes, etc. during a trip.

One item I changed during my 2024 trips was my medicine. I added two weeks of prescriptions in my tote - just in case my toiletry kit inside my bag was stolen. I’ve added that amount as an extra buffer since one of them must be taken daily, so it’s in addition to the amount stored in my toiletry kit. I like to travel to some obscure places and move locations very often, so this is just my risk reduction solution.

Wengen, Thank you so much for posting what happened on the ICE Train. We travelled by train last summer in France, and I can't remember if we used the overhead space above our seats for our backpacks, etc. I would never have thought something like what you saw would happen.
It's better to take extra precautions...than have to deal with the aftermath of losing important documents.
Merry Christmas to you and your family.

It's a pain in the butt, but just like planes, everything valuable-wallets/passports/etc should be with you or underneath your seat. I have seen on flights people sleeping and folks opening up overhead bins above them. Professionals can steal in seconds and many folks don't realize this until late.

Keep everything valuable near you at all times on public transport. Can't tell you how many times I see folks on trains and subways with half open backpacks and purses.

"Can't tell you how many times I see folks on trains and subways with half open backpacks and purses" How true. It seems more so on crowded trains and you wonder if they are really that clueless or just negligent .

normally train passenger are easy targets for the bogglers as you can't chase the guy while travelling that too on a public transport.