Holiday Thailand: 10 tips to prevent theft of your luggage
The summer holidays have started and many Dutch people will also be going to this summer Thailand leave to enjoy a wonderful holiday.
Unnoticed, tourists take more and more expensive things on holiday. Think of a tablet computer, iPhone or other smartphone, laptop, digital camera, etc. That is why it is important to pay close attention to your luggage. After all, theft of your travel luggage can ruin your holiday.
Although I have been coming to Thailand for many years, nothing has ever been stolen from me. In that respect, Thailand is a pleasant holiday destination. Nevertheless, it is good to take some preventive measures. This certainly also applies to backpackers who travel around Thailand and neighboring countries with a backpack. Make a list of all your possessions before you take to the skies. This way you can always check if you still have everything when you travel around Thailand.
In this article we give you 10 tips to prevent theft of your belongings.
1. Insure yourself with travel insurance
A Travel Insurance is one of the most important things that you should not forget before traveling. Both for your belongings and for your medical expenses. If everything goes wrong, you may still be able to recover part of the damage. The fact that you have taken out travel insurance does not mean that you will always be reimbursed for the damage. A claim will not be awarded by a travel insurer until you have exercised normal caution. This means, among other things, that you may not leave your luggage unattended.
2. Close is better
You should always carry thick packs of money, passports, credit cards and anything of value or dear to you as close to your body as possible. Don't put it in a pocket on the outside of your backpack; keep it either in a money belt under your clothes or in a smaller bag that you always carry with you. You will often be separated from the bulky luggage, but if you keep the most important items close at hand you will always have cash and the means to get home.
3. Don't lose your luggage
Not only the occasional bag thieves pose a threat to your travel luggage. Airports, busy places and other travelers are just as much a danger, albeit sometimes by accident. Nowadays, many bags look alike. It is possible that a tired backpacker picks up the wrong backpack from the baggage carousel. Avoid this by clearly writing your name and telephone number on the bag with a waterproof pen. Never include your full address on your luggage tag. A malicious person then knows that your house is probably empty. You can hang a prominent feature on your luggage, such as a piece of ribbon or a large sticker on your suitcase. In short, something with which you can immediately recognize your own suitcase, bag or backpack.
4. Divide your money and luggage
It is wise to divide your travel luggage and valuables. For example, if you are traveling in pairs, do not each bring your own suitcase with things. Divide your belongings over several suitcases. If one of the suitcases gets lost, you always have some clothes etc. at hand. The same goes for a backpack if you are traveling in pairs. You can also divide cards and money better, so that you are not completely without means of payment during the holiday.
5. Stay alert
If you want to take a nap, whether at the airport, train or bus, always make sure you have your backpack either under your head or as close to you as possible; and attached to you with a string or belt. This way you will always wake up if someone is rummaging through your stuff. If you need to go to the toilet, ask your fellow traveler to look after your belongings, for example.
6. Secure your luggage
You may think your bags are safe in it hotels or B&B, but why take a risk? Buy a cable lock and secure your bag to a heavy object such as a bed or heater for extra security. If your hotel has a safe, use it.
7. Don't show off your feathers
If you're bringing flashy gear, designer brands, and expensive high-tech gadgets, try not to be flashy. Use your decrepit, old, and unattractive items to show off to would-be thieves. Definitely don't walk around with expensive jewelry or gold chains, that's almost asking for trouble.
8. Don't accept drinks from strangers
There are known cases where tourists in popular nightlife spots were stunned by adding a pill to their drink unnoticed, for example in a 'bucket' (mix of local whiskey, Thai red bull and cola) that is passed around in a group. Victims were then robbed. Be especially careful at events such as the 'Full Moon Party' on the island of Koh Pha Ngan. Robberies are common there.
9. Travel with 'official' carriers
Recently, bus passengers have been robbed more and more often in Thailand. Therefore, be careful with so-called 'Coach Bus 30' intercity scheduled services. These are services performed by unauthorized operators. They charge significantly lower rates for rides than the official interliners. The police even suspect that passengers are sometimes drugged and robbed when they have fallen asleep. Most thefts occur on the routes to the south, followed by the routes to the north of Thailand. If necessary, choose the train. The Thai police is visibly present on almost all trains.
10. Make copies of important documents
Make sure you always have copies of your important documents in Thailand. For example, if your passport is stolen, the embassy can request a replacement travel document more quickly if you can provide copies. You can take the copies with you on vacation, but you could also send them to your own e-mail address, for example. Then you can request them from anywhere in the world.
If your passport is lost or stolen in Thailand, you must report this to the local police as soon as possible. Subsequently, you must apply for a new passport or temporary travel document (emergency passport or laissez-passer) at the Dutch embassy in Bangkok or the consulate in Phuket in order to travel back to the Netherlands. When you return to the Netherlands, you must also report this to the Dutch police.
If, despite all these tips, you do become the victim of a crime, please contact the tourist police on telephone number 1155.
Closing comments
The above may sound a bit scary, but don't worry. Social control in Thailand is high. You can even travel alone through Thailand as a woman. However, do not give cause for theft and do not lose sight of your luggage.
Have a nice holiday in Thailand!
About this blogger
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Known as Khun Peter (62), lives alternately in Apeldoorn and Pattaya. In a relationship with Kanchana for 14 years. Not yet retired, have my own company, something with insurance. Crazy about animals, especially dogs and music.
Enough hobbies, but unfortunately little time: writing for Thailandblog, fitness, health and nutrition, shooting sports, chatting with friends and some other oddities.
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Another small addition. To prevent your house from being empty when you get home. Try to prevent as much as possible, post your holiday period on social media. If you don't add photos today, November 1, we're going to … for a week. That's a week of freedom for burglars
And one more: Never place address labels on bags and suitcases with the address side in front of the “window” but address on the inside. At the airport there are people who check who is going on vacation and where they live (on the luggage labels).
Prevention is better than cure
Too bad we have to warn each other, but that's how it is
Lots of fun holiday fun.
Ruud
Posting your holiday period on social media should be possible, provided you ensure that your profile is well protected from strangers.
It is better not to put it on social media, because you have protected it well yourself. You don't know how your acquaintances, family or friends have shielded things. 1 small mistake on their part and your house will be emptied. This happened to a neighbor of my mother's.
Maybe even better. Do not put your address but only your e-mail address or telephone number on your labels.
Dear Khun Peter , I would like to give an extra tip . If you take the bus to the north or south in Thailand, always take your luggage with you at the top of the bus, put it on the floor in front of your feet. Seen robbed travelers many times who deposited their luggage at the bottom of the bus and upon arrival, cut open with a razor blade by gangsters who work together with the bus carrier and everything gone. Greetings the Survivor
Remember that there is always someone from the safe in the room who has the key to open the safe if, for example, you no longer remember the code or the battery is empty. Some hotels only have one safe behind the reception, never show the staff what you hand over and put cash before you dare to hand it over, at least in a closed envelope with, for example, your signature on the closure and wrap the then envelope in something else. Do not think this is an exaggeration, caution is advised. Rather pin more often and also think about where you do that because unfortunately skimming in Thailand is spreading like an oil slick.
Do not use an ATM that is somewhere loose on the street, with the cables visible. Always one that is permanently built in, in a bank, or in a shopping center that is closed at night.
one more tip,
if you are robbed in Jomtiem (taxi where many pickpockets, groups of 3 are active) report it there and not at the main office in Pattaya. don't forget to have your declaration translated into English, for the insurance.
You can put a copy of your passport and other important documents in your dropbox. This way you can easily access your documents anywhere in the world. Make up a hard-to-crack password. For the nerds among us, you can also put your documents in an .iso with an extra password as extra security.
The first time I came to Asia, about 36 years ago, I had a nice backpack. But that turned out not to be such a good idea. Every time I went somewhere and the thing was being loaded, stuff fell out. You couldn't close it properly.
Due to my work I had owned a Samsonite, Delsey, Ambassador and other suitcases. These turned out to work much better for me and because of the hard shell, they also offered me more security for my stuff. That's why I would recommend a suitcase over and over again.
Caliente and other users too: a secure password that is hard to crack and easy to remember: you form a sentence. It doesn't have to be just a word. For example: “I love hutspot2” or “Ik@van8worst”… small sentences of four, five words with a number, a capital letter and a separate character… If you write it in English, no one will probably ever find out what you mean password used.
That comment about travel insurance forgets that the most important thing about it is not the cover against theft, but the help and all the organization of people trusted with that work when something really bad happens. If a major accident happens and ends up in hospital, etc. Not to be hoped, but it happens every day. And at least help: what should you do if theft does happen - many people then lose their bearings. Costs me something like eur 30/35 per year.
And coach30 is completely new again - the commonly known nickname is the Khao Sarn (VIP) bus.
Tip? Take a photo of your suitcase or backpack. Recently on a flight back home, a suitcase was missing based on a photo and it was traced in no time. Put the address of your work in the inside of the suitcase, that also helped us once.
if you get robbed in Jomtien, usually on the Bathbus,
by 3 pickpockets with a linen bag over his arm
then you can also report it in Jomtien, crime scene (take your time)
Pattaya police station has dozens of orders with hundreds of photos
of pickpockets, who usually operate in teams of 3 people,
then they change group composition again,
therefore difficult to get hold of and a lot is stolen, also from the safes of hotels
in addition
at the ANWB you can buy belts with a zipper on the inside (€ 5,00)
my wife and I always have this on with the money and copy of our travel documents in it.
this is impossible to roll.
after 52 times Thailand, nothing has ever been stolen from us
You can also buy these in Thailand.
I had 2 back pockets made on the inside of my pants. They close with a zipper. Passport and money in it. Even if you sleep in a train or bus everything is so safe!
Slim
It is even easier to buy a tube of textile glue and cut some pockets out of an old pair of jeans and glue them on.
There is also travel underwear for sale!
This smart lady shows that you can even wear them backwards.
Avoid Pickpockets with the clever travel company is a fun 2 minute YouTube video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-nX6pnNRYo
Comment ;Men think they are smart, but women take the cake ?
Had an accident in India, broken hip, repatriated by OHRA, doctor traveled to India, needed 13 seats on plane for me, operated in The Hague, total costs Fl. 30.000
So I always have permanent travel insurance, with a cancellation clause which came in handy with the tsunami in 2004. Tickets reimbursed within 3 days.
I was once repatriated from Vietnam. Unfortunately, those costs are not paid by your health insurance or, as many Dutch people wrongly think, that the Dutch embassy arranges and pays for all that for you. Fortunately, there is travel insurance. She paid the more expensive ticket so that I had a bed on the plane, but above all she took care of everything. The latter in particular was great. Everywhere people were ready for boarding / transfer and medical checks. Last night I read the column about the fantastic staff of a hospital in Thailand. I had that feeling too. That really helps if you're just as down in the dumps due to a complicated leg fracture that you suddenly sustain on vacation because of something crazy.
I also once had a backpack (1977) used for 1 season. After that always traveled with Samsonite which can be locked properly, MUCH safer!
And those rolling suitcases with zippers that are so popular can be opened with a ballpoint pen, see Youtube.
Unfortunately, last year I had my first bad experience in Thailand…and that in 14 years.
Stolen my money in a locked zipper pocket.
This happened in an open taxi (songtew).
Most of the passengers were Russians (98%)
I don't want to accuse anyone…but still…have my suspicions.
This song tew shook back and forth..braking, accelerating..and I was on the back!
Had my mind holding it..had my hands greasy from the creaming shortly before on the beach.
Didn't want to lose weight! Got shaken by that..didn't feel someone was touching my pants.
Happened...sorry! But, put things into perspective…there are worse things.
Don't want to scare anyone.. it's a beautiful country. (if it is overrun with Russians)
We have also just had our 1st bad experience.
In Bangkok in the TukTuk robbed of handbag by a motorcycle driving next to us. So pay attention and store your handbag properly, do not hang it on your shoulder, but really put it away so that the gentlemen cannot see that you have a handbag with you. Handbag robbery can also happen when you walk on the sidewalk, always try to walk on the inside (against houses/shops).
Mary, Tip: see travel underwear.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-nX6pnNRYo