Money, security, safety ?'s

[vellamint]

I am staying at the Sequoia Lodge which does not have in room safes. I have also read not to carry too much money or id etc with you into Paris as there are pickpockets.

Should I leave everything in the hotel safety box? I havent used a safety deposit box in a hotel since 1989!! Do you get your own little key, can you access it at any time of the day or night?

I own a small travel safe with a metal cord that can be wrapped around something immovable and would fit all our money plus perhap our passports....would use that in the room instead?

Should I carry our actual passports into Paris or just a copy....for identification purposes.

I have a travel wallet that goes around my neck that would fit just about everything, euros, credit cards, debit card, passports.....should I wear that under my clothing the whole time travelling.

Thanks.

 

[npoon]

Being a Canadian, I always leave a copy of my passport and visa cards with a trusted person back home..just in case I need that info. I know that with AAA (or where I am from CAA) you can do a credit card registry with your membership. btw, I have always found putting money in my sock...yes while wearing them seems very safe. I favor wearing knee highs but you don't have to pull them up all the way, position the money around your thigh area..I can't see how anyone could take my money from there...

 

[tennisfan]

I have always left my valuables in a locked suitcase if the hotel i'm staying in doesn't have room safes. I was surprised when we went to Las Vegas the other week out hotel didn't have room safes.

The SL does have a safety deposit box at reception, that can be accessed anytime

Regarding money take the amount you need, I never carry all of mine in case it is stolen then I still have some back at the hotel.

Regarding safety, its like anywhere you just need to be vigilant at all times including in the parks where people tend to drop their guard.

 

[poppie123]

I have always left my valuables in a locked suitcase if the hotel i'm staying in doesn't have room safes. .

The is exactly what i do and i have never had a problem. I leave the passports locked inside too.

I have a daily allowance for each day and i take that out with me, the rest gets left in the case back in the room

 

[Flossbolna]

I would use the hotel safety deposit box for the passports at least, just for ease of mind. I don't know how much cash you plan on having with you, if it is large amounts, I would put some into the hotel safety box as well. With the passports it would be such a hassle to have to replace them while abroad that the small amount of time spent at reception for getting them into the box really does not matter.

I personally don't think that putting things into a locked suitcase would help in case that someone really would want to steal from you, and I assume only professionals would go after passports anyway. I am not saying that DLP hotels are in general very unsafe places, I just think a small precautionary measure can prevent a very unhappy situation. Just like wearing a seatbelt is not necessary for most car trips we go on every day, but still it makes a lot of sense to wear it!

O, and in order to prevent pickpocketing: just follow the general rules to prevent it. And I really love the pacsafe bags which give a little additional security: http://www.pacsafe.com/www/index.php

 

[vellamint]

Thank you. I will leave our passports and the money we do not need for the day in the hotel safety box.

 

[chids]

Since i was robbed in turkey in 2006 i never let money or passports out of my sight. They come every where with me when we're on holiday, i generally leave enough cash for the day in my purse and then put any spare cash in a zip pocket in a handbag. The same with my passports. We also have one of them body purse things that fastens around your waist so we use that too.

We actually had a hotel safe broken into so even now i don't trust them. At night times i sleep with passports/wallets in my pillow case then should anyone break into the room whilst we're in there they would have to move me first to get to my posessions.

 

[vellamint]

Since i was robbed in turkey in 2006 i never let money or passports out of my sight. They come every where with me when we're on holiday, i generally leave enough cash for the day in my purse and then put any spare cash in a zip pocket in a handbag. The same with my passports. We also have one of them body purse things that fastens around your waist so we use that too.

We actually had a hotel safe broken into so even now i don't trust them. At night times i sleep with passports/wallets in my pillow case then should anyone break into the room whilst we're in there they would have to move me first to get to my posessions.

chids, I understand how you feel. I have had (in real life) my apartment and my car broken into....once my purse was snatched right from me.... These things are why I am a bit paranoid and was thinking of keeping everything on my person. Do you not think the hotel safety boxes at the front desk are reliable?

 

[Flossbolna]

chids, I understand how you feel. I have had (in real life) my apartment and my car broken into....once my purse was snatched right from me.... These things are why I am a bit paranoid and was thinking of keeping everything on my person. Do you not think the hotel safety boxes at the front desk are reliable?

I think they are very reliable. As far as I know, those boxes normaly works so that there is only one key and that's the key you get. Of course, nothing is ever absolutely safe - even bank vaults have been broken into. I also would not compare France and Turkey with regard to security levels. While France has its problems with petty theft, Turkey has a much stronger problem with corruption and such. Therefore "official" safes ought to be much safer in France than in Turkey. Of course this is not anything I can validate by statistics, just a general feeling and I don't mean this to offend anyone! The hotel safety box is only unsafe if there is a real robbery going on (and then I think there are better places to perform this then a DLP hotel) or if there is a real criminal scheme going on with several emlpoyees involved. Both things I consider to be very unlikely.

 

[Jonjo]

I have used the safes in the hotels a few times without any problems. I normaly keep my passports and spending money in one during my stay. Taking out what we need each day.

You get to keep the key to your hotel safety deposit box, so don't loose it as there is a charge if you do.

DLP is in the process of installing safes in the hotel rooms at the resort. So far they have been installed at the Hotel Cheyenne.

 

[chids]

I think they are very reliable. As far as I know, those boxes normaly works so that there is only one key and that's the key you get. Of course, nothing is ever absolutely safe - even bank vaults have been broken into. I also would not compare France and Turkey with regard to security levels. While France has its problems with petty theft, Turkey has a much stronger problem with corruption and such. Therefore "official" safes ought to be much safer in France than in Turkey. Of course this is not anything I can validate by statistics, just a general feeling and I don't mean this to offend anyone! The hotel safety box is only unsafe if there is a real robbery going on (and then I think there are better places to perform this then a DLP hotel) or if there is a real criminal scheme going on with several emlpoyees involved. Both things I consider to be very unlikely.

The employees being involved is what happened to us. They actually sprayed my parents bedroom whilst they were sleeping so that they wouldn't wake up whilst someone let themselves in with a spare room key and took the safe key from my mums handbag. Apparently we heard this is a common occurance in turkey and I'm sure the chances of this happening to us again is pretty slim, but it's certainly made me think and be a bit more on my guard which is why i trust no one when it comes to my money on holiday apart from myself.

 

[Flossbolna]

The employees being involved is what happened to us. They actually sprayed my parents bedroom whilst they were sleeping so that they wouldn't wake up whilst someone let themselves in with a spare room key and took the safe key from my mums handbag. Apparently we heard this is a common occurance in turkey and I'm sure the chances of this happening to us again is pretty slim, but it's certainly made me think and be a bit more on my guard which is why i trust no one when it comes to my money on holiday apart from myself.

Wow, this is really horrible and I can understand that you really are nervous about your belongings now! I am sorry that you had to go through something like that!!