Car break-ins... what about your luggage?

[southerngirl528]

I’m still nervous about visiting Europe with all the pickpockets and it’s hard to believe that Paris is one of the worst areas.

There is a thread about that here, Dis_Mike. I follow Rick Steve's advice and wear a money belt type gizmo ( I know, fashionable, huh? ), that goes just under the waistband on my trousers/capri's. DH did the same. We kept our passports, cash, credit cards, etc. in them and it was SO nice not to have to worry about pickpockets or anyone grabbing my shoulder bag.

As for Hawaii car break in's, the worst spots seem to be the popular tourist stops, like trail heads, Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, etc. Same for the other islands. It's usually smash and grab. Petty theft. But yeah, I wouldn't want to deal with the after effects. We are just extra careful about not loading ANY thing into or out of our trunk (and I will not rent an SUV because I WANT a trunk) where we are stopping, carry anything of value, and leave nothing in sight at all inside the car. Basically we leave nothing of value inside the car. We have never had any issues in all our trips to Hawaii, thank the Lord!

 

[DIS_MIKE]

If i remember correctly, I think Pearl Harbor has a no bags policy including purses so my mom had to leave hers in the trunk. She wasn't happy about it though. No SUV eh...? Something tells me you've rented Jeeps in the past and done a little off-roading..

Rick seems to be on-point most of the time and I enjoy his lecture series on PBS. The money belt is pretty ridiculous and it just announces that you are a tourist, but i agree that it does work and gives you that sense of security because all of your important items are close to your body. My former boss was in Italy and his daughter was carrying all their documents (including 10k in cash and passports) in her purse and someone swiped it while they were on a train platform. She had it wrapped around the handle of her luggage. It was a nightmare getting back to the US.

 

[southerngirl528]

If i remember correctly, I think Pearl Harbor has a no bags policy including purses so my mom had to leave hers in the trunk. She wasn't happy about it though. No SUV eh...?

You are correct about the no bags of any kind at Pearl Harbor. There is a little booth off to the right just as you enter for ticketing, etc., where for a very small fee, they keep your bag. It seemed weird to leave my purse with everything of great value ( at least to me, I.D., CC's, cash, etc.) in it with strangers, but all was well. I couldn't leave my bag and stuff back at Aulani as we were spending the day in Honolulu.

I no longer do an SUV as a rule, Dis_Mike, in Hawaii anyway, because it has no trunk. Having my bags in full view in the back of an SUV while I make a stop at Costco, or wherever, just isn't smart and would make me awfully nervous. If I knew for a fact that I was going STRAIGHT from picking up my car to my lodging, I wouldn't mind booking an SUV. But even then, you have to think about any shopping you might do while running around. Those bags will be in full view in an SUV. So that's my cure....... no SUV for me! At home? Sure! But the one we have at home is a beast and I would HATE to try to park it in Hawaii!

 

[Princess KP]

That’s a wild story. Did you have to pay for any of the damages? I didn’t do enough research so when we got to Hawaii I was surprised to see all the warning signs regarding theft and to lock your vehicles and not keep anything visible. Pearl Harbor had plenty of signs in the parking lot. The average tourist probably has no idea they’re a target but it can happen to anyone. I’m still nervous about visiting Europe with all the pickpockets and it’s hard to believe that Paris is one of the worst areas.

We took the shuttle to Aulani from the airport so we always rented the car on-site for the day. We never had any real valuables with us, but that doesn’t mean the crazies won’t try to break in anyway.

Luckily I didn't have to pay for the damage.

 

[jerseygal]

I was aware of this warning when we visited Aulani in '14. We rented a mini van so that we as 4 adults could have more space. I we never left anything in car, valuables. We went directly from airport to hotel unloaded and back directly to airport from Aulani. We thankfully never had a problem. Reflecting on this thread a bit more, IF there are many thefts, I would consider making sure that your valuables were secured while on the beach or even pools at Aulani. Obviously, you can use safes in the rooms, BUT then what do you do with your phone and room key? We recently traveled to Aruba and I purchased a locked combo beach bag in which we secured it to a heavy non movable item such as the Aruba Palaypas, in which we locked our phones and room keys when we were either walking on the beach or in the water.
The beach bag is large and insulated also for waters! I am using it when we are on the US beaches wherever we travel, love it! I am also using it for the very unique situations in which hotels do not have safes, Hampton Brand in particular...Typically when I travel I bring all inexpensive jewelry just for that reason, BUT when I travel overnight when we are going to a affair that I will be wearing expensive jewelry and the Hotel does not have a safe, I use the bag and tether(anchor it) it to a heavy item in the room which cannot be moved. Every piece of better jewelry that I have been given has a lot of sentiment and would hate to have it stolen by housekeeping staff. Its "he said, she said" at that point! ENJOY beautiful Aulani!

 

[DIS_MIKE]

You are correct about the no bags of any kind at Pearl Harbor. There is a little booth off to the right just as you enter for ticketing, etc., where for a very small fee, they keep your bag. It seemed weird to leave my purse with everything of great value ( at least to me, I.D., CC's, cash, etc.) in it with strangers, but all was well. I couldn't leave my bag and stuff back at Aulani as we were spending the day in Honolulu.

I no longer do an SUV as a rule, Dis_Mike, in Hawaii anyway, because it has no trunk. Having my bags in full view in the back of an SUV while I make a stop at Costco, or wherever, just isn't smart and would make me awfully nervous. If I knew for a fact that I was going STRAIGHT from picking up my car to my lodging, I wouldn't mind booking an SUV. But even then, you have to think about any shopping you might do while running around. Those bags will be in full view in an SUV. So that's my cure....... no SUV for me! At home? Sure! But the one we have at home is a beast and I would HATE to try to park it in Hawaii!

What do you have...one of those big Ford Excursions? We had a mustang convertible when we drove to the North Shore and saw the Dole Plantation and hiked Waimea valley up to the falls. What a stunning place. When we went into Honolulu and did Pearl and the Palace we had a little Honda Fit so it was easy to park.

 

[southerngirl528]

What do you have...one of those big Ford Excursions? We had a mustang convertible when we drove to the North Shore and saw the Dole Plantation and hiked Waimea valley up to the falls. What a stunning place. When we went into Honolulu and did Pearl and the Palace we had a little Honda Fit so it was easy to park.

Have a huge GM SUV. The big kahuna! LOL! We have a lot of kids!

We have rented the oh-so-touristy convertibles in Hawaii several trips! I said, I didn't care if it was touristy, it was what we wanted! And yes, it is very wise not to get a big car for a Hawaii rental unless a family/group really NEEDS it because parking is tough, and parking spaces are usually pretty SMALL. I thought the parking spaces at Aulani were pretty tight as well, and we had an intermediate car.

 

[DIS_MIKE]

Have a huge GM SUV. The big kahuna! LOL! We have a lot of kids!

We have rented the oh-so-touristy convertibles in Hawaii several trips! I said, I didn't care if it was touristy, it was what we wanted! And yes, it is very wise not to get a big car for a Hawaii rental unless a family/group really NEEDS it because parking is tough, and parking spaces are usually pretty SMALL. I thought the parking spaces at Aulani were pretty tight as well, and we had an intermediate car.

GM does make some big SUVs. Big Kahuna is a great name. My convertible was only the 6 cylinder version so it wasn’t super thirsty. I wish we had it for our drive to the Kualoa Ranch because the views are spectacular.

 

[southerngirl528]

I wish we had it for our drive to the Kualoa Ranch because the views are spectacular.

Sooooo many lovely, lovely views to be seen in Hawaii, no? Ahhhhh.......