Road Trip: What do you do with luggage?

[Jade+3]

OK, so I am a worry wart!! Our travel insurance does not cover luggage left unattended in a vehicle. I am guilty of putting my laptop and camera gear in the stroller when out and about. This year we will be stroller free (yay), and I don't fancy carrying everything with me. We are looking at visiting Yosemite and cant check in to the hotel until 5pm.

What do you do? Just leave luggage in the car? Take valuables with you? Hide them in the car? Am I just a stress head and over-thinking??

 

[zanzibar138]

I got the impression from our travel insurance that it was only for luggage left all day or overnight in a vehicle (which we actually did too but not valuables). I would call and check what their definition of 'unattended' is. If you drive to the supermarket and go in for 5 minutes to get some milk, do they want you to lug all your stuff with you? What about if you stop for lunch on the way? Or is there a maximum number of hours you can leave it unattended without voiding your insurance? If you're really worried I would take it with you, but it could be worth a phone call to clarify.

 

[battymum]

I thought it had to be locked out of sight, such is in the boot.

 

[Andona]

We've done several extensive road trips in the USA. When we stop for sightseeing or lunch etc the luggage is locked in the boot out of sight. We carry all money, credit cards, passports, phones, ipad with us. You don't really have any other option on a road trip , unless you're prepared to drag suitcases etc with you everywhere.

Andona

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[Caroline NZ]

We are doing a road trip this year, and will do what Andona did - small valuables will go in our backpacks, but everything else will be in the car boot. We never leave ANYTHING on display in the car itself, the GPS is always packed away out of sight as are sunglasses etc.
I worry about it too, but it is just a risk we have to take.
We are also going to Yosemite

 

[PrincessInOz]

We lock everything in the trunk or boot of the car. Small valuables such as ipods, cameras....we carry with us; and the phones.

If you have a sedan style car and it's in the boot, you'd be very unlucky to be targetted for theft; unless you're blatantly showing off your gear in the area.

 

[Jade+3]

Thanks guys. We will have a minivan so will not be able to hide the luggage. I guess the best we can do is take the valuables with us. The laptop is the only awkward thing. I am only taking it to transfer my photos onto, as I usually use an 8GB card every 1-2 days.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Jade - I would either put the laptop in one of the bigger bags for that day or see if the hotel has a safe storage area for all your bags, including the laptop.

 

[marvel]

We pretty much take my backpack everywhere and has the ipad and money etc so its always with me. If they want to take the luggage its not that big a deal you can buy more, its the passports and cash and lappy that's not replaceable.

 

[Jade+3]

I could put it in a backpack. It is a Macbook Pro so not that bulky. I like the hotel idea.

 

[Jade+3]

Thanks Marvel, we posted at the same time. I will have to get a man backpack so DH can help.

 

[Marlea98]

I thought it had to be locked out of sight, such is in the boot.

That's what I thought too, like in the glove box or boot. At least that's what I'm sure our regular car insurance is like.

 

[Jade+3]

According to our travel insurance luggage can not be visible in the vehicle, so our luggage will not be covered as we will be in a minivan or SUV.