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there are those who do and those who don't and ne'er the twain shall meet

too risky for me, but I am that sort of person      but if folk do - that's their choice    but there is so much advice given and only so much that some will take

Only today, on another forum, there's a report of people being robbed on a British owned campsite, very recently, and part of the post reads:

They had been staying at British owned campsite in France when in the dead of the night they heard a bang from their car then the car alarm and he rushed out to re-set the alarm only to discover the cars rear side window had been smashed and all their valuables had been stolen off the back seat.

OK, they realise that with hind sight they shouldn't have left anything of value in the car but now they are without their passports, credit cards and a significant amount of both UK and Euro cash.


Whatever your view on the incident, surely the two point to take out of that are:

1.  Make sure your valuables are securely hidden in one of the dozens of places where an opportunist thief can't reach them.  Everything should be tucked away out of sight when you are sleeping.  No thief is going to rifle through your veg basket, or look behind the bean tins, or under the mat in the bathroom!  (None of our secret locations revealed in that sentence!)

2.  Split up valuables - don't put all your eggs in one basket.  We keep cards, cash, and passports completely separately - there's no way they could all be stolen at once unless the caravan was stolen with us sleeping in it.  Passports are also separated, so that one would still be available, and we have three separate credit and debit cards, again so that we always have an emergency one.  Cash is always split up if we have anything more than about 20 euros.

I agree entirely Ollie!  This one was posted by another British campsite owner (where the couple concerned were apparently 'regular' customers) - to indicate the poor level of service they'd received on the other campsite and it was apparently posted as a 'just happened' incident.  However, as you rightly point out these stories always involve 'all their valuables' - now how many people, especially 'regulars', leave all their valuable possessions in their car at night whilst sleeping in their caravan!

so every story that has a negative is an 'ah well you can just ignore it' feel to it.

 equally who leaves hings like passports and other valuables in the car?  I take all the things I might need if stolen from the care if it has to be left outside the site - even the security keys for the alloys (but am I unusual in this?)

Val is right re security  we follow that principle and I don't think we are neurotic about security.  'Be aware' principle - that is all that we need to take into consideration  

Quote: Originally posted by ldpdmp on 20/3/2012

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so every story that has a negative is an 'ah well you can just ignore it' feel to it.

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I agree - weigh up the 'risks', get advice, and make up your own minds - but above all take sensible (though not paranoid) precautions.  The original poster is doing just the right thing by asking, and in general has a range of views to take into account.  There are no 'negatives' or 'positives' just stories, views on those stories, and advice based on others' experiences.

We're much more casual on site - leaving things such as tables and chairs, lounger, mini-oven, etc., outside under the sun canopy, with no problems - but those things are not 'valuables' or 'essentials' and are easily replaced.  Yes we'd miss them, but our holiday could continue without them, or we could replace them easily.  Keep things as safe as they need to be - and valuables hidden, in separate places, and out of view and reach!