Where’s the safest place for your valuables? Mark Alsip found out the hard way — and at the worst possible time.
Alsip, a computer programmer from Lexington, Ky., was in St. Maarten with his girlfriend.
When he arrived at his hotel, he got out and left his valuables, which included his camera bag, behind.
“I was preparing a surprise marriage proposal,” he says. “I left a very expensive diamond ring and my passport along with my camera bag sitting in the back seat of a taxi van.”
Alsip says he violated the first rule of traveling with your valuables: Always keep them on your person.
You’d be surprised how many people lose their valuables on vacation
Valuables get lost on vacation. A lot of valuables. I talk to travelers every day who have misplaced something while they are on the road, and they wish they had known how to avoid it.
Many find out too late and lose their valuables. (Related: How to stay out of trouble when you travel in 2025.)
“Based on our internal data, the number of traveler-impacting events is on the rise,” says Frank Harrison, the regional security director of the Americas for World Travel Protection. “From criminal assaults to petty crimes like pickpocketing, a myriad of crime-related events can cause these travel interruptions.”
But there are other rules, from where on your person you should put your valuables (and where not to put them) to the safest places to store them in your hotel. I’m going to focus on valuables such as money and jewelry in this article, and in part two, I’ll offer expert advice on passports. Oh, and of course I’ll tell you what happened to Alsip’s marriage proposal.
Rule #1: Always keep your valuables on your person.
Alsip is right. He violated the first rule of keeping your valuables safe. It’s a rule Joel Parker learned when he visited Israel a few years ago and bought a new digital camera to capture the memories.
“I attended a private group event and set my camera down for less than 30 minutes,” says Parker, a travel advisor. “When I returned, it was gone.” (Related: Should you repeat your vacation? Let’s settle this argument once and for all.)
He reported the theft to his hotel and filed a police report, but the camera was gone for good.
“This experience taught me a valuable lesson about safeguarding my belongings while traveling,” he says. “Now I ensure that any small items are either attached to me or securely stowed on me.”
That merits repeating: If you want to keep your valuables, keep them on you when you travel.
Rule #2: Find a discreet place to put your valuables.
Pickpockets and thieves are opportunists. They’re looking for valuables that are easy to filch, such as a wallet in your back pocket or a bracelet or watch. And the key is to minimize these opportunities. If possible, don’t wear an expensive watch or jewelry. And for goodness’ sake, don’t keep your valuables in your back pocket — that’s just an invitation.
“A money belt or neck pouch worn under your clothes for your passport and cash is highly effective,” says Peter Hamdy, managing director of Auckland & Beyond Tours. “To minimize the risk of theft, diversify the locations of your valuables.” (Related: Traveling? Here’s what to say if you want to get the worst treatment — guaranteed!)
In other words, don’t put everything in one place, or you might lose your valuables.
Money belts or pouches like the PortaPocket, a modular security system for travelers, can keep your valuables safer.
Rule #3: Track your stuff.
If you do leave your valuables in your hotel room, consider using the hotel’s safe or at least put a tracking device on them.
“I add a Tile tracker to my bag and tuck it away in a secret compartment so I can always track my luggage if anything were to happen,” says Jess Rodley, bookings director at Andorra Escapes. “Using an AirTag works just as well.”
Consider tucking a tracker into your wallet or purse. If you’re tracking it, that could help law enforcement authorities find it much faster if you happen to lose your valuables. (Here’s our guide to planning your trip.)
But there’s one guaranteed way to ensure your valuables never get lost or stolen on your trip: “If you don’t need it, leave it at home,” says John Rose, chief risk and security officer at ALTOUR.
That’s right. Leave the family jewels at home in your safe if you don’t want to risk losing your valuables. Because the bottom line is that even when you keep your valuables on your person and track them, there’s still no foolproof way to prevent them from getting lost or stolen. (Here are a few pro tips for safeguarding your other valuables.)
The only way to do that is to not bring them. (Unfortunately, this advice doesn’t work for passports, which you have to bring if you’re traveling abroad. But I’ll have some advice on that in the next part of this series.)
What about that marriage proposal?
So what happened to Alsip, the computer programmer from Kentucky? Fortunately, his taxi driver was an honest guy.
“He was halfway to his next pickup, saw the bag, and turned around and walked into the reception area where we were checking in, carrying the bag,” he says.
His girlfriend, meanwhile, had no idea about the contents of the bag. But Alsip was so nervous that he had to run to the restroom to compose himself.
“Had I followed that first rule, I wouldn’t have been in that position,” he says. It’s a simple rule: never lose your valuables by being careless.
The next day he popped the question.
“Thankfully, she said yes,” he says.
