<p>Hi,</p>
<p>Any suggestions on how to keep luggage safe while traveling? Are luggage store areas at hotels secured? When you check out but still in the area for the day is it a good idea to leave luggage there? What other choice is there? Bringing it along isn't always an option.</p>
<p>Not sure what to do with it - help please.</p>
<p>invest in luggage locks:)</p>
<p>Unfortunately, if you’re staying in a low budget hotel or hostel, luggage store areas aren’t always the most secure places to keep your bags. Usually hotel/ hostel staff keep an eye out but they really don’t have a way of knowing whose stuff is whose. More upscale places will give you a number ticket or something to match a number on your bag before you can take it out of the storage room which makes is a pretty safe alternative.</p>
<p>I’m pretty cheap, but if the hotel or hostel I was staying at offered storage space, I always sprung for it. If you can bring your own lock, that’s even better. And even if they only have small lockable cubbies, invest in one for your passport and travel documents. Having your underwear stolen isn’t fun, but losing your passport is probably the worst thing that can happen to you in another country.</p>
<p>Buying some small locks for your suitcase zippers is a good idea too. If someone sees that it’s going to take too much effort to open your bags, they probably won’t bother taking them. Just remember to keep the keys.</p>
<p>On a positive note, in my entire year abroad, I never had anything stolen.</p>
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<p>You can invest a small amount (about $10, I think) on combo locks that are TSA approved. That way you can put them on your luggage when you check it, and TSA can then get into it if necessary without breaking the lock. Our TSA approved locks worked fine on our trip to northern Europe earlier this year, no issue with the European airlines for us.</p>
<p>We used the hotel luggage room several times. We did lock the luggage. When we got to a new city, we would usually go straight to the hotel even if it was early morning to see if we could leave our luggage. We did this 3 times. Twice the hotel said our room was available and let us check in (one even suggested we go have the free breakfast)! Even though checkin time was not until something like 3 pm, and it was 8 or 9 in the morning. So that was great. The third time they readily put the luggage in the room and we just came back at check in time.</p>