Stolen luggage on a European trip? ! Read this post now!

Just back from a trip to Europe, whether by plane or staying in a hotel, you may encounter luggage thieves, finally see how rampant European thieves are🙊

A, high-risk scene inventory: thieves gather black spots!
1️⃣ Hotel/Bed and Breakfast Surrounding (Hard-hit Area)
🫳🏻 Crime techniques
- The lobby was taken advantage of when filling out the form for check-in
- Low-level balcony hooked with a long pole (Nice, Lisbon multiple times)
- Temporary baggage being fraudulently claimed (Bed and Breakfast requires high vigilance)

2️⃣ Attractions/Shopping Malls ("high incidence")
🫳🏻 Crime techniques
- The same suitcase was changed while taking pictures (Eiffel Tower, Colosseum)
- Taken directly outside the door of the fitting room (Galeries Lafayette in Paris, Oxford Street in London, etc.)
- Fake "deposit service" scam in front of restaurants (Florence, Barcelona)

3️⃣ Station/Airport (Group Crime)
🫳🏻 Crime techniques
- Being transferred while using a mobile phone in the waiting hall (Munich, Amsterdam stations)
- Take a taxi without the driver picking up your luggage (Budapest, Prague)
- Airport luggage trolley with boxes missing (Paris Charles de Gaulle, Rome Fiumicino)

4️⃣ Transportation (take advantage of chaos)
🫳🏻 Train/Bus Theft
- Pretend to assist in moving to create confusion
- Unbox the luggage rack or remove it directly
- Stop midway to pick up luggage outside the carriage
🫳🏻 Risk of airplane baggage check-in
- Checked luggage was unboxed and extracted valuables/cabin luggage rack stolen

Two, luggage theft? Emergency stop loss steps!
✅ Call the police now! Be sure to request a hard copy of the report. Subsequent claims will be based on this basis
✅ Request to watch CCTV (generally available in hotels, shopping malls)
✅ Patrol nearby trash cans and dark corners, thieves may only take property and discard suitcases
✅ Register your contact details at stations, attractions lost and found
✅ Theft on the train: Instantly notify the flight attendant to broadcast the search, immediately report the loss after arriving at the station
✅ Lost Cabin/Checked Baggage: Get off the plane and go straight to the baggage counter to register, with your check-in number and luggage photos
✅ Checked baggage missing without notice for more than 24 hours, claim from the airline (prepare form and purchase receipt)
✅ Worst case scenario: loss of cash, bank card, mobile phone, contact the police for assistance, seek consular support

‼ ️ Guide to raising emergency materials for the day
🔘 Borrow from the hotel
Basic toiletries such as toothbrushes/toothpaste/towels (pajamas are provided in some)
🔘 Supermarket resupply
- Purchase cheap T-shirts, underwear, socks and slippers at supermarkets such as Lidl/Aldi
- Convenience store purchase simple toiletry kit
🔘 Online urgent purchase
- Orders placed through Tesco, Amazon and other platforms have some optional “same day delivery” to hotels.

Third, the ultimate anti-theft code
🧳 Luggage handling
- Remove the conspicuous stickers and install a code lock + anti-theft chain (locked at the foot of the hotel bed/carriage luggage rack)
- Luggage tags are marked with email/phone only (for picker contact)
💰 Separation of belongings
- Documents/cash/spare mobile phones are stored separately and never all in the suitcase
- Carry valuables with you and do not store electronics in the cabin luggage rack
🛫 Prepare before you go
- Take photos of the inside and outside of the suitcase (claim voucher)
- No valuables in checked baggage, carry backpack pressed under your feet to rest

⬇️ Any tips on how to deal with stolen luggage in Europe? Welcome to leave a comment to add!

#EuropeanTheftGuide #EuropeTravel #EuropeTravel #EuropeFreeTravel