sirianjourney
Guest
Hello there,
I was recently robbed in my motorhome when driving from Italy to Portugal. I pulled over in one of the aires along the way near Montpelier, France - and parked between to big lorries. Knackered from a long day of driving, I flaked it from 11 pm to 3am. I woke up feeling fairly refreshed and made a cup of tea thinking that I might keep on driving when I noticed that the front cab curtain was pulled back - its always closed at night.
Then I noticed that my shoulder bag was not on the seat where I left it. I checked the wardrobe where my camera bag was - gone! I had just got back from overseas, and still had my passports and other ID in the camera bag. Both were not stashed in their usual hiding spots. My shorts on the seat had my wallet missing with all credit cards and cash. I noticed that the front passenger door was not quite closed. I went outside and notice that something in the front had fallen out onto the car park. The lock had some slight indentations around it - it had been forced but still worked.
Lucky my money belt in some jeans in the wardrobe was still intact with plenty of cash $US - not the easiest to change in Europe but it saved me. Since then and the nightmare of re-applying of ID's and original birth certificates, I have done some research and it appears to have happened to plenty of other travelers as various Daily Mail articles tell.
I am a light sleeper like some of these people in the articles said, and I am incredulous that I never woke up while the thief was in my motorhome. Some of these people claim to have been gassed (through the vents), they woke up with sore throats and feeling groggy. That was not my experience. However, I have found out there is some party drug product that they spray which is odorless and has no after effects, that I might have fallen prey to.
Either way, be cautious this summer holidaying as it seems that thieves are becoming more brazen or desperate, and they are very good at what they do. Altogether, I have lost about US$10,000 in film gear and other lost items, including the cost of replacing everything. You do not expect this in a motorhome, so make sure you have a gas detector and alarms. My old 1995 Fiat is pretty basic, so now I tie up the two front doors with rubber straps at night so that it is impossible to open the doors even if they force the lock.
I also think that I might have been targeted or followed - perhaps as a single person driving. The thieves must know that sooner or later, drivers will stop and their lights will go out and they will be sound asleep within an hour or so. The French police are not very sympathetic as it happens alot in France.
I was recently robbed in my motorhome when driving from Italy to Portugal. I pulled over in one of the aires along the way near Montpelier, France - and parked between to big lorries. Knackered from a long day of driving, I flaked it from 11 pm to 3am. I woke up feeling fairly refreshed and made a cup of tea thinking that I might keep on driving when I noticed that the front cab curtain was pulled back - its always closed at night.
Then I noticed that my shoulder bag was not on the seat where I left it. I checked the wardrobe where my camera bag was - gone! I had just got back from overseas, and still had my passports and other ID in the camera bag. Both were not stashed in their usual hiding spots. My shorts on the seat had my wallet missing with all credit cards and cash. I noticed that the front passenger door was not quite closed. I went outside and notice that something in the front had fallen out onto the car park. The lock had some slight indentations around it - it had been forced but still worked.
Lucky my money belt in some jeans in the wardrobe was still intact with plenty of cash $US - not the easiest to change in Europe but it saved me. Since then and the nightmare of re-applying of ID's and original birth certificates, I have done some research and it appears to have happened to plenty of other travelers as various Daily Mail articles tell.
I am a light sleeper like some of these people in the articles said, and I am incredulous that I never woke up while the thief was in my motorhome. Some of these people claim to have been gassed (through the vents), they woke up with sore throats and feeling groggy. That was not my experience. However, I have found out there is some party drug product that they spray which is odorless and has no after effects, that I might have fallen prey to.
Either way, be cautious this summer holidaying as it seems that thieves are becoming more brazen or desperate, and they are very good at what they do. Altogether, I have lost about US$10,000 in film gear and other lost items, including the cost of replacing everything. You do not expect this in a motorhome, so make sure you have a gas detector and alarms. My old 1995 Fiat is pretty basic, so now I tie up the two front doors with rubber straps at night so that it is impossible to open the doors even if they force the lock.
I also think that I might have been targeted or followed - perhaps as a single person driving. The thieves must know that sooner or later, drivers will stop and their lights will go out and they will be sound asleep within an hour or so. The French police are not very sympathetic as it happens alot in France.
