Seven tips for preventing theft on holiday

Theft can happen to anyone, even on holiday. Just imagine that sickening feeling of realising that your purse has been snatched or your wallet pickpocketed in a busy market or, even worse, coming back to your holiday apartment to see it has been broken into and ransacked.

Unfortunately, in many popular holiday destinations thieves attempt to break into holiday accommodation and hire cars because they see them as an easy target. In fact, the Foreign Office recently warned that burglaries and thefts at tourist hotspots in Spain are on the increase.

As holidaymakers, there isn’t a lot we can do to change the mindset of these criminals, but we can do our best to look after our belongings and stop them from being taken from us.

Theft on holiday is something that we all want to avoid if we can. Here are seven tips to help prevent against theft:

• Don't leave valuables in view
  Always remove your belongings from the hire car, even opportunist thieves won’t find anything that way.
• Safe equals secure
  Always lock valuables, including passports, money and electronic items, in a safe when leaving the accommodation and even when you go to sleep at night.
• Out of sight, out of mind
  If you wish to bring items out with you, always keep them in your front pockets or in a bag that is front facing, so you can keep an eye on them.
• Lock doors and windows
  When leaving your accommodation, ensure all doors and windows are locked. If you wish to leave the shutters open, make sure that these can be securely locked too.
• Nowhere to hide
  Park your car in a well-lit area if possible - thieves don't want to be seen, and operate best in darkness.
• Lock up your hire car - and double check!
  Ensure the sunroof and all windows are closed, as well as double checking that the car is locked. Leave the car keys in your locked safe.
• Know where to turn for help
  If, for whatever reason, you are caught out, at least make sure that you know the number for the nearest embassy or consulate and the location of the local police station.