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I'm just curious if these are recent reports or not.Quite a few reports
In your pillow, not under it. I met someone who had all her valuables taken from the bottom of her sleeping bag, the thief slit the bag with a razor blade, she didnt feel a thing. I used to roll my pants up with my valuables in it and place it IN the pillow case under my head, anyone who managed to get those out without waking me would be doing well.I would advise keeping your valuables in your pillow under your head.
I recommend 'in the bottom of your sleeping bag.' I was in a room in an albergue in France several years ago with a young couple; and in the early morning hours, a thief took the woman's valuables that she had placed under her pillow.
Not too long ago, I think this year (2019) or late last year, a hospitalera of an albergue on the Camino Frances, possibly in Castilla y Leon, made a video clip in Spanish, describing recent robberies and thieves in her albergue and in an albergue in Leon, warning of them and asking to spread the message. At least that's how I remember it. I saw the clip in one of the FB camino groups that I follow. FB being what it is, it is next to impossible for me to search for and retrieve the video clip.I'm just curious if these are recent reports or not.
What Wayfarer said.In your pillow, not under it.
Because storing valuables there is as old as hostels themselves, I advise people on a regular basis not to do this because it is common practice. The girl I mentioned above lost her stuff this way on a sleeper train as did many other backpackers the same night, the thieves knew where to look.In reference to the reports of thieves cutting or zipping open foot-box ends of sleeping bags, how would they know the valuables were there in the first place?
I am few days out from Leon right now. Can you specify which albergues these thefts are occurring in? I am curious if they are targeting the private ones or the municipal or donativo ones.Quite a few reports about thieves stealing in Leon Albergue and Logrono be very careful they are posing as pilgrims taking phones, wallets, cash and even passports. Keep your valuables in the bottom of your sleeping bag by your feet whilst sleeping.
I would say it would be unfair to point out specific albergues as these reports on here are hearsay. Unsubstantiated. Perhaps even rumours. Not fair to the albergues. I would only identify a specific albergue if there was a police theft report to go with it.I am
I am few days out from Leon right now. Can you specify which albergues these thefts are occurring in? I am curious if they are targeting the private ones or the municipal or donativo ones.
@Lisakline, @RJM is right, and on many levels. Albergue thefts occur where they occur. Different places, different nights, different thieves. The one constant is people living in some strange headspace where they think its ok to leave stuff where it can be taken and are surprised when it is.I am few days out from Leon right now. Can you specify which albergues these thefts are occurring in? I am curious if they are targeting the private ones or the municipal or donativo ones.
Because storing valuables there is as old as hostels themselves, I advise people on a regular basis not to do this because it is common practice. The girl I mentioned above lost her stuff this way on a sleeper train as did many other backpackers the same night, the thieves knew where to look.
I would say it would be unfair to point out specific albergues as these reports on here are hearsay. Unsubstantiated. Perhaps even rumours. Not fair to the albergues. I would only identify a specific albergue if there was a police theft report to go with it.
Good point, thanks.
Very recent two days agoI'm just curious if these are recent reports or not.
Good point, tha
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Albergue De Peregrinos Plaza Santa Maria. It’s a good Albergue just be careful with your valuables.I am
I am few days out from Leon right now. Can you specify which albergues these thefts are occurring in? I am curious if they are targeting the private ones or the municipal or donativo ones.
Must be the time of year. We've just had our house in Spain broken into. They stripped the house bare of anything they could sell!Quite a few reports about thieves stealing in Leon Albergue and Logrono be very careful they are posing as pilgrims taking phones, wallets, cash and even passports. Keep your valuables in the bottom of your sleeping bag by your feet whilst sleeping.
Thanks, you are right!@Lisakline, @RJM is right, and on many levels. Albergue thefts occur where they occur. Different places, different nights, different thieves. The one constant is people living in some strange headspace where they think its ok to leave stuff where it can be taken and are surprised when it is.
You can trace threads on this forum back to its very beginnings where the advice is the same as it is today - keep your valuables with you, on your person, in your sight. Just like you would in your home town bus-station, night-club, or pub. Take care of your stuff in the company of strangers. "በአምላካችሁ ታመኑ ነገር ግን ግመልዎን አጣብቅ - Trust in God, but tether your Camel".
Buen Camino and may your possessions stay yours
Yes, shoes/boots do occasionally get pinched at the albergues. Sure, sometimes the wrong shoes are taken by mistake, but if you get to the footwear rack and it is empty, logic would dictate it was a theft.In 2015 on the CF I met an Australian girl walking barefooted. Her shoes were stolen at an albergue.
You have copies of the police reports available to post?This was reported to the Police and definitely true.
I point out specific Albergues to warn others.
As they target the big Albergues.
I tried only one boot on the albergues hallway heater and kept the other one closed to me. And then switched. I realy wanted to keep my boots.In 2015 on the CF I met an Australian girl walking barefooted. Her shoes were stolen at an albergue.
Sadly, no. When we were riding the Camino Frances back in 2013 I recall seeing a note in the women's dorm of the albergue in Leon we were staying at which said "To the thief who stole our money. You stole from students who have nothing. We hope you are proud of yourselves".I'm just curious if these are recent reports or not.
Just starting to read some of the Codex Calixtinus there is note about dangers. Very interesting reading. I guess human nature has not changed since 800 years, but we do no more punish I hope at least in Spain thievery so severely as maybe in the 11 century.
Thanks for this post, I'm looking to fly to Leon early next week, thanks for the heads up.Quite a few reports about thieves stealing in Leon Albergue and Logrono be very careful they are posing as pilgrims taking phones, wallets, cash and even passports. Keep your valuables in the bottom of your sleeping bag by your feet whilst sleeping.
This is wise advice! As a youth sleeping in the cheapest places (43 years ago! Ouch!!!!), I would tuck it all in my underwear and sleep on my stomach. Sorry if that is a bit too much info....but, it was effectiveSo sorry to hear that. A timely reminder to never leave your valuables unattended - keep them in a small crossover bag or waist/bumbag during the day so they are always on your body under the pack, and take them into the shower as well. Spread your cash and take a photo or copy of your passport and keep it safe either electronically or as a printout somewhere else than your actual passport. Take nothing you can't stand to lose or easily replace.
Lol... great movie quote!!bloody, thieving.......
Lol... great movie quote!!
Were the valuable/backpack unattended traBecause storing valuables there is as old as hostels themselves, I advise people on a regular basis not to do this because it is common practice. The girl I mentioned above lost her stuff this way on a sleeper train as did many other backpackers the same night, the thieves knew where to look.
Were the valuable/backpack left unattended on the sleeper train?Because storing valuables there is as old as hostels themselves, I advise people on a regular basis not to do this because it is common practice. The girl I mentioned above lost her stuff this way on a sleeper train as did many other backpackers the same night, the thieves knew where to look.
They were in the bottom of her sleeping bag as she slept.Were the valuable/backpack unattended tra
Were the valuable/backpack left unattended on the sleeper train?
Well done!!
I kept it vague so as not to incite the wrath of the moderators lurking about....
Since 2013 I have spent about 90 days on various caminos (CF, Norte, Primitivo). I have never experienced any direct theft or even heard of it from people I was around. However, what I did find was worse in a way. It was the standard routine of "I have been robbed" and need money to get home. I have come across this 3 times. The genius of it is that the perpetrator works from west to east coming across new gullible fools (like me) every day who hand over euros in the spirit of the camino. Only later in the albergue do you find that everyone else has been scammed and between us we have handed over hundreds of euros.Quite a few reports about thieves stealing in Leon Albergue and Logrono be very careful they are posing as pilgrims taking phones, wallets, cash and even passports. Keep your valuables in the bottom of your sleeping bag by your feet whilst sleeping.
It was found the year I walked my first Camino. Some excitement at the cathedralThe Codex itself was stolen from the Cathedral Archive during the recent past!! Read more about this incredible heist and eventual recovery hidden in a plastic bag in this earlier forum thread.
Let’s pay we don’t get what we deserve. Sola fideI aim to think positive, pray for the thieves to find their honest way, get what they deserve. My journey is to be mindful.
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Amen? |
That may be your philosophy and if it works for you then more power to you. But if I want the warm glow that comes from a recognition of the goodness in me, I’ll give time or money to a charity that uses it well.For everything l lost or was taken from me, I always gain something.
Something irked you. I am not quite sure what, but that is for you to decide.That may be your philosophy and if it works for you then more power to you. But if I want the warm glow that comes from a recognition of the goodness in me, I’ll give time or money to a charity that uses it well.
I normally put my valuables in the bottom of my sleeping bag and come to think of it it can be unzipped from the bottom. I think I need a new plan?What Wayfarer said.
A Pilgrim I met had a thief simply unzip the footbox during the night and remove the valuables.
Regards
Gerard
I done that as well only marked the security pin black. I had then all scanned in in a secured email account. Should I loose them all. Plus I knew where my nearest Consulat were. What their opening times were. Had their numbers as well laminated with my emergency numbers. Had some Emergency money hidden on me. So I could pay for the services I needed in case my papers and my cards were gone. Then I laminated them. And put them in the back of my back pack to have them as a back up. I took care of my copies like the originals. Did not need them. Spent my Emercency money at home.I recommend taking a picture of your passport, all your credit cards, front and back. I also carry a paper back up buried in my backpack in case my phone and wallet are lost or stolen. Always. Always listen to your gut instinct. Usually, its right.
When I was younger, before cellphones, I used to keep a separate paper copy of my ID in case my passport was stolen. Then the bag with the paper copies was stolen and someone used them (or the information on them) to try and apply for a passport in my name. They weren't successful, but for decades now it takes me longer to get a new passport than anyone else I know.I recommend taking a picture of your passport, all your credit cards, front and back. I also carry a paper back up buried in my backpack in case my phone and wallet are lost or stolen. Always. Always listen to your gut instinct. Usually, its right.
As for all the fab secret ways of hiding and protecting valuables I have read above .... coo ... don't we just hope that the thieves don't join this forum!! - so much info!!
Not to hard to figure out Marty. Your items can really only be in 3 places. On you, your backpack or sleeping bag. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out but thank you for the sarcasm
Security conscious people will take their valuables with them to the bathroom. I'm sure that many people aren't that disciplined.I don’t understand people who, at night, put their valuables under their pillow, or at the foot of their sleeping bag. Do these folk never ever have to visit the facilities during the night? What would they do with their valuables for the duration?
Love the way you write. Interesting vignettes which you capture and describe so well.I walked for a while with an American lady who came into the room one day in a terrible tizz. Someone had stolen her money from the shower! I calmed her and told her I'd look for it. Went back down to the showers just as a lady walked out from one of the cubicles. She asked me if I was with an American lady, then handed me my friend's bag which my friend had left in a different cubicle to the one she thought she'd been in....
m. Can't be too careful.
Sorry if that expression gave you the impression that I think you need to be an alarmist or take extraordinary and paranoid measures. To me this expression just means to use your head and do the right thing for yourself. Just like when my mom yelled to me to wear a hat when I went out to play in the middle of winter. "wear your hat so you don't catch a cold. You can't be too careful. That's all.I disagree - being too careful comes close to paranoia...
I too was very wary when I started CF2017 and took pains to secrete wallet, passport, camera and iPad every night, but found that I relaxed no end by Burgos... I stopped behaving as if everyone I met was a thief just waiting to strip me of the essentials and stared to enjoy the company of others.
CF2018 and CP 2019 were similar - but even more relaxed ...
Yes - be alert, but I suggest no need to be alarmed in the absence of specific threats. Yes - I took a little more care in the larger (municipal) albergues, and rarely left anything in full view and put everything out of sight before I went to sleep at night,. Yes, I slept on my passport/wallet, and took both to the shower if my walking partner was not in the dormitory.
Yes - be alert, but I suggest no need to be alarmed in the absence of specific threats. Paranoia is not conductive to enjoying one's pilgrimage... I know, I know, neither is being relieved of one's passport or valuables, but as with many things in life, balance is essential!
Because storing valuables there is as old as hostels themselves, I advise people on a regular basis not to do this because it is common practice. The girl I mentioned above lost her stuff this way on a sleeper train as did many other backpackers the same night, the thieves knew where to look.
Sorry if that expression gave you the impression that I think you need to be an alarmist or take extraordinary and paranoid measures. To me this expression just means to use your head and do the right thing for yourself. Just like when my mom yelled to me to wear a hat when I went out to play in the middle of winter. "wear your hat so you don't catch a cold. You can't be too careful. That's all.
The way I take care of my valuables on the camino is that I have a money belt that I keep my money, bank and credit card, passport and pilgrim credential. I keep it in the top of my pack when I walk in a zipped compartment. I carry it into restaurants. I have a clip in my pants pocket that I attach it to. Take it to the shower and sleep with it in my sleep sack or in winter caminos my sleeping bag. I do it as much to protect against misplacing it (as I have a tendency to misplace stuff) as I do to prevent theft. It may sound like alot but it is really easy and gives me piece of mind. Nothing could screw up a nice 6 or 7 week walk like losing your stuff. But like I said it is such a part of my routine it is the same to me as taking a shower or washing my clothes and hanging them up after I arrive in an albergue. The thought of being in a town with just a few euros in my pocket and nothing else feels alot worse, If this is too much then I am guilty as charged
You may be many things and I am sure lots of good things but guilty is not one of them. Postings and misunderstandings based on expressions like better safe then sorry and hundreds of other comments, leave the reader open to a wide variety of reactions. Sometimes it is easy to understand the meaning of what someone writes and other times what can be the most innocuous comment by one person has a much different or more intense meaning to another based on personal experience and language usage. It is really further compounded when we are a worldwide pilgrim family and levels of understanding and the ability to express oneself can exacerbate ones reaction when if we were sitting next to each other it may just need a simple clarification or even create a laugh. When you think about it, it's pretty complicated. Even English is so different from one English speaking country to another, let alone from one geographic region to another within the same country. My wife is Mexican and in the Spanish speaking world the same holds completely true. So no guilt required!!!If guilty as charged, then let off for good behavior... Clealry, security of your passport, etc. is not an obsession with you... I would pat my pocketds as I left an albegue in the morning, ensuring that, in order, my passport, my wallet/travel cards, my camera and my guidebook were where they should be, and that was the last I thought of them all day ...
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