What would you do if you opened the safe behind the hotel manager’s desk and found your passports gone? One woman took creative action.
Mary from Michigan and her two adult children just quit their jobs and sold or stored everything. They’re taking a year to travel the world. Oh, what a plan!
After seeing our show, Mary told us about her recent visit to Laos. She and her son and daughter stored their stuff in Bangkok and took a boat down the Mekong to Laos. There, Mary put her few valuables into the hotel lobby safe: the family’s three passports bundled with $2,000 folded into an envelope, and some very large camera lenses.
When she went to retrieve her things, only the lenses remained. Mary quickly discovered that one key opened all twenty safe deposit boxes, and her interrogation of the hotel manager led her to suspect an employee (rather than a guest).
Mary channeled her fear and anger and made a plan. She and her kids fanned out among the alleys surrounding the hotel and shouted into the darkness with volume and authority. “I’ll pay $200 for the stolen passports!” Within half an hour, Mary was lightly tapped on her shoulder, the passports, still bundled, proffered.
And Mary paid up. She told me that people think she was crazy to pay, but she’d promised. The thieves hadn’t discovered the $2,000.
Also read: Purse stolen off lap
4 Comments
[…] is remember that your best option is prevention. It means that you should probably limit the irreplaceable, valuable items you bring with you to a hotel. Also check your travel insurance coverage for some […]
Oh she is so lucky. And so resourceful. I hope she knows better than to trust people like that again. Oj.
Great question, yelm. Safes in rooms on cruise ships have added elements of safety. #1, ship crew don’t really have anyplace to hide stolen items. Their cabins are inspected frequently. #2, ship crew get thorough background checks. and #3, most crew members value their jobs.
That’ll teach us not to trust hotel safes. And how about the safes in ship cabins?