Traveling outside of the country can come with a range of different worries. However, your rental car doesn’t have to be one of them.
We have gone over a lot of different car renting topics and discussed all of the in’s and out’s that you should be aware of when doing it. From direct car insurance excess to the various collection procedures, we’ve got everything ready to help you get a car rented this summer. In this article, we will be going over some of the best tips for protecting your car rental from thieves.
1. Avoid Leaving Valuables In Plain Sight
While this might seem like common sense, it’s something that you need to remind yourself to do regularly. Ensure that you aren’t leaving valuables in your car in plain sight. This includes various items that could imply you have valuables in your car like a laptop case or tablet holder. You want to try to carry anything valuable on your person or in your lodging room including things with sentimental value. If you have to leave something valuable in your vehicle, ensure it’s in a place that isn’t visible from the outside of your vehicle. Do not use obvious things like a jacket or blanket to hide your valuables. Any thief has likely broken into vehicles that used this strategy. Therefore, they will only perceive it as a potential score.
2. Leave Your Glove Compartment Open
Believe it or not, but this strategy is extremely effective. After all, the glove compartment is one of the key areas where someone could hide something potentially valuable. By leaving it empty and open, you will eliminate the curiosity of thieves because they’ll see that nothing is inside of it. If a thief knows there is nothing visible in the car nor the glove compartment, they aren’t going to be inclined to break into the vehicle and potentially damage the vehicle. If a vehicle gets broken into, the very first location a thief checks is the glove box for this reason.
3. Check For Broken Glass In The Parking Spot
When you are looking around and trying to figure out where to park, you’ll want to ensure that you scope out your surroundings. Ideally, you want to look for any signs of a break-in. The best way to spot this is by checking the ground for broken glass shards. This can be an easy way to tell if a vehicle has been broken into in the same location you’re parking. It should go without saying, don’t park anywhere you notice broken glass.
4. Blend In
If you are getting a rental vehicle that has identifying stickers on it, don’t remove them. While they may signify that you are a tourist, any supplier is going to charge for these stickers to be replaced. However, you can do things to help. For one, you want to keep any tourist maps out of plain sight. A good way to trick someone into thinking you are a local is by stashing the local paper on your dash.
5. Research
Before going on your adventure, you’ll want to check out some popular travel forums. You can frequent Trip Advisor and other forums to try to figure out how cautious you need to be in the city you’re traveling to. You also want to familiarize yourself with the city and get tips and tricks from locals themselves. For instance, if you find out there is a lot of attempted theft while stopped at a traffic light, you’ll want to be prepared for it by having your doors locked at all times.
6. Better/Other Transport Options
Perhaps there are better transport options for getting around the city than a private car. In many countries where there are issues, a taxi or even a private driver is an affordable option. In other nations, an e-scooter or even a rental bike may be a good option – allowing you to pack lightly and leaving you with fewer potential items for thieves to take.
Hopefully these tips can help you avoid issues with your rental and will help you stay safe and well.
