This thread had me thinking about how to keep our things secured, and we always lock up the wallets, money, laptops, passports, etc in the room. But we do take our phones with us down to the pool and keep them under the towels. But I think we will be investing in one of these before our next trip. Amazon.com : Vaultz Locking Pool Pouch with Tether, Medium, 7.5 x 9 Inches, Blue (VZ00724) : Office Products
Same here. If anything...this thread has been a good wake up call to keep things secure. Thanks for posting that. We'll be getting one ahead of October as well.
A warning about safety bags: Mixed feelings about these. On one hand they will slow someone down from a theft of opportunity; but on the other: anyone looking to steal something will see your bag as high value target, and a couple of them will know how to steal it quickly. Clearly you've got something to protect! The more secure, the more juicy. I usually wear a hat around the pool and have a small money clip inside for afternoon tips. Phone can be a crapshoot. You can get a waterproof neck pouch, but that'll probably leave the weirdest tan. If I have to have mine nearby (IT people are never truly on vacation), I'll try and get to know my neighbours at the pool. Ymmv. I hope theft isn't becoming common.
I mean there's always a way to getting into one of these things. But usually they are looking not to draw attention. So a bag laying there is going to be an easier steal than one tethered to a chair that they need to break out the bolt cutters too or slice open. Because now you're drawing attention. And to deter is really the goal. I'll still bring my lil beach bag and have that inside and tether them both some how to the chair. Which I'm usually not very far from.
What a terrible ordeal for you. Have you already called your home insurance agent? Your personal belongings and valuables stolen by strangers even when traveling on vacation, are typically covered under home insurance policies subject to deductibles and coverage limitations for jewelry etc. Many travel insurance policies under the credit card you booked with, or a separately purchased travel policy may also have theft coverage. Thank you for sharing your story so openly and personally.