Yes, especially if your items are going to be out of your sight. If that is the case, keep them in the same compartment as the one you are traveling in.
It can’t hurt. But the main risk in train travel is not having your luggage broken into, it’s having it stolen. Unless you are on an express train from point A to point B people are scrambling to get on and off with luggage at every stop. Folks line up in the aisle as the train approaches the station and then-somewhat organized chaos. I make it a point to NEVER let my luggage out of my sight unless the train has a locked luggage compartment (rare these days.) If your bag is small (the one with your meds and other valuables) put it in the rack overhead on the other side of the aisle (that way you can see it). Large bags go in the compartments at the end of the car. Be sure you can see them from your seat. Don’t be afraid to get up and check on them while the train is stopped. There are cables people use to lock suitcases to each other or to part of the luggage rack. These can cause major headaches for others seeking to store their bags and for you if you have trouble unlocking them while at your stop, so don’t use them.
We take lots of trains in Europe - and as Folsomdoc said, the chance of someone breaking into your bag is pretty low - if they want it, they will take your whole bag. We keep our 'carryon' with us and we prebook all our seats in 1st class very close to the luggage racks so we can always see our bags. We do lock our larger checked bags, but I really don't think anyone would ever unzip them and steal things out of them - they'd just take the bag. Our smaller carry ons rarely have a lock as they are always with us . . . the only time they are locked is if we have to store them in hotel luggage rooms. All this said, locks are always a good idea, but even TSA agents and airport staff will tell you that most theft is people stealing your whole bag - not opening the bag to steal things out of it. I'd still lock it.
For as long as I can remember, I have always locked my suitcase(s). Get a TSA approved lock and memorize the 4 or 3 digit combination you set it for. Why tempt sticky fingers? I also lock my backpacks, carry-on, etc. It becomes a habit, and is not hard to do. Some suitcases come with internal locks and I don’t have one of those (yet).
We stopped using TSA locks years ago because most had gone when we got our luggage off the carousel so we use zip ties, At least if they are gone we know the bag has been tampered with.
A few years ago some program (60 Minutes?) showed how easy it is to open a locked suitcase. A thief will slip a small metal spike into the zipper and it just comes apart. It takes all of about 2 seconds. Locks keep honest people honest.
If you are taking the Circumvesuviana train from Naples to Sorrento, keep your eyes on everything and keep it close! Tauts and tag-team pickpockets will rob you blind!
Here’s a question I don’t have a clue about. …if Tauck takes you onto a train like it does on some Italy tours, how do they handle the suitcases on the train?
We had the same experience on the Classic Italy tour when going to Venice by train. Also Tauck trucked our luggage on both our Rhone cruise train ride from Paris to Lyon and Seine cruise Paris to London. The same for our recent Copenhagen to Oslo flight. Makes it much easier to manage.
To answer British’s question, no matter the type of tour, Tauck handles all aspects of luggage, at least on European tours.
independent European train travel is very easy and many trains have locked compartments for luggage storage—the fee is nominal. I have traveled on some Scandinavian trains that have back-to-back seats and your luggage fits in the space between those seats. Very efficient.
Comments
Yes, especially if your items are going to be out of your sight. If that is the case, keep them in the same compartment as the one you are traveling in.
It can’t hurt. But the main risk in train travel is not having your luggage broken into, it’s having it stolen. Unless you are on an express train from point A to point B people are scrambling to get on and off with luggage at every stop. Folks line up in the aisle as the train approaches the station and then-somewhat organized chaos. I make it a point to NEVER let my luggage out of my sight unless the train has a locked luggage compartment (rare these days.) If your bag is small (the one with your meds and other valuables) put it in the rack overhead on the other side of the aisle (that way you can see it). Large bags go in the compartments at the end of the car. Be sure you can see them from your seat. Don’t be afraid to get up and check on them while the train is stopped. There are cables people use to lock suitcases to each other or to part of the luggage rack. These can cause major headaches for others seeking to store their bags and for you if you have trouble unlocking them while at your stop, so don’t use them.
We take lots of trains in Europe - and as Folsomdoc said, the chance of someone breaking into your bag is pretty low - if they want it, they will take your whole bag. We keep our 'carryon' with us and we prebook all our seats in 1st class very close to the luggage racks so we can always see our bags. We do lock our larger checked bags, but I really don't think anyone would ever unzip them and steal things out of them - they'd just take the bag. Our smaller carry ons rarely have a lock as they are always with us . . . the only time they are locked is if we have to store them in hotel luggage rooms. All this said, locks are always a good idea, but even TSA agents and airport staff will tell you that most theft is people stealing your whole bag - not opening the bag to steal things out of it. I'd still lock it.
For as long as I can remember, I have always locked my suitcase(s). Get a TSA approved lock and memorize the 4 or 3 digit combination you set it for. Why tempt sticky fingers? I also lock my backpacks, carry-on, etc. It becomes a habit, and is not hard to do. Some suitcases come with internal locks and I don’t have one of those (yet).
We stopped using TSA locks years ago because most had gone when we got our luggage off the carousel so we use zip ties, At least if they are gone we know the bag has been tampered with.
A few years ago some program (60 Minutes?) showed how easy it is to open a locked suitcase. A thief will slip a small metal spike into the zipper and it just comes apart. It takes all of about 2 seconds. Locks keep honest people honest.
If you are taking the Circumvesuviana train from Naples to Sorrento, keep your eyes on everything and keep it close! Tauts and tag-team pickpockets will rob you blind!
Here’s a question I don’t have a clue about. …if Tauck takes you onto a train like it does on some Italy tours, how do they handle the suitcases on the train?
On my Classic Italy tour, they collected bags and shipped them via truck. Suitcases didn't come on the train.
We had the same experience on the Classic Italy tour when going to Venice by train. Also Tauck trucked our luggage on both our Rhone cruise train ride from Paris to Lyon and Seine cruise Paris to London. The same for our recent Copenhagen to Oslo flight. Makes it much easier to manage.
To answer British’s question, no matter the type of tour, Tauck handles all aspects of luggage, at least on European tours.
independent European train travel is very easy and many trains have locked compartments for luggage storage—the fee is nominal. I have traveled on some Scandinavian trains that have back-to-back seats and your luggage fits in the space between those seats. Very efficient.