Keeping Your Belongings Safe in your room

[bucknaway]

This trip I am bringing a new laptop with me to Thailand in-order to log into my employers computer system by way of a VPN installed on my laptop. I purchased this laptop specifically for this trip so that I could leave my employer provided laptop at home. The Laptop I am taking with me is exactly the same as the laptop my employer provided me and I want to keep it safe. I purchased a laptop combination cable lock and I am wondering if anyone has a better lock that they could suggest? (The laptop is 17" and far to big to fit into the safe).

I am thinking of trying to find a motion alarm that I could put in a closet that would go off if the door was opened.

Why do I want this? Well I have met some guys who have shown himself to be less than trustworthy and for the most part I have been lucky with the guys I have invited back to my room and a few times I have been not so lucky.

I'm not going to stop picking up guys I meet on the street or in the bars so the best thing for me to do is to learn some tips and tricks from my fellow visitors.

[Beachlover]

Hmmm... Not sure what baggage you travel with but first solution that comes to mind is to just stick it in your suitcase, which I assume is LOCKED when you're not in your room. I usually leave my valuables in the suitcase and only use the room safe for valuables I need to access quickly and frequently, e.g. mobile phones, laptops, camera, money, passport etc. Quicker to flip open the safe than my suitcase.

Another alternative is to leave it with reception's safekeeping service.

Motion sensors in wardrobes etc. don't sound practical as they will be set off by anyone innocently opening it (e.g. looking for an extra blanket) and housekeeping.

The ability to fit into a safe is something you probably should have considered a higher priority when you selected that model. Some of the hotels I stay at do have safes big enough to fit a 17 incher but most don't, so the incremental inconvenience of a 17 inch over something like a 13 or 14 inch laptop is pretty significant.

[soi_toi]

How do you log onto you're employers site? Through a website? Would an iPad or other tablet work? Two of my co-workers found these HP devices that convert from a laptop into a tablet and are just a tad larger than the typical tablet - perfect size for travel.

I used to travel with a laptop (17" and a 14"), but now that I have an iPad, it suits my needs. It has everything I need for when I'm away and I never have a problem getting it in a safe. The 17" would never fit in a safe, 50/50 with the 14".

There are VPN apps in the iTunes store which allow me to log onto a variety of worldwide servers for a reasonable rate, no subscription. Not sure how that would work, but I know VPN is available.

I can also tether them and use the data off my iPhone for the iPad when I'm there. I'm perfectly happy having the iPad as a travel toy.

I keep anything of value in a safe, and if it's really important I leave it in the safe with the front desk . I have left stuff in luggage before, but considering how easy it is to cut locks and separate zippers on those, it's really not a secure way to secure anything of value.

[anonone]

What type of place are you staying, bucky?

I have traveled with the laptop before...when work projects are at critical junctions and I need to be connected. The cable lock is an OK first option...the downside is trying to find something permanent to secure the cable to. Most of the places have very cheap furniture that are not suitable to "anchor" the cable. It also means the laptop will be out in the open and visible.

I have had luck with hard sided containers/luggage that can be locked. The downside is someone can just remove the luggage and open it up later. If you go this route, I would never let anyone (guest, hotel staff, etc) know there is a laptop in there....but still not a perfect solution.

[newalaan2]

The Laptop I am taking with me is exactly the same as the laptop my employer provided me and I want to keep it safe
Why did you buy another large Laptop for travelling? I have a 15" HP laptop, which I took overseas with me a couple of times, but the 2.5kg and size was not convenient. So I bought an HP 10" Netbook 10", less than half the size and weight but which is laid out exactly as my main HP laptop and the thing which surprises is that it can do everything the larger one can (with no restrictions due to smaller screen) and the keyboard is identical except for not having the number block on the right side of keyboard. It works a treat and would fit most in-room safes (although I've ever tried it as I just put it out of sight in the most convenient place at the time when not in the room, I don't take guys I don't know back to my room).

I realise it's probably not an option for you if you have done lots of work already on your new one and therefore cannot return it, but the info is for anyone else like me who wants to take a laptop with all the functions they are used to but something far less bulky.

[bucknaway]

I purchased a duplicate laptop of my work laptop to work with the laptop docks and to get support from my I.T. Worker that has a limited ability when working on equipment. As well as it being able to handle the software provided by my employer that allows me to connect to their server by way of VPN and access the corporate purchasing and inventory system. They are working on making it comparable with tablets and phones but as of now only a PC can manage the connection,

[kakadai]

The simplest and maybe the cheapest option is to rent a room-by-the-hour when your carnal desires take hold of you.

[ChelseaNY]

I have a similar concern. For my upcoming trip I have bought what I think of as a portable 'safe.' This is a steel meshed bag with a steel cable. It is very difficult to get into and can be securely locked to some else, like a pipe, or the under-the-bed metal frame. I found various sizes and models at Amamzon.com. Mine easily fits into my regular luggage and will secure my laptop, etc. in my rental in BKK.


Pacsafe Luggage Travelsafe 12L , Black
10 oz stone washed canvas, high-tensile stainless steel wire
smart exomesh┬о cage system
Locks closed & locks to fixture
easy to take with you whenever you need to Lock and Leave valuables -- handy for securing your valuables in your hotel room, suitcase, vehicle, or even at home.

[adman5000]

I think lugging around a 17" laptop while traveling will get old very quickly. I have a 10" (notebook that is) and it fits fine in the room safe, very lightweight, and does what I need.

I don't know the specifics of your VPN setup, but if it is like mine it should be no problem loading the software. Do you use a token for code generation? The Notebooks are priced reasonably and it might be smart to give one a try and use it as an opportunity for your IT guy to expand his knowledge.

[CoffeeBreak]

OP: well if u are staying in a hotel, why not leave the laptop at reception when you are outside?

[bucknaway]

It's a corporate managed VPN that they don't share info on.

In Pattaya I'm staying at a condo and in Bangkok I'm at Babylon

[bucknaway]

The laptop is a done deal and not going to change for a number of reasons and I am stuck with the options of how to secure it only and not with bringing a different unit.

[Nirish guy]

You mentioned you already have a combination (steel I assume) cable lock - if so, what more do you need I wonder as surely the goal is only to stop an opportunist boy lifting your laptop and doing a runner with it while you're in the shower or something and if so the cable locks ( short of him literally ripping the USB socket out of the laptop and or wall or both) should more than cover you for that type of risk.

I've used those cable locks before at trade shows etc and on the occasion that one of my staff ( not me !) forgot the combination it took us forever to get it undone and I think in the end we maybe didn't even manage it and someone was sent away to find the old combination again) - and if you're still not happy with the wall socket being possible to be breached ( as technically it could be unscrewed from the wall and totally removed but that would mean the guy would need to both know thai AND be carrying a suitable screwdriver with him - but if that still worries you then just double chain the cable around something immovable and connect it back into a second USB port thus making the laptop "almost" unpinchable ( unless he blows you real good and you forget and scream out the combination whilst cumming and in that case you're not only blown but also screwed I'm afraid ! :-)

[billy2bs]

I want to know where all you guys find theys guys with 10 12 15 and 17 inches in their laps. I didnt think Thai boys were anywhere near that big. What did I miss?

[thaiguest]

This trip I am bringing a new laptop with me to Thailand in-order to log into my employers computer system by way of a VPN installed on my laptop. I purchased this laptop specifically for this trip so that I could leave my employer provided laptop at home. The Laptop I am taking with me is exactly the same as the laptop my employer provided me and I want to keep it safe. I purchased a laptop combination cable lock and I am wondering if anyone has a better lock that they could suggest? (The laptop is 17" and far to big to fit into the safe).

I am thinking of trying to find a motion alarm that I could put in a closet that would go off if the door was opened.

Why do I want this? Well I have met some guys who have shown himself to be less than trustworthy and for the most part I have been lucky with the guys I have invited back to my room and a few times I have been not so lucky.

I'm not going to stop picking up guys I meet on the street or in the bars so the best thing for me to do is to learn some tips and tricks from my fellow visitors.

Whether in hotel or condo I find the open book method best- show the boy your laptop/watch/phone etc on the sideboard or where ever, tell him to take care of it while you're having a shower because if it's gone when you come out of the shower there will be hell to pay. I'm not joking. Very often when we secrete things away they're gone with the boy before we discover the fact.
Otherwise put your stuff in a box with a cobra (any Isarn boy worth his salt can get you one of them on 3 day's notice) have your shower and wait for the squeal. But the up-front method is less messy.

[Marsilius]

Last December a friend of mine checked in to one of the big-name accommodation providers in the Jomtien complex. He deposited his valuables - thankfully, nothing of any real value at all - in the safe in his room.

A few nights later he returned to his room to find that the room had been broken into and the safe completely wrenched from the wall.

The thief - plus safe - got out of the hotel undetected via one of the many exits. Neither he, nor the safe, nor the contents have ever been seen again.

[Nirish guy]

Out of interest how did that end up re any form of insurance / compensation ?

Did the hotel use the only goods to a value of $50 or whatever ridiculously low amount they chose to specify should be stored in the safe and this not cover him for more or did they just not cover him
at all and ask him to claim of his own travel insurance ( which would open an interesting liability issue) between hotel and his insurance company, with him meanwhile stuck in the middle perhaps, as whilst thankfully you say there wasn't much of value in the safe but of course insurance wise proving that or otherwise would be a difficult thing to do after the fact one way or other - so what was the eventual outcome for your friend there ??

[Marsilius]

My friend was not a tourist. He has lived in Thailand for more than 20 years. He was coming to spend a few days with me in Pattaya, so had virtually nothing of "value" with him, apart from cash which he kept on his person at all times.

The hotel's first reaction was to claim that he cannot have locked his room when he left it. When, however, it became clear that he was not going to pursue any sort of claim against them - because the value of the loss was negligible - they gave up suggesting that.

The eventual outcome was that, as a "goodwill gesture" they refunded the cost of his accommodation (not very great as he had only planned to stay for about five days).

The whole affair was thus dealt with informally (although my friend did report the matter to the police - to no effect once they realised nothing of value had been taken). No doubt the hotel was relieved that my friend took a relaxed attitude and that there was no adverse publicity.

[billy2bs]

It would seem to me that as a matter of course thet any Hotel would be liable for allkinds of thefts and robberies and loss of properties to their customers. To not have any responsibility re loss of valuables to its customers is to say..stay here at your own risk, which means they don't choose to provide security but will take your money. So to speak.

[Nirish guy]

I'm not quite sure what you mean there Billy but I can assure you if you read the small print either at check in, in or around your safe or in the guests handbook in the room etc almost every hotel Ive ever stayed in have themselves so well covered that short of you being murdered in the room then it's absolutely nothing to do with them. They usually state that the safe is there basically to keep your lose change in and anything other than that can and must be left in the hotels main safe if you wish but if not then if anything is pinched, tough shit, don't come asking us about it basically.

As to whether that would stand up to a court challenge is questionable of course but they bank on the fact you're insured so won't need or go to that length to find out - whereas your insurance company will of course state it's the hotels problem and so your merrygoround of deniability begins - as I know from sore past experience :-(

[billy2bs]

Nirish...my point is, regardless what they print on these little caRDS AND TAPE THEM IN YOUR ROOM, to be held harmless from any break in into your room seems illogical. I know the laws there in LOS do not justify a lot of logic..i.e. if you did not decide to come to Thailand then you would not have been hit by this car and killed...that type of mentality. Somewherer along the line the Hotel has responsibility to secure its tenant's safety and security.

[Nirish guy]

Well billy you see there's the rub, terms and conditions and all that, if they tell you x,y and z and you then chose to accept their terms and stay there it does leave you with a very shaky position on which to make a claim
Against them, but as I said certainly in the UK if and when you can prove that their terms were "unreasonable"
to begin with, even if you agreed to them under protest, ie you didn't like them but stayed anyway due to the late hour or whatever, that's when your very expensive barrister can argue your case for you and eventually, depending who you are and whether you've a large corporate account in place with them etc etc, you may well be offered an out of court settlement from the hotels insurers just to "make you go away", but all with no acceptance of liability - but even that's a big "maybe" and generally speaking you can sue all you want but they will tie you up in knots so tight and for so long only those with a steely determination ( and deep pockets) might see things through to the end - which is of course exactly what they wanted to set out to achieve in the first place.

Should you ever find yourself in the unfortunately position of having to make a claim do please come back and let us know how you get on!

[bucknaway]

I will check with my homeowners insurance and see if they will cover any losses due to theft in my hotel room.

[Nirish guy]

Good luck with that too Buck - both myself and my mother had full travel insurance cover plus home cover and all at top band rates and when it came to making a claim 1) for a room being burgled and 2) for my mothers bag being snatched from her ( two different trips) even I was amazed / horrified by the hoops they insisted we go through even a) just to lodge a claim ( police reports needed, letter from hotel manager needed, ORIGINAL purchase receipts for all any goods claimed for ( as stated would be required in their small print terms when signing the policy of course) then letters and a verified bank statement for her bank to show her lifting her spending money that had been in her purse, which ATM was in from, receipt from THAT ATM ( in another country !!) - they just absolutely took the piss and dragged it out for months on end, numerous letters back and forward ( unbeknown to me) and my 76 year old mother trying to deal with all of this herself as "she didn't want to cause a fuss".

On my finding out they'd a solicitors letter threatening legal action within days if not resolved and even then they only paid out about a third of the claim - which was only ever for about ┬г700 anyway and every penny claimed was genuine.

Never in my life have I come across insurance companies working their weasel ways so much as in regard to travel insurance claims !

[latintopxxx]

reason its so difficult to process claims from Thailand (and India) is that its well known that a large proportion of claims are ficticious....medical/police/hotel/receipts and reports can be fabricated for a small fee....so suddenly some looser on a тВм600 flight gets leather jackrts, i-pads/pods/phonrd+play stations+xboxes+ rolex watches+18 carat gold chains "stolen"out of his room...expecting to turn a profit on a two week holiday......if I was an insurance company I would also ask difficult questions.

[Nirish guy]

Both of the claims to which I refer Latin occurred in the EU and I'm not sure how asking a 76 year old woman to provide either an ATM receipt or a letter from her bank confirming a transaction of ┬г400 cash ( in her / this case) makes any difference whatsoever to anything as if the implication that unless my mother had lifted ┬г400 in one transaction she couldn't "possibly" be expected to have that amount of cash on her at any one time ( considering most older people I know have more cash stuck under their mattress than they do in the bank!) is really neither here nor there and was absolutely nothing more than a stalling tactic on their behalf to put you offing claiming in the hope that you gave up and went away.

And I don't disagree with you when claims are made from countries such as the ones you mentioned and others obviously some care should be expected to be taken by insurance companies, but when you've passed condition number 7 or 62 ! Or whatever on their form and they can see the person claiming is both genuine and has all the documents required thee does come a point of just pay out or look like crooks - in my view the latter is the case with most ( but not all) insurance companies I've ever dealt with.

[latintopxxx]

...apologies if it sounded personal...wasnt meant so.....the fact that your mum is 76 is immatrial...you get cases of grandmonthers arrested for smuggling kilos of heroin into Bali every 5 min......so age has nothing to do with it....

[Nirish guy]

I didn't take it personally and I agree "up to a point" age has nothing to do with it, my point was that both incidents occurred within the EU so all / any police reports requested and given could and should be taken as reasonably accurate and genuine.

My other point was that after the insurance company have insisted that the claimaint jumps through hoop after hoop, which intentionally get MORE ridiculous with each request as they mount up not less then at some point in that process a human being should take a view that "ok, we've asked for maybe 8 or 10 different pieces of documentation now for a claim of a few hundred pounds and we're now asking a pensioner - who for all they know could be frail and unable to reply easily to their ( ridiculous) requests etc" to go to even further ridiculous lengths" - I mean could YOU prove where you got the 20 dollars that you happened to have in your wallet and spent on a particular Thursday last month at say 3pm ? And verify where that particular 20 dollars came from and from which ATM, at what time ( exactly) you lifted it and THEN two weeks after youve perhaps best guessed at that THEN be required to go and get a letter from your bank verifying that dispensing of same from that ATM - and if the date or time doesn't match - your entire claim ( for stolen goods etc) gets rejected - And what if you DIDN'T lift the cash from an ATM at all and like pensioners tend to do you just happened to have it on you ( from under the mattress perhaps again like pensioners might do) - then could you prove you ever had the money - and if you cant proce you happened to have (any) money whilst on holiday ! again they reject your entire cliam ! ?

So once the first 8 or 10 ( intentionally Awkward) checks have been cleared they SHOULD err on the side of caution and pay up but no they intentionally make it as ridiculously difficult as posdible to verify your claim to ensure that it's almost impossible to verify all the (ridiculous) things they ask and so get them to pay up .

And the fact that they initially refused my elderly mothers claim ( as they no doubt assumed that for whatever reason she would give up perhaps) but they then paid out instantly on receipt of my lawyers letter speaks volumes I think.

And THAT was my point, basically insurance companies ( in general) are in my experience a shower of shiysters and never can be depended upon to pay out on what you THINK you're covered for if they can find ANY tiny way to avoid same - hence original post re do let us know how you get on if you ever have to make a claim.

[Neo]

Make sure you get a lock cable for your new laptop and if you know someone will be in your condo, lock it up with the cable in a closet under something. Just common sense stuff. like taking your wallet into the shower before you take one, when a boy is in the room. They are all thieves if given the opportunely, advise from someone whose first trip was in 1968.

[Nirish guy]

^^^ Neo said .....They are all thieves etc etc

Absolute ballocks and hugely offensive to the many many boys who COULD have robbed me blind over the years a hundred times over and didn't.

I would have thought for one coming here for over 40 years you would have been more able to avoid making such sweeping generalisations.

[latintopxxx]

Neo...assume you are merely exagerating....I've engaged countless "boys"...tooo many to even count....and only very rarely have i felt uneasy...I guess the fact that I have a crappy blackberry+ USD100 watch and never more than BHT2000 lying on the bedside table probably helps.....

[TravellerDave]

Of course thy are not all thieves - far from it. I'm rather careless and I have left valuables lying about when I have had a boy in my room, even in my bed overnight. However I have yet to experience a loss, but maybe I have been lucky.
It's only prudent to avoid temptation by locking valuables in the room safe and if there isn't one perhaps in a locked suitcase. Now I use an IPad which is easier to secure than my previous laptop.

[joe552]

The only thing I've lost to a money boy in Pattaya is my heart :love4:

[Nirish guy]

And the only thing I have to lock up and worry about is my virginity as I want to keep that safe so that when I find that right guy it will be "special" lol

[Sooty]

I always make sure my crown jewels are the centre of attention.

[scottish-guy]

That's all very well Sooty - but what about those who have only a tarnished trinket, a couple of small baubles, and whose ring has gone rusty?

:dontknow:

[Jellybean]

The only thing I've lost to a money boy in Pattaya is my heart :love4:
Oh, that surprises me Joe; I was convinced you had previously said you had left it in San Francisco. :-)


And the only thing I have to lock up and worry about is my virginity as I want to keep that safe so that when I find that right guy it will be "special" lol
Crikey NIrish I nearly choked on my morning green tea as I read your post! Now there are two words that should never appear in the same sentence, тАЬvirginityтАЭ and тАЬNIrish guyтАЭ. Now, depending on your point of view, you are either the luckiest gay fa-r├аng in Thailand or the most prodigious gay fa-r├аng bed swerver in Thailand. :-)

Now, to keep on topic, I have never experienced any problems with the theft of my personal possessions while staying at a hotel in Thailand or in my apartment in Bangkok. I take the eminently sensible precaution of locking my valuables in the hotel bedroom safe or my safe in my condo as a matter of course and not just because I am expecting to bring back a guest.

[joe552]

I think it was my sanity I left in San Francisco, Jellybean

[Nirish guy]

I dint know where you're all getting the idea I'm some sort of tart, all I ever do is hold hands and kiss, I'm saving myself for someone special.

Oh no wait, what am I talking about that's right I forgot, I'm a total tart !!

Yes that's more like it I think as I've decided the special person can just take me as I am or not at all :-))