We just returned from a ten-day trip to Europe last night....three days in Paris were just heavenly.
However, on our night train to Nice last Monday, April 2nd, we realized that a thief was entering rooms bertween 5:30 a.m and 6 a.m. Somehow, he was opening locked doors. He would enter couchettes and , one lady reported, that he tried to shine a tiny flashlight into her room to see what he could steal. She was petrified and thought she was dreaming.
We put the pieces together when the passengers finally came out of their rooms. Unfortunately, when one lady went to the bathroom at daybreak, he entered her unlocked room and stole her large purse which contained her passports and the passports of her two accompanying children. In addition, he got all her euros, her 2 credit cards, and her drivers license. The thief was smart, as he waited until there was a strategic stop, and then he disappeared off the train just as people were getting out of their rooms.
Of course, the authorities were notified of the theft, but nonetheless, he succeeded in stealing something.
Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? We were in a 4-person couchette and we knew our bunkmates. But the thought of sleeping with strangers and thieves makes the whole situation unbearable. I remember reading here at TA about some gas that thieves released to make the passengers go into a deep sleep, but with my current experience,I know ,for sure, will NEVER take a night train again! Any thoughts/experiences on this subject would be greatly appreciated.
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Hi Ton Amie
I am sorry that you had that experience but glad that it did not happen to you and your friends personally. I would personally never take a night train anywhere as I cannot sleep on trains any more than planes but I love day trains. I must say I would never leave my passport etc in the train compartment or at my seat when I went to the WC as the woman you spoke to did.
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Sorry to hear about your experience...how was he (or she?) able to open %26quot;locked doors%26quot;? How many compartments were broken into?
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Thanks for your comments Faux.
I must add that the victimized woman had placed her purse next to her sleeping daughter when the woman left for the bathroom. The thief still entered the couchette compartment in the dark and reached across the sleeping daughter in order to steal the purse. Scary stuff.
The woman lost nearly two days of touring when dealing with/replacing the lost passports, etc. Apparently, Nice does not have a facility for replacing lost passports. She had to travel to Marseille.
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How scary !
Even in hotels I always place my money, credit cards, passport etc. inside the pillowcover (at the lower side of the pillow) - so that I sleep on my valuables. Paranoid ? Maybe, but it makes me feel better.
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Very good question about HOW this was all done.
One passenger reported seeing the male thief examing couchette doors with a tiny flashlight...perhaps to see if the doors were locked or not. The observing passenger thought that perhaps the thief was simply an innocent passenger who could not see the couchette door number in the darkened hallway, and he needed the flashlight to see the proper numbers.
We even concluded that the thief must have had some type of special key which opened the doors.
This may not happen to you...but simply BEWARE if you travel on a night train.
ONE SOLUTION was recommended......We were warned AFTER the fact, that if you position the metal step ladder infront of the door, then an intruder would not be able to enter at night. The couchette door would bang into the ladder and scare away the intruder. There is storage above the door in one%26#39;s room, so attach the ladder to the metal hooks over the couchette door.Makes perfect sense...now.
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I know of only four compartments that were broken into that particular night.
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Hi Ton Amie
Regardless how they get in (and I am sure a train compartment lock is not a real challenge to a determined and professional thief) it really makes you wonder why anyone takes night trains (and they are so bad for sleeping IMO). Still, I am really glad you and your friends were not robbed.
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People take night trains because it%26#39;s 8 hours not spent in the car, it saves a night in a hotel, and you arrive the following morning, refreshed and ready to start another day. I won%26#39;t disparage your choice of transportation, so long as you don%26#39;t disparage my choice. We find them a terrific way of making long treks with minimal wear and tear on your behind!
You can book a couchette (4 or 6 berths) or a private cabin (2 to 4 passengers) so that you won%26#39;t have to share accommodations with a stranger (we 3 shared ours with a very nice young man returning to Munich after a weekend in Paris with friends -- judging by the gentle snoring coming from his berth, we had nowt to be concerned about)
The bad guys break into hotels, rental cars, storage lockers at train stations, and sometimes into purses, pockets, and locked luggage. It%26#39;s the risk of traveling, and all you can do is try to minimise your exposure .
The alternative is to stay home, barricaded in your own house....but people break into houses, too.
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To each his own. I am glad that your experience has been a favorable one. And, you are right, taking a night train is a great way to maximize your day touring time, because you are on the train while sleeping through the night. That is why we took the night train in the first place...hoping that our days could be fuller and more productive with touring. Personally, I feel the train ride was not at all sound way to sleep through the night, and I felt like I had jet lag all over again.
However, if you had been a victim of the crime, perhaps you would have a much different reaction. And, I am glad that you are forewarned ......through someone else%26#39;s misfortune.
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Wow - I just booked my night train from Amsterdam to Munich - but even before reading this post, I figured I would put something in front of the door while we slept ,since we are 2 women traveling, maybe a little vulnerable. I booked a deluxe 2 person double with the shower and toilet - I don%26#39;t remember reading anything in the description about a ladder, but hopefully there is something else that I can barricade the door with.
GlitteK I like the idea of sleeping on your passport,etc - what a good tip, I%26#39;ll do that too!
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