The one thing never to leave in a rental car

The one thing never to leave in a rental car is anything at all. Not a bag in the boot, not a phone under the seat, not for five minutes at a waterfall. It is the least glamorous advice we give, and the one that saves the most holidays.

Why we are so blunt about it

The United States Embassy in Costa Rica says it receives regular reports of valuables and identity documents stolen from locked vehicles, rental cars especially, and it lists beaches, national parks, parking lots and gas stations among the places where it happens. Costa Rica's judicial police, the OIJ, say the biggest mistake visitors make is leaving luggage or belongings in sight.

Rental cars are easy to recognise, and a thief at a beach car park knows the owner will be in the water for an hour. It is opportunistic: a window, a bag, gone. A car that is visibly empty is rarely worth the trouble.

The habits that work

The risky day is the day you change accommodation, because everything you own is in the car. Drive straight to the house and check in first. The beach and the waterfall will still be there in an hour.

Take to the beach only what you are happy to leave on the sand: a towel, water, sunscreen, a little cash. Everything else stays in the safe at the house.

Park where there is an attendant when you can, and expect to pay a small amount in colones for it. Lock the car, close the windows and leave nothing in view, charging cables and empty bags included.

Passports

The Embassy's advice is to carry a photocopy of your passport's photo page and of the page with your Costa Rican entry stamp, and to leave the original somewhere secure. A photo of both on your phone costs nothing. If you are driving, keep the copy with your licence: the stamp is what shows the licence is still valid here.

If it happens

Call 911, which works across Costa Rica. Report the theft to the OIJ, because the rental company and your insurer will ask for the report. And tell us: we will help with the practical side.