| Aloha, fellow travelers. | | | | thieves will give you clues as to the safety or lack |
| As an experienced private tour guide and taxi | | | | of safety at that location. LOOK FOR THE |
| driver here on Maui Hawaii, I have learned from | | | | BROKEN WINDOW GLASS ON THE GROUND |
| experience how to prevent theft of personal | | | | AROUND THE PARKING AREAS ALONGSIDE |
| valuables from your rental car or mini van. I | | | | THE HIGHWAY! |
| learned these tips early on while traveling all over | | | | This ought to give you a clue. |
| the isolated parts of Maui. You, dear reader can | | | | Now, to prevent this from happening to you, you |
| benefit from my experiences and those of many | | | | need to do a few things: |
| other tour guides and professional drivers who | | | | |
| have learned how to prevent the disappearance | | | | 1. Never take anything with you (that you |
| of valuable items from your parked cars and mini | | | | consider valuable) unless you can easily carry it |
| vans. | | | | with you when you get out of your vehicle. |
| As the one enjoying the beauty of Maui, you do | | | | 2. Take an appropriate-sized day pack or small |
| not want to come back to your car and find the | | | | back pack to carry everything you will need while |
| windows broken and everything you value - | | | | hiking or swimming away from your vehicle. And, |
| GONE! | | | | to carry your personal valuables. |
| I have seen that happen. We went hiking and | | | | 3. Take EVERYTHING VALUABLE OUT OF YOUR |
| swimming in the Bamboo Rain Forest past Kailua | | | | CAR and carry it with you. If you can't carry all |
| on the Hana Highway and left our rental car | | | | your valuables with you, you have too many and |
| parked next to the highway. We hiked 40 | | | | will need to arrange to leave the valuables with |
| minutes back into the rain forest; crossing a | | | | someone, somewhere else who can watch and |
| stream twice and climbing up through the bamboo | | | | protect them for you. |
| next to an 18 foot waterfall to go back to a huge | | | | 4. Leave everything you can't easily carry in your |
| isolated pool and picnic, play and swim in the big | | | | condo/hotel/resort room or apartment and lock |
| pool below the 35' waterfall. Fabulous experience! | | | | the door, or put things in a room or hotel safe. |
| I told my clients "Do Not Leave Anything Valuable | | | | 5. Leave all your unnecessary valuables with |
| In the Car." | | | | someone you trust. I have kept backpackers |
| They said "OK." | | | | unnecessary luggage, etc., at my house while they |
| After a couple of hours of hiking, swimming and | | | | were hiking through Haleakala Crater and down |
| picture taking, we came back to the car. My | | | | and out through the Kaupo Gap. They eventually |
| shorts had been stolen (not valuable; I had on my | | | | ended up in Hana. I returned their bags to them |
| swim suit) and their backpack, with their | | | | when they returned from Hana. Please don't ask |
| cellphones and his Rolodex had disappeared. | | | | me to store your "stuff." I just did it for them |
| I said, "I told you not to leave anything valuable in | | | | because they had just a couple of small bags, |
| the car." | | | | 6. VERY IMPORTANT: Leave your car UNLOCKED |
| He said, "Well, I didn't think a Rolodex would be | | | | and one window open (on the leeward side of the |
| valuable to a thief, so I left it in the car." | | | | car - away from the predominate breezes, so |
| PLEASE NOTE: It doesn't matter whether or not | | | | your car doesn't fill with water if a squall blows |
| you think a thief will think something is valuable or | | | | through.) |
| not. "Thieves of opportunity" do not think about | | | | 7. Travel light! Enjoy nature and take lots of |
| whether or not something is valuable to you, or | | | | pictures because it won't be here forever. Maui is |
| them. They just grab everything they can easily | | | | being developed at a breakneck (fool's) pace. |
| carry away and go through it later. I have | | | | I think that about sums up the necessary steps |
| stumbled upon up to three or more molding day | | | | to prevent theft of your valuable possessions |
| packs hidden back in the bamboo forest near the | | | | while traveling the out-of-the-way, naturally |
| highway (I had gone back in the bamboo to | | | | beautiful scenic places on Maui. Main point, I once |
| relieve myself and found the molding pile of | | | | again emphasize: Rather than leave your valuables |
| schoolbooks, clothes and tossed aside day packs.) | | | | in your car : |
| Thieves don't care what You think. Thieves just | | | | |
| snatch and grab and go through their "booty" | | | | 1. TAKE EVERYTHING WITH YOU when you get |
| later, someplace where they feel free from | | | | out of your car! |
| scrutiny - someplace where they won't get | | | | 2. LEAVE your car UNLOCKED and ONE window |
| caught. | | | | OPEN (on the downwind side)! |
| We have also seen rental cars parked beside the | | | | 3. Bring a DAY PACK or SMALL BACK PACK to |
| Hana Highway full of suitcases belonging to | | | | carry what you value and will need. |
| someone hiking in the rain forest (again out past | | | | Follow these tips and you won't have any |
| Kailua in the Bamboo Rain Forest.) When we got | | | | problems with theft from your rental vehicle. I |
| back from our hike and swim, we saw broken | | | | have never had any losses (of any thing valuable. |
| window glass on the ground next to the rental | | | | I just lost an old pair of hiking shorts, which were |
| car; a fist-sized hole in the side (away from the | | | | not valuable.) This doesn't mean someone didn't |
| road) window; and NOTHING left in the car. | | | | get in our vehicles. We would come back from a |
| Needless to say, the newly-wed couple whose | | | | hike in the rain forest and find everything moved |
| suitcases had disappeared felt pretty devastated | | | | around inside our rental cars/vans. It's just that |
| when they returned from their hike and swim in | | | | nothing was stolen. I like to think that leaving our |
| the same rain forest. I will show you how to | | | | vehicle open and one window open tells the |
| prevent this from happening to you. | | | | thieves that you didn't lock your car because it |
| Please do not get me wrong. You car and | | | | doesn't have anything valuable enough in it to |
| valuables will be pretty safe when you are in | | | | cause you to lock the doors. You left nothing |
| town or shopping, or parking in almost any mall or | | | | behind that you care about, so you didn't bother |
| pay parking lot. I do not think you have to worry | | | | to lock the car. Seems to have worked, so far. |
| about your "stuff" when you are around Lots of | | | | Plus, of course, we usually carry everything |
| People. I have only seen evidence of cars being | | | | valuable with us in our day packs. |
| broken into out at those places where people | | | | Thank you for your time and attention to my |
| Leave Their Cars and hike several minutes to | | | | "Travel Tips on Maui." May you have a wonderful |
| hours away from their car. | | | | and memorable visit to the beautiful Hawaiian |
| You, yourself, can see these places by looking for | | | | Islands. |
| the broken window glass scattered all over the | | | | Pau for now. |
| ground next to the road. Any place that attracts | | | | |