Traveling with Gifts: A Quick How-To Guide

Business analysts say that the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas determines whether the year will be profitable or not. For other segment of the population, the same is likely to be true.

This is the time of year when thieves are watching mall parking lots, airport parking lots, even restaurant parking lots, hoping for that easy score that will make their year. Who is that easy score? When asked, police and auto groups point to you - members of the public - as the "easy score."

Why, you might ask? The answer is easy: it's because most of us are trusting souls who leave packages in plain sight and who, predictably, if we are shopping, fill up a basket-full of goodies and then trundle them out to our cars, usually just dropping them in the back seat and then we head back for more. On a long trip, it's usually this picture is complicated by the fact that we likely will also leave our luggage back there, along with assorted personal items like cameras and such.

All it takes is the application of a little force -- a rock through a rear window - while you are on a breather and you're away from your car and everything you have in your car is gone, possibly right down to the floor mats (believe it or not they are a valuable commodity, especially when "pieced" one one-by-one).

If this sounds like a roaring case of paranoia, it is. Local police officials an organizations like the American Automobile Assn., go out of their way to make sure that your store gifts properly and that your luggage is out of sight as well.

The motto "out of sight is out of mind" is a good one to adopt if you have a long trip ahead. There's nothing more frustrating to a gang of thieves that has targeted a parking lot alongside an Interstate than to find the "easy marks" aren't being helpful at all. In fact, the "marks" are being downright ornery because they aren't doing, as the thieves would have them do things.

In light of this, the American Automobile Assn., in the past, has issued guidelines in the past that have stood the test of time. They are easy to follow:

· Put your gifts and any luggage in the trunk where it is out of sight
· If you drive a minivan or SUV make sure you have the cargo cover installed
· Make sure that put your gifts and luggage under the cargo cover and that it is fully secured when you close the rear hatch
· If you must open either the trunk or cargo hatch make sure that you do so as discreetly as possible, in a parking garage or secured facility - the best place would be your family's garage
· Take only the items you need with you if you pull into a motel room for the night. This would mean carrying an extra bag with a few sundries inside including any clothing your may need; toiletries, and such. This is one bag that, if you have any up-front storage should be kept up front with you so that you can keep the trunk or cargo tonneau cover closed
· Store anything of extra value in under-the-floor stowage, if it is available in your vehicles do offer this type of added stowage but you will have to check. Ford's Flex and Edge come to mind when thinking of this feature
· Make sure that your cellphone is fully charged and ready to be used to call AAA if you have a problem
· Always make sure you are familiar with your surroundings and your route and if you have any question you can ask the auto club or if you have one of the online locations services, such as OnStar, a General Motors product, you can either get directions to where you want to go or you can get help quickly
· If you must park for any reason, be sure to put your car under a bright light and make sure that the alarm system is set

All of these ideas may seem like they are commonsense, and they are, but you would be surprised how many people forget the basics as they hurry home to regret or greet loved ones, some of whom may only be home on military furlough and they face a greatly reduced time span so these folks tend to hurry, even if the driver has studied maps and plotted a route or has contacted on of the online mapping services or has plainly used a GPS device - which also should be hidden, as should any other personal electronic gear and software for them.