I will admit Aruba was never on my list of places I wanted to see; Jamaica ranked on the list but never this place. I only went on this trip because this is where my friends wanted to go so I went along. Don’t get me wrong because I did love the time spent in the Caribbean. Who could not fall in love with a place where you could drive around in a jeep to see more of the island or snorkeling and see a ship at the bottom of the ocean?
But as you can guess not everything can be perfect no matter how much you want it to be when traveling. That is something I have learned but it hasn’t stopped me from wanting to see more of the world. I realized that what happens in one place can happen anywhere. It isn’t isolated to one place and one place only; things like this can happen no matter where you go.
One word should sum it up for you. Make it two words. Stolen wallet.
That isn’t all as I need to explain the circumstances around the wallet getting stolen. It isn’t the typical pickpocket story. If it was then the story would stop there but this is the precautionary tale of something out of the norm happening but still has the same end results of the wallet getting stolen.
As the story goes, my friends and I had gone to Carlos ‘n’ Charlies the night before. That was an experience in itself especially with someone following you into the bathroom with jello shots. Is nothing sacred anymore that people can’t wait for you to come out of the bathroom first before trying to get you to buy the shots? We did stay for a while before heading back to our hotel.
Now this is where the story gets interesting….. We were staying in a first floor room; the table was right by the patio door. One of my friend’s had placed their wallet on the table the night before when we got in from Carlos ‘n’ Charlies. She noticed when she got up the next morning that her wallet was missing. We checked the door getting into our room. It was secure. After seeing that the main door was locked properly then we made our way over to the patio door. Besides the door going into the room, the patio door was the only other entrance into the room itself. Upon checking it out, we could see that it wasn’t locking properly. The latch wasn’t catching the way it should in order for the door to lock. Why didn’t we notice this when we checked in?
We jumped to the conclusion that someone had to have come into the room while we were sleeping and stolen her wallet. Now she could have been wrong on where she thought she left it. She could have placed the wallet somewhere else or left it behind somewhere thinking she had it with it.
In jumping to the above conclusion could mean only one thing. Someone had crept into our room while we were sleeping and stolen her wallet. If she left it where she thought she left it and the patio door didn’t close properly….. To think something like that could be a possibly is scary in itself. To think the rooms had safes in them which we could prevail upon and use at no added expense is another. For me, I used the safe where my money and our passports were safe.
In walking away from this: I will always remember two things that should always be done no matter where you are.
- Check your room when you first walk in to see that the door along with balcony or patio door securely locks behind you
- Use the lockers if they are provided in your room to keep any valuables that you feel need to be locked up and not lying around
If the wallet was left in the room then all I can say is that we are lucky that is the only thing that was stolen. Wallets can be replaced….
Who knows if the wallet was actually left in the room. Who can say since my friend felt that is the last place she saw it and the patio door was not secure. I can’t say for sure because I am going off of where she thought she left it last.
- Be aware of your surroundings
- Remember where you left your belongings
- Safety comes first
We did take the right measures in reporting this to the front desk staff where we stayed. A report was taken and then they upgraded us to another room where we stayed for the remainder of our time in Aruba. This room was located on the upper level which made my friends feel safer in staying here.
This will not stop me from traveling anywhere in the world. For that matter, it will not stop me from going back to Aruba if I want to revisit this place. Nothing should deter you from visiting a place you have always wanted to see. Take precautions when you are somewhere else; safety of self and being aware of your surroundings should suffice. At the very least, they are a great starting point when you are on the road.
What life lessons have you learned when traveling? Did you avail of the security lockers provided for you whether you were staying in hotels or hostels? Did you keep your money and passports on you at all times and use some form of security pouch for them? Did you travel with a group of people or did you feel safe on your own as long as you were aware of your surroundings?
