Ulrika and Gunnar have lived in France for twenty years and run a small decoration shop together. When they have time off, they love to go on trips in their Bürstner motorhome, often twice a month. In the past they sometimes went to Portugal, but now they usually choose to discover new gems in France or Spain.
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ShareTheir favourite thing to do is to explore small villages, and maybe go camping at some quiet natural area. They have two big dogs, a Border Collie and a mixed breed dog, and both of them also love being out on the road with their mum and dad. Unfortunately, the last motorhome trip was not as usual, and we have interviewed Ulrika on the phone about when they were robbed in the motorhome.
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Motorhome trip to Barcelona
Just a week ago, Ulrika, Gunnar and the dogs set off for Barcelona, where they had never been with their campervan before. Since it's winter, there were no open campsites, and they chose to stay in an illuminated car park just outside a night-time café just outside Barcelona, but they shouldn't have done that.
"I got a bad vibe in the evening," says Ulrika. They saw a white car that only stopped for a short time and then disappeared. It felt not really good for some reason, but on the other hand, the man in the car might just be maybe just buying cigarettes? They decided to lie down and sleep, locked the car and closed the curtains.
"It went black, a blackout"
There was a lot of noise around the car in the evening and they had trouble sleeping. After a while, the dogs started barking angrily, which surprised both Ulrika and Gunnar. "The dogs are trained not to bark at people outside the camper, and they don't usually behave that way. They listened attentively, and then they remember nothing more. "It went black, a blackout," says Ulrika.
When they woke up the next morning, they felt a bit sick, and they both felt a sting in their throats. They started looking for their belongings and soon realised that they had been robbed, in exactly the same way. all. They had lost their camera, mobile phones, clothes, handbag, a valuable wedding ring, medicines, identity cards, insurance papers, dogs' passports, credit cards and a large amount of cash, which they had taken to buy products for their shop.
The stolen items had been placed in many different places in the motorhome - on the front table, in the glove compartment and in the bed - so it was clear that the thieves had taken their time to search the car for valuables.
Not much help from the police
The morning after the robbery, Ulrika and Gunnar ran into the café and the café employee asked "Policía?", without looking surprised. It was obvious that robberies had happened here before.
Ulrika and Gunnar got to meet the police officers, who were friendly but did not offer much help. They told them that there are around three robberies or bag snatchings along this motorway every day. Apparently, organised gangs, perhaps from Ukraine or Moldova, carry out the robberies.
There was a surveillance camera in the car park, but the police were not interested in looking at it. "Madame, nobody has died," they said, shrugging their shoulders. However, the police thought that Ulrika and Gunnar should go to hospital, which they did. At the hospital, blood samples were taken and the doctors concluded that "some kind of gas" was the cause of the nausea and sore throat.
Return journey with €1.50 in your pocket
After the shocking experience, Ulrika and Gunnar had to travel back to France, past all the tolls, with only €1.50 in their pockets. Once home, the slow and arduous process of restoring all their documents, such as ID cards and credit cards, has only just begun. It will take many months to get everything back in order. The insurance policy only covered relatively low-value movable property, so there will also be a significant financial loss.
Want to continue motorhome life
Despite the material losses, it is perhaps the anxiety and fear that is the worst. Ulrika says that it is difficult to feel safe in the motorhome now. "But they don't want to stop travelling in a camper van, no, they don't want that! They love being out with the dogs in the motorhome, and going to the sea or cosy villages. The couple has already decided that they will soon embark on a "therapeutic journey", a short trip in France, to start feeling safe in their motorhome again. They also plan to increase the security of their motorhome with better alarms.
Ulrika explains that the burglary took place when the thieves stuck a small tool between the window and the door, allowing them to pick the lock without breaking the door. Next to the door were the thieves' used plastic gloves. They now want to get a really good alarm that sounds when you open the doors, but also a strap between the front doors to make burglary more difficult. They also want to get a gas alarm.
Want to warn - but not discourage
Ulrika doesn't think people should be afraid of travelling with a motorhome, nor does she want to discourage anyone from hitchhiking. She says that most places in southern Europe are peaceful and very safe. However, she wants to However, she warns about the A9 motorway towards Barcelona - a route known for its for criminal gangs.
How to travel safely with a motorhome
- Choose camping, supervised pitches or free camping in quiet areas.
- Be careful in the area around Barcelona and avoid standing near the motorway at night.
- Equip the car with an alarm.
- Keep valuables out of sight and out of reach.
- Use a bolt-on safe for passports, tickets and other valuables.
- Check your insurance.
- Keep your data backed up on a cloud service or external hard drive.
You might also like:
Not as planned - 10 mishaps on our campervan trips
What happened after the burglary of the campervan?
Insure your motorhome - some companies have switched to annual insurance
Travelling abroad with a motorhome - 10 things to look out for
Travelling by motorhome in Germany - all you need to know
10 great countries for motorhome holidays
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Lena - good for the soul says:
No, but what a terrible story! So insanely sad that it has to be like that! And how hard to not be able to feel safe in the car. Hope they can go out again soon.
Hug Lena
25 January 2020 - 8:48
Eva says:
Terrible experience and so sad to not get the help you expect afterwards. ❤️
We experienced something similar in June 2013 along the autobahn in northern Germany. The woman in the motorhome next to us had to be taken by ambulance from the scene as she claimed gas. Me, my husband, our two younger sons and our big dog didn't notice anything at all and I think we just slept hard after a long day of travelling but we still had valuables stolen and a broken door (I have that travel story written down if anyone is interested).
Since then, we have acquired an alarm and an angry dog..... and always think twice about going beyond caravan sites or campsites.
25 January 2020 - 9:04
Goatfish says:
Terrible! Just the feeling that someone has been in and rummaged around, been to the beds and then the gas. Clearly they are looking for valuables and not to hurt people more than to get them drugged, bad enough!
Oh, what times we live in!
Gone is the idyll of a forest edge and a lake......
25 January 2020 - 9:49
Ditte says:
Deplorable in every way! And just the knowledge and the feeling that someone has been inside and rummaged through your things and taken most of it with them definitely leaves a mark. And that you yourself have been completely "knocked" by gas is also very unpleasant.
Unfortunately, these leagues are incredibly good at what they do so it is difficult to protect yourself against their progress. A lot of work also to arrange insurance and other things and both the spiritual and financial loss is still there
25 January 2020 - 10:13
Emilie - Travels by Knutte says:
But what a horrible experience! Ugh usch usch usch!!! It is one thing if they go into the motorhome when it is parked and you are not there, but to be so cold that you gas someone and go in and steal everything!!! Fyyyy!!!!
26 January 2020 - 9:13
Sølvi markussen says:
We had a car break-in just outside Orange. I have asked in various online groups if anyone was awake. Nobody wants to answer that. Sølvi
25 January 2020 - 10:54
Anonymous says:
Have experienced a burglary in the motorhome in the Valencian region. Was at a petrol station with many trailers. I woke up to find a man inside the vehicle. He was standing near the bed with a flashlight looking for valuables. I shouted loudly and he ran out. My husband who was closest to the window was fast asleep and thinks he must have been gassed. I felt in good shape, so don't know if it was gas in the car.
26 January 2020 - 0:40
Lisa says:
How sad that this happens. Not being able to feel safe in the car that is your home must be one of the worst things that can happen. Do not think you can prevent completely, but all precautions that make it more difficult for thieves are good. Wish Ulrika and Gunnar all the best in the future, certainly good with a new trip soon so that the fear does not have time to build a nest.
25 January 2020 - 10:58
Mr Lars Permelin says:
Very unpleasant experience to be gassed and robbed in this way in the motorhome. I don't want to be part of that. It is good that this gas robbery is publicised. It is proof that gas robberies are happening on the continent. Incredibly difficult to catch the perpetrators. Probably have to be caught in the act.
25 January 2020 - 11:39
Eva says:
I don't want to be nosy but I don't see any "evidence". As I said, a horrible experience for those affected and I feel for them, but there is no proof....not for you and me anyway.
25 January 2020 - 12:00
Peter says:
No. Gas is a myth. There is no one who can carry enough gas to put someone to sleep in a motorhome.
25 January 2020 - 18:42
Anonymous says:
It was the stupidest thing I've heard, think, think that there are drifts of steel pressure vessels, 3 litre steel bottles, for example containing residues of nitrous oxide along our roads, ditches and rest areas. Nitrous oxide causes nerve damage, check at http://www.giftgas.se about nitrous oxide, hydrogen cyanide, potassium cyanide, sodium cyanide and common C2O, carbon dioxide. All gases are common.
30 October 2023 - 4:40
Emma, sun like sun? says:
What a trauma! This type of event has been heard about for many years now, even before we moved down in 2014. But most often we have also heard that it is just a story, an urban legend.
That year we had a burglary in the townhouse we were living in at the time, he came in and took the mobile phones and my credit cards. He put the driving licence neatly back in my handbag. Luckily he was only on the floor where the kitchen and living room were, we were sleeping downstairs. But what I would come to was that it was really hard to get everything organised but the police officers who came to our house were very nice, the ones at the police station were less nice. The thief was caught a few months later - in the act.
A safe would probably not be a bad idea. At least with hindsight. However, you have to think twice about locking yourself in with bolts and locks. You must always bear in mind that you must be able to get out quickly. A bit like having bars on all the windows here. I'm glad we don't have that on our house, where we have safety glass instead.
25 January 2020 - 12:45
Knut says:
It was not fun to read! The way they got in is classic for a Fiat with a standard cabin. We will return our car when we come to Sweden after being damaged in just such an attempted break-in. But it was probably just an attempt, we have never had anyone inside the car. We have an alarm in it of the brand Defa and put straps between the doors and at the living room door. On the shelf by the living room door we have a sharp knife out of its sheath in case we need to cut our way out.
25 January 2020 - 13:09
Peter says:
There are real locks from Heosafe. Go for it instead of fiddling with straps.
25 January 2020 - 18:43
Lasse Persson says:
Here is a worthwhile article on gas.
Quote from a trained nurse anaesthetist from a motorhome forum.
Let me dispel this myth once and for all.
I have been working as a nurse anaesthetist for 15 years in a large hospital.
When we dose gases to patients under anaesthesia, we are talking about one to a few percent of the total amount of air inhaled. Dosing with such margins in large volumes such as caravans and cars should be completely impossible. In addition, not being able to secure the airways of those who ingest the gas would be guaranteed to kill anyone who tried to "anaesthetise" in a caravan. In addition, all people react differently and need different amounts of gas to sleep.
Moreover, all anaesthetic gases are liquid (supplied in bottles) and must be dosed in a gasifier before they can be given to anyone. And this gasifier only works when it is attached to an anaesthesia machine.
So to summarise:
1. Anaesthetic gases must be dosed with extreme care so as not to kill the person receiving the gas. (Circulatory collapse if too much gas is ingested. Example. 1 % gas is just right - 4 % gas will kill you. (The gas isoflurane in this example - other gases have different values - no two are the same).
2. The gas is supplied in liquid form in half-litre bottles on prescription. It is NOT available in finished gas form.
3. you need a specific carburettor for each unique type of gas you choose.
4. This gasifier only works when it is attached to an anaesthetic machine. In some cases, it also needs access to 220 volts to work, as the liquid gas needs to be heated in order to be gasified.
5. in addition, the anaesthesia machine needs to be connected to oxygen and compressed air to work (unless it is a military anaesthesia machine).
6. A normal Swedish anaesthetic machine is hardly likely to be found in the boot of a car. It is the size of a small chest of drawers and requires 220 volts.
7. you MUST be able to create a clear airway for the individual who ingests the gas, otherwise there is a high risk of death from an unclear airway....
8. Can you calculate the exact volume of air in a car or caravan from the outside ?
10. nitrous oxide ! Some people think that you can anaesthetise with nitrous oxide. This is not possible. To be able to anaesthetise with nitrous oxide alone, a person must be placed in a pressure chamber and pushed down a number of metres before the concentration in the body becomes so high that you get something similar to a general anaesthetic. If you breathe nitrous oxide in a normal room, for example in a dentist's surgery, you'll be just about "packed" and calm or relaxed! But not anaesthetised.
11. You need to be specially trained to understand and handle anaesthetic gas. For my own part, this meant that after I finished Leg. Nurse I had to go another 1 year at University to get a specialist qualification in anaesthesia (narcosis) Tell me which burglar has this training?
12. in addition, there are a number of other factors that make it impossible for a layman to handle anaesthetic gases, which I have not gone into as this post would be infinitely long.
In the case of the hostage-taking at the NORD opera house in Moscow, when the Russian terrorist police used gas to sedate everyone in the theatre, it was not an anaesthetic gas, but an experimental gaseous form of Fentanyl - a kind of super-strong morphine preparation that was used, developed by the Russian security services after many years of experimentation. And the problem with dosing even this gaseous form of morphine is exemplified by the fact that nearly a third of the people in the room died from overdose because they could not individualise the gaseous fentanyl to each person in the room. They simply died from overdoses while others just got a little dizzy.
It should therefore be simply impossible to sedate someone in a caravan or car with anaesthetic gas. It is a complete waste of money to buy a special anaesthetic gas detector. Believe me!
Greetings
Peter M
Leg. Nurse with specialist competence in anaesthesia/anaesthesia.L
25 January 2020 - 14:52
BP says:
Guuu so terrible! Incredibly interesting to read Lasse Persson's comment. Yes, what did the thieves use?
I also have some experience with Spanish police. They are certainly nice, but totally uninterested in solving robberies and thefts. Requesting images from surveillance cameras is too difficult, because it wasn't a murder. Unfortunately, they think that way.
You are always wiser in retrospect. A large amount of cash in a motorhome, for example, insurance that only covers the minimum, a "security door", staying in motorway car parks...
Very strong of Ulrika and Gunnar not to be deterred by a terrible event.
25 January 2020 - 15:51
Mrs Inger Hansson says:
Ugh, what an unpleasant story! Interesting comments too.
25 January 2020 - 18:26
Matts Torebring says:
In my dream world, the door is unlocked, my wallet is on the table and there are no codes for the computer. Reality is different, I know! I've listened to long debates on P1, and everyone has agreed that it's impossible to make a person suitably dazed. We're going to keep on fricamping after all. I judge that our bus is a little more difficult to get into. The stairs are rolled in at night and the sturdy door is relatively high up.
25 January 2020 - 19:24
Solan says:
There may be a difference between free camping in Norrbotten and a rest area outside Barcelona. Might be worth a few € to be safe in a caravan park or a campsite around notorious cities...
25 January 2020 - 20:54
Mr Nils-Åke Hansson says:
Gas is a myth.
26 January 2020 - 10:47
Monica says:
It is probably a myth about anaesthetic gas, but when the dogs barked and then everything went black, something was used. Very possibly they use ether, which works on both humans and animals and causes pain in the mucous membranes and throat problems. Which disappears. The dogs may have been distracted with some treat and got a handkerchief on their noses and so did the couple directly. Then everything was taken, including the tracks, by the thieves who probably operated quickly, just a few minutes perhaps. And they probably broke in silently. And it's dark and the people have no time to see or perceive anything. The police believe that alcohol is the main culprit, but not only probably. There should be more research and you can't just dismiss people's stories. Tragic and difficult for those affected. But there are risks everywhere.
27 January 2020 - 5:51