Having just touched down in Rome, Italy, a pair of Singaporean travellers made a pit stop at a mall to purchase some essentials.

When they headed back to their rental vehicle, however, they found the car's side passenger window smashed and their belongings missing.

In a TikTok video uploaded on Dec 25, Cindy Ng said the alleged theft occurred at a mall minutes away from Rome Fiumicino Airport.

The culprits had allegedly stolen the travellers' passports and luggage stored in the car, leaving only their coats behind.

Ng told AsiaOne the incident, which occurred on Nov 9, left her "completely dumbfounded".

When she realised that their belongings had gone missing, the woman said: "My heart sank."

"This was supposed to be the start of an amazing trip, yet here we were, wondering how we’d manage the next eight days with nothing but a coat. How would we survive without our essentials? What about the cold weather?

"To make matters worse, our passports were gone too. I remember thinking, how am I going to get back to Singapore? What do I even do now? We felt helpless, especially since this was not something we had prepared for," she recounted.

The traveller explained that they had kept their passports in a backpack that was "discreetly" stored with their luggage in the car boot.

Among the valuables lost were Ng's Sony camera and her friend's 300 euros (S$420) in cash.

Cut short the trip or continue?

With the help of a local woman who noticed their predicament, the Singaporeans lodged a police report and spent the remainder of the day replacing the rental car and finding new accommodation.

They had originally planned to drive to Pisa from the airport that day, but ended up staying in Rome for the night in case the authorities had updates on their case, Ng said.

The pair also applied for a Document of Identity, a temporary travel document, which they later collected at Singapore's Honorary Consulate-General in Rome.

On their first night in Italy, Ng and her friend considered cutting short their nine-day trip and returning to Singapore on the earliest flight — but they decided not to do so.

"We had travelled a long way, and returning empty-handed with just a broken heart didn’t feel right. We held onto hope that tomorrow would be better than today," she told AsiaOne.

They decided to approach the trip with a mindset of simplicity by travelling light and only purchasing the necessities.

Ng said she found this "liberating" — it also turned out to be a "silver lining" as it was difficult to wheel luggage along Italy's cobblestone streets.

The Singaporeans said they experienced kindness from locals and still managed to enjoy exploring Italy.

Ng advised those travelling to Europe to travel light, carry their valuables at all times and keep copies of important documents.

"While it's important to stay alert, don't let fear overshadow your experience. Travel is about discovering new places and enjoying the beauty around you," she said.

"This experience was a harsh reminder that not everywhere is as safe as home."

"I decided to create a video on social media to share our story and remind others to be more cautious while traveling. We learned this lesson the hard way, and my hope is that by sharing our experience, others can avoid going through the same ordeal."

lim.kewei@asiaone.com

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