travel vests
Apr 6th, 2010, 01:27 PM
#1
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travel vests
I'm trying to figure out how I want to travel with my passport, tickets, reservations credit cards and other valuables. I see that other travelers have solved this (and similar) dilemma very nicely. I've used the folder thing that goes around your neck, handy, but not secretive and it's bulky. I've used the money belt, secretive and slim no matter what I put in it but awful trying to get to it (from under my clothes). Now, there's a very neat travel vest with inside pockets that's lightweight and I can stash everything in the inside pockets. If I got one of these do i go thru the security machine with it on or take it off and put it in the bin? (this bothers me as it's off my person) How does everyone else handle this? What are you using that's easy to get to but secure?
Apr 6th, 2010, 02:06 PM
#2
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In my experience, you are asked to remove any outer layer sweater or jacket, and a vest would probably get the same treatment -- walk through screening with only one layer over the undergarment. Your vest would go in a bin with your other valuables in purse or carryon bag.
I do not look for both security and easy access in the same product -- moneybelt under clothing is secure, but I do not access it in public. Pockets in trousers or purse are for easy access items (small amount of cash and one credit card), but not secure. I take my chances in airports by keeping the passport out with the easy access items.
I do not look for both security and easy access in the same product -- moneybelt under clothing is secure, but I do not access it in public. Pockets in trousers or purse are for easy access items (small amount of cash and one credit card), but not secure. I take my chances in airports by keeping the passport out with the easy access items.
Apr 6th, 2010, 06:16 PM
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No actually I am asked if I am a journalist rather than a tourist!
I wear one, as I hate carrying a purse....and everything is handy and easy to get at within the vests pockets. I also carry a money belt around my waist for secure money and passport like Kayd does.
I have worn a vest for years and its rather snappy over my slacks and shirt.....well as snappy as an ageing matron can look!!!
I wear one, as I hate carrying a purse....and everything is handy and easy to get at within the vests pockets. I also carry a money belt around my waist for secure money and passport like Kayd does.
I have worn a vest for years and its rather snappy over my slacks and shirt.....well as snappy as an ageing matron can look!!!
Apr 6th, 2010, 09:44 PM
#6
"<i>I've used the folder thing that goes around your neck, handy, but not secretive and it's bulky. I've used the money belt, secretive and slim no matter what I put in it but awful trying to get to it (from under my clothes).</i>"
It appears you are mis-using both items. The neck folder is really only intended to hold your boarding pass/ID/passport while checking in for the flight and going through security. Mainly to have all the documents in one place and have your hands free to deal w/ your coat/carry on. It isn't for carrying cash/credit cards/'secretive' items.
And one should NEVER access a money belt in public. It is for holding/securing things you do not need to access. Like your passport while walking around your destination city. Or your back up credit/debit cards that re not in your wallet. Not for carrying your boarding pass/passport through airport screening. You need those items out at security, and even for buying things at duty free. So they can't be in a money belt. Think of one as a 'body safe' - it should be secret and stay that way.
you don't necessarily need either item (I actually use both on some trips, and neither on other trips) but if you do, it is best to use them as they were intended.
It appears you are mis-using both items. The neck folder is really only intended to hold your boarding pass/ID/passport while checking in for the flight and going through security. Mainly to have all the documents in one place and have your hands free to deal w/ your coat/carry on. It isn't for carrying cash/credit cards/'secretive' items.
And one should NEVER access a money belt in public. It is for holding/securing things you do not need to access. Like your passport while walking around your destination city. Or your back up credit/debit cards that re not in your wallet. Not for carrying your boarding pass/passport through airport screening. You need those items out at security, and even for buying things at duty free. So they can't be in a money belt. Think of one as a 'body safe' - it should be secret and stay that way.
you don't necessarily need either item (I actually use both on some trips, and neither on other trips) but if you do, it is best to use them as they were intended.
Apr 6th, 2010, 11:15 PM
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I do not believe there is any efficient and attractive thing to do what you are seeking - carry all those items. That is why women carry purses because carrying it all on ones body makes you look like a purse - without the benefits of easy accessibility. And I guess "snappy" is a matter of personal opinion.
This is what I do - and it really only takes a couple of minutes each day of a trip - time you would normally spend getting ready for that day anyway.
Separate out what you actually need that day - on a flying day it is boarding pass, ID, some cash or one credit card. This goes either in my pocket or on the outside pouch of carry on - no fumbling thru security. I select a carry on that has such a pocket either inside at the top or zipped on the outside - that means no canvas sacks. Same for travel clothing - I look for pants that have a deep or zipper pocket.
Reservations? Checking into a hotel involves telling them your name and giving them credit card, sometimes ID. I print out and keep copy of confirmation numbers, name/addresses of various hotels along the way as well as same for rental cars and future plane/train - but that certainly does not need to be kept on your person for future days of trip. A manila folder in a suitcase works for that.
Most days I again take just minimal that I will need that day. And I always have a back-up credit card in a second place - or with a travel companion. Rarely carry that much cash, but if for some reason I do, then a money belt works. Still, I place what I might need for the day in a pocket or purse.
By definition there is no such thing that is secure and easy to get to - if it is easy to get to, then it is vulnerable to others as well. And putting a vest thru security seems riskier than a purse - somehow I feel walking off with a stray piece of clothing is less likely to draw attention than walking off with a piece of luggage or purse.
This is what I do - and it really only takes a couple of minutes each day of a trip - time you would normally spend getting ready for that day anyway.
Separate out what you actually need that day - on a flying day it is boarding pass, ID, some cash or one credit card. This goes either in my pocket or on the outside pouch of carry on - no fumbling thru security. I select a carry on that has such a pocket either inside at the top or zipped on the outside - that means no canvas sacks. Same for travel clothing - I look for pants that have a deep or zipper pocket.
Reservations? Checking into a hotel involves telling them your name and giving them credit card, sometimes ID. I print out and keep copy of confirmation numbers, name/addresses of various hotels along the way as well as same for rental cars and future plane/train - but that certainly does not need to be kept on your person for future days of trip. A manila folder in a suitcase works for that.
Most days I again take just minimal that I will need that day. And I always have a back-up credit card in a second place - or with a travel companion. Rarely carry that much cash, but if for some reason I do, then a money belt works. Still, I place what I might need for the day in a pocket or purse.
By definition there is no such thing that is secure and easy to get to - if it is easy to get to, then it is vulnerable to others as well. And putting a vest thru security seems riskier than a purse - somehow I feel walking off with a stray piece of clothing is less likely to draw attention than walking off with a piece of luggage or purse.
Apr 7th, 2010, 05:01 AM
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"If you all only knew what others were saying about those vests overseas and on the flights over..."
As a frequent flyer.. I guess I am nicer then you. I don't waste time talking about my fellow passengers.... I have a life that does not involve "judging everyone I see and being rude"
So... what I really wonder Why are you so busy "jugding"?
As a frequent flyer.. I guess I am nicer then you. I don't waste time talking about my fellow passengers.... I have a life that does not involve "judging everyone I see and being rude"
So... what I really wonder Why are you so busy "jugding"?
Apr 7th, 2010, 12:58 PM
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I quess CarolA that I made those comments as I fly overseas everyweek as an international flight attendant.People who wear those vests have a tendency to hold up the lines at TSA screening because they have to take half of their crap out of their "vest pockets";
then they get on the plane and they don't want to sit with it on for 8-12 hours so then they want their own personal overhead bin so no one else can have their "stuff" near their beloved vest
and when I am in someplace like Rome, Athens, Paris,etc. they look like they are going on a safari which made me say they look ridiculous.When they are on the metros in various cities they tend to have their pockets picked first as I hear the various stories on their way home.
Gail made some great suggestions-use them!
then they get on the plane and they don't want to sit with it on for 8-12 hours so then they want their own personal overhead bin so no one else can have their "stuff" near their beloved vest
and when I am in someplace like Rome, Athens, Paris,etc. they look like they are going on a safari which made me say they look ridiculous.When they are on the metros in various cities they tend to have their pockets picked first as I hear the various stories on their way home.
Gail made some great suggestions-use them!
Apr 7th, 2010, 01:38 PM
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I bought a copy of shirts from www.travelsmith.com , they have a couple of securtiy pockets inside a pocket and I wear one of these over a tank or tee shirt (no not). I've taken them each time we go to Europe. They also wash and dry really fast in the hotel room when I need to wash them.
When I go thru security, everything I need, like passport etc. is in my purse. I don't wear the shirts until I get to my destination.
When I go thru security, everything I need, like passport etc. is in my purse. I don't wear the shirts until I get to my destination.
Apr 7th, 2010, 06:44 PM
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Hey CarolA ...I think the drama is here too!!!
I think we all have OUR own way to travel ....and each of us does a good job being happy in our own way. So leave others alone....and if inded you are busy worrying and watching what other travelers are doing.....stop....cause you might really be missing something fantastic out the window!!
A lovely French man once told me that Americans can't hide when they travel anyway. We American women esp. have a different way of walking and being....that is freer and more spirited and it always gives us away!!! I thought that was cool statment!!! Very flattering actually!
I think we all have OUR own way to travel ....and each of us does a good job being happy in our own way. So leave others alone....and if inded you are busy worrying and watching what other travelers are doing.....stop....cause you might really be missing something fantastic out the window!!
A lovely French man once told me that Americans can't hide when they travel anyway. We American women esp. have a different way of walking and being....that is freer and more spirited and it always gives us away!!! I thought that was cool statment!!! Very flattering actually!
Apr 7th, 2010, 11:37 PM
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Re the vest, you mean it is worn under your clothes? Or is it a vest worn over a shirt/blouse? It sounds like it would look discrete if not too bulky. Or is it a khaki safari type? I have seen professional photographers wearing them but they do stand out as maybe carrying expensive photo equipment.
Apr 8th, 2010, 06:18 AM
#18
Where are you traveling to that you feel the need to take such extreme precautions?
We've traveled the world for years and we merely carry a zipped travel wallet - it contains passports, several types of currency, our airline frequent flyer cards, our hotel membership cards, and our printed e-tickets. Credit cards stay in our wallets. Wallets stay in pants pocket or zipped purse.
We approach the check in counter, we pull out the passports, e-ticket receipts and frequent flyer cards. After we're checked in, the boarding passes for connecting flights and the luggage tags get zipped up back in the travel folder and the passports and boarding pass for our first flight remain in the pocket on the top of the travel wallet. After we board the plane, the passports and boarding pass stubs get zipped back into the wallet, which then goes into the carry on and into the overhead bin.
Once at our destination, we switch out the currency we need for wherever we are, put the passports and travel documents back into the travel wallet and either lock it in a hotel room safe or lock it in a suitcase in our room. Our cash and credit cards remain on our person, carried just as they'd be carried at home. We never walk around with our passports.
I'd feel like a complete boob wearing a travel vest, a money belt or documents strung around my neck. It just seems so silly and unnecessary...but then again I've never been to Italy!
We've traveled the world for years and we merely carry a zipped travel wallet - it contains passports, several types of currency, our airline frequent flyer cards, our hotel membership cards, and our printed e-tickets. Credit cards stay in our wallets. Wallets stay in pants pocket or zipped purse.
We approach the check in counter, we pull out the passports, e-ticket receipts and frequent flyer cards. After we're checked in, the boarding passes for connecting flights and the luggage tags get zipped up back in the travel folder and the passports and boarding pass for our first flight remain in the pocket on the top of the travel wallet. After we board the plane, the passports and boarding pass stubs get zipped back into the wallet, which then goes into the carry on and into the overhead bin.
Once at our destination, we switch out the currency we need for wherever we are, put the passports and travel documents back into the travel wallet and either lock it in a hotel room safe or lock it in a suitcase in our room. Our cash and credit cards remain on our person, carried just as they'd be carried at home. We never walk around with our passports.
I'd feel like a complete boob wearing a travel vest, a money belt or documents strung around my neck. It just seems so silly and unnecessary...but then again I've never been to Italy!
Apr 8th, 2010, 07:16 AM
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Yes, you would have to remove the vest to go through security.
JanisJ's suggestions are good. You could use the folder around your neck for your boarding pass and then put it in your purse.
I do use a money belt for some destinations but do not access it in public. I do not take my home wallet anywhere out of the country, but use the money belt and a small folding wallet with a coin section for travel and put the amount I expect to need daily in that and add to it from the money belt as needed.
JanisJ's suggestions are good. You could use the folder around your neck for your boarding pass and then put it in your purse.
I do use a money belt for some destinations but do not access it in public. I do not take my home wallet anywhere out of the country, but use the money belt and a small folding wallet with a coin section for travel and put the amount I expect to need daily in that and add to it from the money belt as needed.
Apr 8th, 2010, 08:42 AM
#20
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Check out Scotte Vests. Pockets on the inside and very discreetly on outside- not one of those bulkey fishing-type travel vests. Very nice design; "no bulge" pocket system. My son loves his for travel.
http://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/N...vel_Vest.shtml
http://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/N...vel_Vest.shtml
