Cjar

I have been booking tickets for a few museums and attractions and have noticed reduced entry prices for under 18's with proof. My kids only id is their passport. If we wait in the queue to purchase tickets, will most places accept a color copy? I hate to run around all over with their actual passports because I worry I might lose them. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with this?

StCirq

I have no idea about the UK, but in France it is the law that you must carry your passport or national identity card (which you wouldn't have) always. I really doubt anyone would bother you much for having only a copy of it, but I've read of people being forced to go back to their hotel or wherever, get their passport, and return to the police station with it. I'd carry their actual passports and keep the copies secured elsewhere. Especially with enhanced security all over France right now. If you can secure your credit cards and cash, surely you can secure passports, too.

And depending on the venue, some of those discounts for under 18's are only for EU citizens.

Gyhtson

How old do your kids look? Most attractions in the UK will be relatively informal and I doubt that all that many will check ages. But I imagine a copy of a passport will be quite adequate.

fuzzbucket

Are you purchasing tickets on-line?
Normally, you print the voucher and present it at the box office to trade in for an actual ticket. Nobody has ever asked me for proof of ID, either in England or Paris, but I always carry a copy of my passport.

If you're buying tickets on-site at the museums/attractions, a slightly reduced, color copy of their passports will be accepted for ticket sales. Most of the time, they won't even be checked.

If you plan on purchasing audio guides, however, you'll need to produce your actual driver's license. No idea why this is so.

bilboburgler

no law in UK to carry a passport
most places would accept a passport copy as evidence, but there will always be a job's-worth who might moan.
NB a lot of museums in UK are free
I suspect this will only be a problem if the 6 foot 13 year old ....

Dukey1

"How old do your kids look?" IOW, how willing are you to LIE?
and teach your kids that it is OK to do so? Disgusting.

nytraveler

We always carry our passports at all times. This is very valuable and I want to know where it is at all times - not got to a room safe or a "locked" suitcase where the passport has supposedly been for 4 or 5 days - to find it missing as you need to leave.

That said you need to make sure that whatever valuable you carry are secure - I have found using a Sportsac (parachute nylon expandable bag with sturdy strap for shoulder or cross body that has lots of pockets to keep different items separate and the valuables in a zipped inner pocket) works very well. Don;t believe in money belts for waist or neck - just too uncomfortable and thieves can usually spot them.

Cjar

Both of my kids look older. Both my 6 foot 16 year old son and his 14 year old sister are often mistaken for being older than they are, especially her. Although I'm not sure why that matters, unless you think they are more likely to be asked for id. We have bought some tickets online hoping to avoid long queues, but I thought it might be worth buying others in person if it meant a reduced or sometimes free admission. I think the Louvre had Friday night admissions free to anyone under 18 regardless of country with id and that's what made me post this question.

As for carrying our passports on us at all times, I don't think we have ever done that. Lost money or credit card can be replaced relatively easily, but lost passports are a vacation destroyer. We have always carried color copies and our U.S. driver's licenses. Although I do see the point in not leaving passports in the hotel either.Maybe we've been lucky. I believe this is one of those areas open to debate.

Stcirq- Thank you for the heads up on French policy. I had not read that anywhere. It certainly leaves that question less open to debate.

As always thanks to all for the input.

Mimar

We always use money belts -- to hide valuables under our clothing. My husband uses one which hangs around his neck; mine goes around my waist. There are other versions.

Maybe that would be a good solution for your kids while in France. Just make sure they get into the habit of wearing the money belt every day, not forgetting it back in the hotel room.

Cjar

My husband is the responsible one. �� He would carry the kids' papers. No matter how hard I try , I am always caught up in the moment and shamefully oblivious sometimes.

fuzzbucket

Unless your family is in the habit of being in the same place at the same time - and joined at the hip, as well - it would be a much better idea to make certain that each person carries his/her own ID, tickets and a little cash.

It can really be easy to become separated in a crowded area like busy train stations and large museums and parks. You would be doing yourself and your family a big favor by teaching them to become more independent before you travel.

If Dad is holding all the ID's (and presumably money and tickets), that won't help someone who's gotten lost - especially if an agent happens to check for ID and a validated transport ticket, and demands payment for a fine on the spot.

Kids - and even Moms "caught up in the moment" - should be able to handle a little money, tickets and a copy of their ID's with no problem.

Practice using your preferred method for a week at home, you'll see it's no big deal. Hang everything on the hotel doorknob, so there's no excuse to carry everything with you.

PalenQ

but in France it is the law that you must carry your passport or national identity card (which you wouldn't have) always.>

Yes it is -but tourists unlike of a certain ethnic background are very very unlikely to be ever asked for it unless they do some crime or violation.

And the law says I believe if stopped and asked for ID and you don't have it you have 48 hours to bring it to the cop station to avoid a fine or whatever.

That said I always carry my passport in my money belt - always.

Hobbert

Are you American? Stop by your Department of Motor Vehicles (or whatever it might be called in your state) and have them get walker's ID cards. Where I live, it's just $10 and all you need to do is bring your kid and their birth certificate to the DMV.

StCirq

Really, everyone in your family should be responsible for their valuables...separately. Seriously, in decades of travel in Europe I have lost members of my family on occasion, and if they hadn't had ID on them, known our phone number and address (of our house or hotel), it could have been a lot more problematic than it was. Also, if you take the métro in Paris, have a plan for who does what if you get separated - someone gets off at the next stop and waits, or everyone goes back to Station X, or whatever. Sounds a little finicky, but if you lose someone, it's worth memorizing the algorithm.

I don't think a Waker's ID card would fly in France, but I'm not sure. You'd need to investigate that more thoroughly.

And so you know, nobody gets to opt out of the security lines, no matter what pass they have. So having a pass doesn't mean you breeze into a museum. You just get to bypass the long lines for people buying tickets. You may still encounter long security lines.

Gyhtson

<<<"How old do your kids look?" IOW, how willing are you to LIE?
and teach your kids that it is OK to do so? Disgusting.>>

What???

I asked the OP how old their kids looked and then you somehow get that I'm encouraging them to lie? No, not at all - I'm saying that if the kids look like kids (that is, a 13 year old looks 13) then it's unlikely that anyone will want to check passports.

Gyhtson

<<<Both of my kids look older. Both my 6 foot 16 year old son and his 14 year old sister are often mistaken for being older than they are, especially her. Although I'm not sure why that matters, unless you think they are more likely to be asked for id. >>>

And yes, this is why I asked. I can't believe I got misunderstood on this! If your kids look like kids, many places won't bother asking for proof of age.

AtlTravelr

Gyhtson-I knew what you meant. And yes, our younger one got asked what his age was (14) more often than his sister (16) probably because he's very tall. But that was the extent of it - "how old are they" was the response when I asked about the free under 18 admission. I had the passports with me but can't remember showing them. When my daughter traveled on her own, however, she was often asked to provide proof of age.

StCirq

I knew what you meant, too. I was often asked how old the kids were and at least once, at Ostia Antica, I think, I had to show their passports to confirm their age. Ticket takers do size up kids and sometimes think you might be trying to get an older kid in free, when it's just that the kid is larger/taller for his/her age (and a lot of American kids to tend to be bigger/taller than their European counterparts).

Cjar

Ouch guys. Thank you for the heads up on each carrying their own id. I especially like the idea of having a plan if we get separated on the metro. Many of the other things we already do, like having a plan if we get separated in a museum or store. I always carry my own id, cash , cards etc and my daughter had her passport with her for 2 weeks in Martha's Vineyard this summer while traveling with a friend. I do ,however, have my head in the clouds sometimes, so if anyone's likely to get their bag stolen or pick pocketed it's me although it hasn't happened yet. My son has attention problems and trouble with executive function which is why dad usually carries the kids things. The kids always have some of their own money. Due to the possibilities presented, we may have them carry their own id as well.

Gyhtson- Don't fret. I figured that was why you were asking about ages. I'm not sure why the question was misconstrued.

Stcirq- Yes, I assumed it would only get us around ticket lines not security. Better to wait in one long line than two though, right?

Christina

Regardless of whether it is "the law," I have used photocopies of my passport numerous times in France for ID without any trouble. I've never been arrested, no, so I suppose you couldn't with the police. But I have at exchange bureaux, stores and museums.

But there is no way to predict what the person on duty may do at the time you are there, I'm just saying I've done it a lot.