safekepping for passports
 

This might be a stupid question, but hopefully you guys will put up with me :) We are going to JVD for the day from STJ. Where does everyone keep their passports safe if we both want to swim/snorkel at the same time?

There are many companies that sell water-tight containers large enough to hold passports; Otterbox and Pelicanbox come to mind.

What we do is take one of our carry-ons and make it "the safe."

We put all of our jewelry, cash and credit cards, travel docs and passports in it, and lock it and put it inside another suitcase and in the closet or under the bed.

I don't much trust the in-room safes as most make you sign a disclaimer that says they will not be responsible for any losses.

We've never lost anything using this method.

Oh, duh. Like I need a reading comprehension course.

On JVD, you should have no problems whatsoever. We have used various "watertight" cases as divers over the years, and I would never put my passport in one of them.

Our Pelican Box leaked like a sieve the very first time we used it. Luckily, the only damage was to some money and my aspirin.

I'd leave my stuff on the beach in a NY minute on Jost. (Or with my friendly bartender.) :D

Thanks for the replies. I did check out those products and the best one looked like the Belt Pack from AquaPac. Problem is, unless I pay extra for shipping, I probably won't get it on time as we are leaving next Saturday :) Diana, I will probably take your advice and leave them with the bartender and/or just keep an eye on our things since you think JVD won't be a problem. I have to admit I would be a little worried that the thing might leak.

It doesn't hurt to xerox your passport no. picture, etc. If you ever lose your passport, go asap to the closest U.S. consulate. Bring along all other forms of Id,including birth certificate, driver's license, voter registration card. They will jump on it right away to get you a new passport. It doesn't hurt to have the number of the U.S. consulate with you, just in case. Robert

That's very good advice by Robert. Always make a copy of your passport and keep it in your suitcase in case you lose it.

Look in your local yellowpages and find a local dive shop. Call around; you'll find something waterproof you can wear either around your neck or around your waist. BUT, also take some ziploc baggis and put them in that; just in case you don't close it properly.

And if you can't find something from a dive shop, utilize the double baggie system (I've done it). Put your passport in a baggie, zip it, and then put it inside another. This will work in a pinch.

Peace, Greenie

Thanks all again for the advice. Have to say, big DUH! to self. We have a dive shop practically down the street from us! We have bought our snorkel equipment from them. Will check out what they have this week. We definitely plan on making copies of the pass ports and bringing our back up raised seal birth certs. My DH mentioned the zip lock baggie thing this morning as well.

I wouldn't bring your birth certificates and your passports. That's overkill. Just bring the passports and make copies; you should be okay.

Peace, Greenie

This is probably not the most secure thing to do, but we do it anyway. I usually keep a scanned copy of our passports & driver's licenses, and before we go on a trip, I email the files to myself. Along with carrying a hard copy of these docs, I always have a backup copy online that I can access if need be.

Why not leave your passports in the hotel safe? The only time you will need it is to enter the Island and then again when you enter the US. The advice about keeping a photo copy (and emailing one to yourself) are good in case something bad happens. There is no good reason to take your passport to the beach!

Thanks everyone for your replies. Greenie, I had meant that I would have our birth certificates in another safe location, like a locked suitcase in the room or safe, but perhaps the copies of the passports will be OK.

andrew304, The reason that we will have our passports on the beach is that we are taking the ferry to Jost Van Dyke for the day and will need them to clear British customs. I wasn't too worried about it for our New Horizons trip, thinking our "stuff" will stay on the boat. That is what we did when we went to the Grenadines. Thanks again for all of the great ideas!

Brenda

I understood you. What I meant is that you do not need to bring both your passports and your birth certificates with you on the trip to STJ. Your passport should suffice.

Have fun.

Peace, Greenie

We always take our birth certificates and voter registration card. Not necessary to get into most Caribbean countries, yet, but soon it will be;i.e., a passport and birth certificate will be needed from U.S. to Caribbean islands and for return. It's in the planning stage now, but will be implemented in the near future. I keep our birth certificates in the hotel safe, or locked in our rooms, but tuck our passports into a regular 8x11 letter envelope, which is easy to slip into a belt pouch and carry around. It is nearly impossible to lose your passport if you carry it in a belt pouch. If you do, though, I heard going to the U.S. consulate will replace it quickly, and the birth certificate jump starts the process. There is much anxiety among our intel agencies about terrorism moving through the Caribbean. In addition, if we have another major attack in America, our airports will be shut down, and when all of us Caribbean adventurists eventually fly back, full documentation of who we are may help the custom's process, which will no doubt be vigorous. Robert