mnannie

What's the appeal of a money belt? Can't I just keep some cash in my front pocket? Do I really need my passport on me at all times? Is it handy to get to? Do you keep it under your clothes?
Going to Italy- Venice, Positano, and Rome.
Thanks!

francophile03

You can do what you feel is best for yourself. Some people hate moneybelts while others like myself prefer to use them.

SeaUrchin

An actual money belt is a real belt with a zipper so you can stuff money into it. An undergarment pouch is what some people use to keep credit cards and their passport but they don't access it during the day. They keep some cash handy like you want to do.

You wouldnt need it in Positano, maybe in Venice and Rome but you may not need it at all. Some people like them some don't.

Dukey

I use one a good deal and since you never noticed me wearing it that means it was working the way it is supposed to!

You can keep as much cash, stocks, bonds, secrets of the universe, your girlfriend's phone number or anything else you want anyWHERE you want.

Will you get robbed or pickpocketed? probably not?

Will you wish you had taken other precautions if you Do get robbed/pickpocketed? i suspect you will.

I have not usually carried my passport with me and amazingly enough I usually leave it in the room safe and it has never been stolen.

Moral of the story; take the precautions you feel are best. Nobody here or anywhere really gives a whit and they certainly aren't going to be checking to see what you do or don't do.

gard

Hi

No, I don't use a money belt when I travel. But I do try to take extra good care of my wallet when I walk in crowded areas...to have to wallet in the front pocket normally do the trick I normally leave my passport in the hotel safe. I have posted a trip report from Rome on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/rome_italy.htm . Maybe you can find some useful info there. My wife and I also went to Venice a couple of years back and here is the link to that trip report http://gardkarlsen.com/italy_venice.htm . Get in touch if you have any questions

Regards
Gard

cigalechanta

There are some very attractive small bags on a belt. I have a brown leather Longchamp that I wear for biking. It has zipper and is about 8 inches long. I tie leather sho laces on the belt loops to make a shoulder strap.

greg

There are several postings on this forum by those who regretted not having used money belts to protect themselves from pickpockets -- usually with a description, "It happened so fast."

ready2travel

Having just returned from Positano and Rome, I'm definitely an anti-money belt wearer. As a woman, I always travel with a pocketbook that zips or closes securely, I leave every single unnecessary credit card at home and I always put my passport in the hotel safe. My husband, who would rather swim to Italy rather than wearing a money belt, always puts a rubber band around his wallet which he keeps in his front trouser pocket - the rubber band makes it just a bit harder to extrace anything from his pocket.

Bottom line: Don't know where you live from your post but, if it's any city in the US, would you be putting on a money belt when you're heading into a crowded area. My guess is "no" but you bet you'd use some common sense, trust your instincts and take reasonable precautions. Why in the world would Italy - or ANY foreign country - be an exception?

wanderer

Yes, yes, and yes.

We have been to Venice and Rome, and used it both places. There are alot more people in Rome (6 million vs 40K or so) and alot more potential for an unfortunate event.

We had heard lots of stories about being extra careful in Rome, so I was diligent about wearing mine, even thought I hate it - what woman need to look like she's carrying an extra 5 lbs on her belly?

Seriously, though, on the way back home, a woman told me a story of a friend of hers, sitting on a bus, holding her purse tight, and realized when she got back to the hotel at night that her wallet had been stolen - ALL her cash, ALL her travelers checks, ALL her credit cards. She had to go by train to Florence to the American Express office there to get a temporary American Express card.

To me, it's not worth the risk. We have carried our passports in out money belt, but this time left them in the apartment and walked with the copies should we need them.

To each their own, but I would rather not take the risk. Our apartment owners told us to try not to go out during the day with anything (purse, wallet, etc.) I found this quite difficult seeing as we needed meds, sunscreen, camera, extra film, but knew a backpack would not be safe.

We ended up buying a Metro Bag 200 Anti Theft thanks to a tip here. It served the purpose. Tamper-proof zippers, wire-cutter proof strap, and ALWAYS worn across the shoulders so it couldn't be pulled off.

Better safe than sorry...

Mimar

I do use a money belt. That is, a small pouch that goes around my waist under my clothes. In it, I put my credit cards, ATM card, passport, train passes, and any paper tickets.

Now I'm sure many people have gone to Europe and never been pickpocketed. But others have been. Last year in Paris every time I rode the Metro, somebody unzipped my purse. Not much in it of course, but.... A money belt is just another form of insurance.

Underhill

My husband regularly uses his inside-the-trousers money belt. One time in Nice having the belt saved him from losing cash just taken from an ATM machine--a group of gypsies came up and tried to steal his empty wallet.

mnannie

Thanks, everyone for the suggestions. I'm still undecided, but I've always been curious what people's thoughts were on the subject.

eliztrav

Yes, I wear a moneybelt under clothing....silk so it breathes & isn't uncomfortable. I only carry enough cash in my handbag to get through the day. I would never take the risk of losing important things I'd have trouble replacing in Europe and wouldn't want to spend the time on in any case. Wearing one around my waist tucked securely under clothing was no big deal. I did not get into it in public, so "handy" access is not an issue. I limited my "handy cash" to what I needed on the day & put THAT in a more accessible place. Why play russian roulette with my valuables? Makes no sense to me. But not everyone agrees. Only you know your tolerance for risk. And your ability to absorb a loss far from home, both time and money and docs.

LucieV

This is such a personal thing, there's just no one right answer! I've never used a money belt, in over 40 years of travel. I carry a very <b>small, lightweight</b>, over-the-shoulder bag w/a few zippered pockets, and I do what my globe-trotting mama taught me to do: securely attach a strong, 8&quot; piece of elastic to my wallet, which I then clip (or sew) securely inside my purse. So not only is my wallet virtually impossible to steal, but also when I take it out, I can never forget to put it back (important for absent-minded people like me). And if I use a clip on one end, then I can detach it if I absolutely have to (rarely). The over-the-shoulder bag goes with me everywhere, &amp; I mean everywhere.

ONE time -- and one time only -- did I not use this technique. And that was the one time I had my wallet stolen...

DH, who absolutely refuses to carry a &quot;purse&quot; of any sort, does use a money belt. Keeps his passport &amp; money in it, only takes it off to shower.

samsmom1127

I live in a large northeastern U.S. city. I do wear a money belt when travelling in Europe, but not in the U.S. Do I think that European cities are more dangerous than U.S. cities? Of course not. I do know, however, that my ability to communicate and resolve the problems ensuing from a stolen wallet or handbag is greater here than when I am in a place where I do not speak the language. So, for me, it is worth the minor inconvenience of taking the money belt abroad.

PalenqueBob

A money belt or some similar under the clothes type device is the most foolproof way IMO to thwart the many pickpockets lurking about in huge tourist draws, especially in Rome, Paris, Amsterdam and Madrid and Barcelona, etc.

I wear one and use it from the time i get on the plane to the time i get off the plane back home - in 36 years of travel never been robbed though folks have stuck their hands in my pockets occasionally.

I keep my passport with me and all credit cards, and large bills in my MB at all times. The moneybelt soon becomes part of my body practically.

Neck pouches can be snatched, at times resulting in injury when they are grabbed and forcefully pulled off.

francophile03

I want to add that I, too, carry my passport, extra cash, and credit cards in the moneybelt as I don't trust any hotel safe nor feel that locking my belongings in my suitcase gurantees anything. Why did I choose to use a moneybelt in the first place? Because I almost became a theft victim on the Paris metro once and that was enough to change my mind about using a moneybelt.

nbodyhome

Yes, I do wear a money belt and wouldn't travel abroad without one. You don't want to lose your passport, or the bulk of your money.

I read about travel pants as well, I've not seen them (to my knowledge!) with zippers that are harder to see.

2Italy

Yes, I use a money belt ever since my wife was pickpocketed in Rome and a friend was pickpocketed in Florence. Since using the pouch to hold credit cards, passport, most cash, we have not been pickpocketed and I have a very comfortable feeling.
The one I use is like a 5X8&quot; pouch, very soft on the skin side, lined with plastic to protect against moisture.
I don't trust hotels, safes, or anyone but my wife and I wherever we go; especially with such important items.
I wear it inside my pants and it's accessible by pulling it above my belt if needed.
I keep a mininum amount of cash in my wallet and/or front pocket. I carry a travel wallet that is very thin with some dollars and Euros in it.
When I use an ATM for money, daytime only, in front of an open bank in case the machine eats my card, I place the money in the money belt before walking away from the ATM.
My wife uses a similar type that she wears around her neck on a long flat strap. It goes inside her pants/skirt.
We have NOT had any problems since doing this. If it happens to you, and it can regardless of how careful you are, you simply won't believe how quick and easy they did it. You won't know until you look for it.
A little caution to save a LOT of grief.
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Nlingenfel

Myself and 2 friends always use a money belt. My one friend, does not. I told her about 4 trips ago, if you get pickpocked, you are on your own. We are not wasting days of our trip trying to get you back home, and the good thing is that I mean it. I have run into 3 people over the years who have lost their passport, credit cards and cash. I personally was only targeted once on the #64 bus in Rome and I caught the lady in the act and yelled at her. 6 people got off at the next stop and huddled together, 2 women (1 was the lady who tried to open my purse), 2 small boys and 2 men.