The incredulity is due to the fact that the whole point of a money belt is that no one knows you're wearing one.>>

no, thursdays, the point for YOU is that no-one knows you are wearing one.

i use mine differently, as apparently does ahiddenbird. I look forward to meeting the thief trying to access my credit card from my money belt at the same time that I'm trying to do the same thing - s/he have to get ever so close!

and I don't run the risk of having my bag snatched.

A moneybelt needs to have very little in it.
Your passport.
Your ATM and CC cards( I assume most people travel with one or two only).
Also, if you have a a few days supply of cash.

This should not produce a bulge.. I am not a big lady and I can easily wear one without it showing, and I wear low slung pants etc.

I do not travel with people who expect me to carry their stuff, even my own children carried their own stuff.If a person chooses to carry their travel mates stuff thats their choice.

If you already are using the hotel safe, what on earth do you need to wear a moneybelt for , I do not, EXCEPT on travel /transit days.

I have a lightweight comfy purse with a long wider strap, it carrys my lipstick, comb, map, metro tickets,small camera and pocket money for the day. Not heavy.

Digging under your clothes in your moneybelt because you are using it like a wallet is odd, it shows everyone you are wearing it , so its not a hidden pocket so to speak, and you can easily drop things while fussing under your clothes trying not to show your stomach with your shirt pulled up etc.

one of the things that travel teaches is that people are different.

allegedly.

Bilboburgler - most older men have to choose between wearing their pants under their stomach (ending at the upper groin) or over their stomach (near the chest). My technique only works with the lower pants option. The fanny pack rests on the belt.

Stomach - fanny pack - pants - upper groin.

Usually I dismiss people who say "I have been to Europe 100 times with no problems" or "I am big and tough and they won't mess with me". But in this case I will say if anyone ever cuts my wire reenforced strap I will give everyone here $1M. It ain't going to happen.

Cold,
Your description of older men look " stomach-fanny pack-pants-upper groin"
might work. - .a pickpocket would be too busy laughing .

ann - you're certainly free to use a money belt any way you chose. BUT, if you use it for something it wasn't designed for, you shouldn't be surprised if it doesn't work well that way.

It's not designed for easy daytime access, so naturally you found it awkward.

Danon - and ordinary folk are smiling too. Europeans are so friendly.

My whole point was that money belts seem pretty unnecessary to me. I got on perfectly well with a cheap black cross body purse with a zip on the inside that I got at H&M, in combination with s little extra vigilance. I did try to wait and see if I would get used to the feel of the money belt, but I gave up on it after 2 weeks. And mine was very slim and low profile. It just annoyed me. Like I said it was just too hot, and even though it probably wasn't obviously lumpy to other people, it really FELT lumpy to me. Plus I found that if I wore it tight it would feel uncomfortable, and if I wore it loose it slid around under my clothes.

This is just my personal experience. I do see the purpose and practicality of a money belt if the person wearing it finds it comfortable. I just don't :)

I don't get money belts. Have never been robbed in more than 100 trips to europe and more than 40 years of riding the NYC subway - at all hours, often packed in like sardines.

Pulling things out of a money belt or pouch during the day entirely defeats the purpose (keeping your valuables hidden) - besides making you look ridiculous fumbling under clothes in public places (it's a wonder more tourists aren't arrested as flashers).

Whatever method you use, make sure it is comfortable, does keep your valuables securely, does not show under your clothes and that you use it properly.

I wear money belt mainly on traveling days, and yes, it used to be uncomfortable on my waist when I sat all day on trains or airplane.

So now I wear it cross-shouldered. I leave the pouch hoisted under my left arm pit but much lower, just above my waist line. Now I don't even feel it is there.

Ok, here's my take. I am a retired NYC Police Officer, and never knew any others who spoke anything other than Spanish. I use a PacSafe bag, which has straps that can't be cut. We also have an ankle wallet. We leave most of our stuff at hotel and only carry what we need for the day. That way, if we do get robbed we aren't losing too much. I have been robbed right here in NYC and I was a POLICE OFFICER at the time. Chased them down and got my stuff back, but I don't recommend that for anyone else. Just be careful, don't carry more than you can lose, and have fun.

Mrs Bilbo tells you how to make a fine money belt on this site http://www.instructables.com/id/Mone...hidden-pocket/

Bilboburgler - I just read your post on weight loss. That is fantastic. I see you do not have a pant choice to make. Well done.

Cold you are very kind, it was tough but had a logic in the design.

Mrs Bilbo is trying the 2 days a week fast method at the moment (not a full fast but only 500 cals a day). It seems to be working and since she can eat what she likes for the other 5 days, it also keeps her calm (-ish).

Reading, that sounds like a great idea actually! I also only ended up wearing my money belt on travel days too, but I bet it's a lot less annoying across the shoulder as you describe. I'll definitely be trying that method out :)

My only concern is that my boobs might get in the way (sorry for the tmi).

Hidden-Bird,
That was why I said wear it lower, leave the pouch just above the waist line, so that the belt is placed between your boobs.

Ah, ok, I see what you mean, I think I was imagining it wrong :)

I worry about women carrying those bags with steel-reinforced straps. If a thief grabs your bag as he goes by on a Vespa, you may not lose the bag but at best you'll get a wrenched shoulder.

I'm a fan of moneybelts.

I consider myself to be a seasoned, aware, careful (but not paranoid) traveler. I've lived in Philadelphia and Los Angeles, and have lost track of the cities I've visited on various continents.

The ONLY place I have ever been the victim of an attempted robbery is Rome. A close friend--also a seasoned traveler--was also recently robbed in the Rome airport as the result of an elaborate scam involving several English speaking "tourists." Another friend had a similar experience in Barcelona.

This is not paranoia. It is a reality that these types of crimes are more prevalent in Europe--and I think failure to recognize this is asking for trouble.

At a flea market in Rome (where we heard pick-pockets were exceptionally prevalent), my partner and I were surrounded by a group of 6 - 8 young children whose little hands were trying to reach inside our pockets while their mothers held up newspapers to shield the act.

We had taken every precaution: money belts; and our pockets safety pinned shut--with only the cash we needed for the day. We literally were screaming and shoving them away from us--and the locals AND POLICE acted oblivious. Only because of our extreme precautions did we leave with our money and belongings--but we were really shaken up--both by feeling violated--AND by being ignored by the locals and police.

Would I go back? Absolutely. Next week I'll be in Hawaii. Next month I'll be in Ireland and Paris. But I will take more extreme precautions in Paris than I would take if I were visiting a city in the U.S.

I have been to NYC, Chicago, L.A., SF, etc. countless times and have never heard of a person I know being pick-pocketed or robbed there.

It is perfectly possible to be robbed anywhere.

In my experience:

A friend had her purse stolen from her grocery cart when her back was turned putting grocery bags in her trunk - in a very upscale area of Long Island

A woman having lunch at an outdoor cafe in very upscale Greenwich, CT had her purse snatched off the chair next to her (yes, a REALLY dumb place to leave it) by a youth on a bike

A former roommate of mine has had purse rifled and her wallet and check book stolen at least 3 times on the subway (although she is a sweet ditz who wanders around with a huge purse on her shoulder - hanging open most of the time)

IMHO those thefts were all the fault of the victims - since they were simply not paying attention. And I'm sure that there are a number of tourists who have wallets stolen in Times Square.

Yes, there are specific places where theft is more likely and you should be more careful - but not just in Italy - although most likely in train stations, on tourist buses and at airports.

but I think assuming you are safer in the US is a real fallacy.

(Obviously I am talking about petty theft - in terms of violent crime the US is definitely way more dangerous than tourist areas of europe).