Thank you for your advice, &quot;SmilingTraveler.&quot; Perhaps you can post a link to published statistics on how many travelers <u>with</u> their valuables in money belts have had their vacations ruined by theft, compared to how many have <u>without</u>.

But I'll bet you won't...

nytraveler- it's not MY theory and believe me i am in agreement with you. It is THE theory of using a money belt, that it is meant to be kept under your clothing worn in a way that it is not visible.

i'm sure there're plenty of people using their money belt like a wallet, hanging their purses over the seat back of chairs in restaurants, leaving cameras on the table, luggage unattended...

Wekk - I've been to europe more than 60 times and have never had any problems with theft or pickpocketing - although there were a few persistent beggars in Spain I had to be firm with. (I did have someone &quot;steal&quot; my $3 umbrella in London by picking it up off a bench - but I was intending on leaving it there since it had already turned inside out twice already. But - IMHO - in that case - as in most cases I have seen - things are &quot;stolen&quot; because people are simply not paying attention.)

When on business I just carry my regular purse. When on vacation I do a mid-size Sportsac - which expands to hold camera, guidebook, sweater, umbrella etc plus all the regular purse stuff.

I always carry my passport, CCs and cash with me - so if anythign happens I'll know about it right away. (Copies of of passport and CC stay in the hotel - so in case of problems you can get everything replaced overnight.)

All you really need to be is normally aware (or should I say &quot;big city aware&quot;) and you should have no problems.

Victoria's Secret makes a really lovely Lace Money Thong.


;)

eeewwww! @-)

Harvard look at this issue and found that money belts actually drew crime toward the user, whereas people who carried valuables in their pants pocket or inside breast pocket were left alone, free to spend their hidden resources. As usual Robespierey is misinformed. The belts by the way were favored by heavier people.

Source, please.

By the way, asking for documentation of a claim doesn't make anyone &quot;misinformed.&quot;

&quot;Uninformed&quot; perhaps, but I hope someone can remedy that.

Please explain how a money belt worn invisibly under ones clothes can attract thieves. Thank you.

KT, I was just about to ask the same thing. I don't understand how a money belt, worn under clothes and therefore out of sight, could attract a thief?

You want cogent answers? From a troll? Whatever are you thinking?

I use a small square pouch and I have put it accross my body under my shirt, just like some ladies do with their purses. I have also pinned it securely inside my coat, and on the inside of my pants. It is invisible and I can't understand how someone could see it. I do not reach into it in public. I put my passport a credit card and the bulk of my money.

Westdudedom what was that crack about that they were favored by heavy people? If you are not a troll, that was not very polite. I think that was a very uncalled for remark.

Let's stick to useful opinions about travel, even if they differ from one another, one should always be polite.

Mimar,
My ATM card has a MC logo and can also be used just like a credit card. I found most people in Europe requesting ID, but a thief probably knows some way to use it without needing it.

Somebody could have emptied my checking account pretty quickly. I have two accounts with the same bank and a different card for each. So I got online and moved all the money from the stolen card account to the other one. And emailed my bank in two separate emails with half the number in each one to please cancel the card. It was night time in the US so nobody would have been around to take a phone call.

It worked and the transfer was immediate so the thieves got nada. Hah.

The card was cancelled hours later. I ended up being more irritated about losing my extra Olympus digital camera memory card than anything else.

I've never used one, but I've heard other people make positive recommendations about 'travel vests' (think a fly-fisherman's vest or photographer's vest with pockets, but slimmer in profile and with at least some of the pockets on the inside.)

Do a google search under 'travel vests' for ideas on where to shop for them, if you are interested. (A place called 'Magellans' that I've heard mentioned on this board apparently carries a version.)

I will be grateful if I can get my H to not walk around with his wallet sticking out of his back pocket. ;-) He does the same in NYC and it's never been stolen. In fact, once it fell out and someone picked it up and handed it to him!

He and I have different credit cards, needless to say.

This is nonnafelice's spouse (I guess that makes me &quot;nonnofelice&quot;).

This won't help most women, but is useful for guys.
... The travel-handiest thing I've added to my wardrobe has been a collection of shortsleeve tee-shirts with simple chest pockets. I get them variously from Lands End, Eddie Bauer, or sometimes Sears.

Wearing one of these under my button-front shirt provides a very safe place to carry my passport, a few folded large-denomination bills, and a credit card. To reach these items, I just have to unbutton one or two buttons on the outer shirt. I usually also carry a smaller amount of cash and a different credit card in a front pocket of my pants.

Of course the pocket tee only works under another garment, so doesn't lend itself to hot weather travel.

I've also tried the wide money pouch with around-the-waist belt; it seems to be the only thing that will hold airline tickets without folding them. I've also tried the smaller pouch that hangs inside your trousers on a belt loop, but can't get used to it yet.

One more thought: I see lots of male tourists wearing short waist-length jackets in cool or cold weather. These leave your pants pockets completely exposed, and I've watched juvenile pickpockets in Florence converge on men wearing these outergarments and ignoring those of us (including me) wearing longer coats or parkas. Again, this won't help in hot weather.

Both of us often wear travel vests with many pockets inside and out. Sure, it might as well have &quot;TOURIST&quot; stencilled on the back, but I wear mine mostly to places where everyone else there is a tourist too, such as Pompeii.

Say, this is fun! Maybe I better get my own screen name.

I started using money belts recently. I find the money belts very useful when in between destinations and when the hotel does not have a safe. I do not wear very tight clothes when traveling. Since it can be worn under the clothes, the little bulge is more or less hidden.

It is also useful if you are in situations that you have to spend many hours in an airport to wait for the next flight. If you fall asleep, you don’t run the risk of someone stealing your purse as it happens to some.

I don't think the money belt is for access in public. That is embarrassing. There should not be any reason to access the money belt in public, as long as you have a copy of your passport, and the money sources you need for the day.