Can we just stop this trail of the money pouch?

USE COMMON SENSE. YOU'LL MAKE YOUR BEST JUDGEMENT ON YOUR OWN SAFETY BASED ON ALL OF THE TIPS YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN. EVERYONE HAS A DIFFERNET OUTLOOK TO SAFETY, AND MIGHT NOT NECESARILY COINCIDE WITH YOUR OWN OPINION.

ok....next subject!!!

Just got back from 2+ weeks in Europe and I used the Eagle Creek Hidden Pocket. Very comfortable and convenient. My wife used the PacSafe Stashsafe fanny pack (no English jokes, please!) and found that to be convenient as well. For what it is worth, we never saw any suspicious activity the entire time we were in Europe, including in the Paris Metro and train stations. No bands of kids, none of the typical scams you read about. However, I am still glad we took precautions.

>Can we just stop this trail of the >money pouch?

why? the only people to gain from travellers not discussing safety tips are the pickpockets.

My advise is to use a well hidden money pocket for the main wad of bills and keep the days spending in your wallet.
I made my own from side pockets torn off old jeans and some shoe lace. constant vigilance is tiring and impossible when you visit beutiful cities full of stuff to see and pictures to take.

Sam

PLMN~ as others have already touched on, you are not supposed to be accessing the money belt under your clothing during the day! Think of it as a room safe on your person. Keep your daily cash in a pocket or purse that you can easily reach without a bunch of fuss.

Personally I have never bothered but instead use a regular small leather purse like at home. People who live in Paris, etc. aren't walking around with money belts under their clothing I guarantee you.

You can find money belts, hidden pockets, neck pouches, socks with a zipper (I kid you not) etc. at luggage stores, Travelsmith, Magellens, etc.

Any larger store. Please wear one. I have watched a man run out of the tube chasing a man who had stolen his wallet. Came back to my hotel in Rome and saw a English lady cry and trying to call everyone to cancel her cards, not to metion she had a large sum of cash stolen.(I had 4 teenage granddaughters with me on this trip and it sure taught them a lesson, before that they thought I was full of it and just overly cautious.) Also ran into a group who said 8 out of the 10 of them in Rome had been pickpocteted.(They all had on bright blue jackets with some sort of Logo and I guess din't learn from any of their mistakes.

I well remember my daughter's high school trip to Italy. The school held a meeting about safety precautions before we left, and those of us who took them seriously had a great trip. Despite the warnings, some of the parents (not the kids) were careless and one teacher had her passport taken.

I myself have been pickpocketed on the Heathrow express, and I've had young girls tug on my purse and put their hands into my pocket on the train in Recco and in Rome. The Pickpocket got my empty Coach wallet (an extravagant gift that I felt horrible about losing on our way home, and I had to cancel all my cards from the airport pay phones). The girls in Italy were unsuccessful, but it was a good reminder. I don't take chances anymore.

I am Italian and I look Italian. I don't look like a typical tourist, but I have my weaknesses. I am middle aged and, frankly, when I'm looking at something interesting, I am an easy mark. I'd rather have my valuables secured than worry about being robbed. That way I can gawk safely.

We were in London in April and had no problems at all, but we will be returning to London and then to Rome in January. I read that pick pockets are worse there so I plan to get some kind of money pouch. I looked in Target but did not see any. I never feel good about room safes either. Has anyone had any problems leaving there belongings in them? I also have been told that you should carry your passport with you at all times. Any suggestions?

On our recent trip to Paris and Rome my husband used a money pouch that fitted inside his trousers and carried the majority of our cash, and his credit cards. I carried my diagonally slung handbag which zips, kept a small amount of cash in a small purse in the bag, and my credit cards in another small wallet in an inner zip compartment. I also carried our camera in this bag. The bag was always in front of me and I usually had my hand resting over the zip in any risky situations. We had no problems at all.

On my first trip to Europe my sister-in law and I both got a neck pouch. I tried it on at home and knew it just wouldn't work for me. I have one of those Ameribag purses, lots of zippers and compartments so used that. My sister-in-lay used her neck pouch one day and it drove her crazy so we went purse shopping for her. I have found my bag to work well. I am not being cocky about this because I know that people on this board have indeed been pick pocketed, but on my two trips the purse has been fine, I have been careful how I carry it etc. and of course perhaps there is a bit of luck in the mix but I have up to this point never been pick pocketed, never had anything stolen, and never had my luggage broken into or lost. Actually, my brother used the neck pouch and when we were in Italy is was so hot and muggy that when he went to get some money out of the pouch it was all kind of wet and yucky from persperation...too much information?

As with clothing, do a test run on anything new you plan to use. If you aren't comfortable, have to keep re-adjusting it, it's too hot, doesn't stay put, etc. it is not a good idea no matter how safe in theory the method is. Why I prefer to use my regular purse is that's what I am used to at home... no way will I forget it, leave it on the back of a chair, get distracted with it flapping open in the breeze.

Somewhere I read the story of people passing a pick-pocket area warning sign... and that most people then automatically reached for and patted where they kept their money*!*!*

Another mistake is moving your stuff around - sticking charge card(s) here or there in different bags, changing where you carry cash in your pockets and purse, hiding your passport in different places. It is too confusing and an accident waiting to happen.

Just yesterday I put my wallet in the trunk of my car while at a picnic, forgot I'd done so, and thought I'd had my wallet lost/stolen. How embarrassing, after returning from a safe & organized 2 week trip to Europe... then I act like a dope at home. Go figure!!

Because I had been unable to find a waistpouch that was lightweight and comfortable, I made my own many years ago.

With 1" elastic, a piece of 100% cotton fabric, pinking shears, and velcro "stick-on" closures, you can make a very lightweight waist security belt that stretches (you can therefore get into it more easily because of the elastic stretch), and it is lightweight (adds no bulk or bulges around your middle.)

I made mine with two pouches sewn onto the elastic--one for my credit cards and extra money, the other sized to hold my passport. They are positioned to hit where you typically would have front pants pockets. Of course, you wear it under your slacks or skirt.

I pat it "once in awhile" to make sure it is still there, because it so lightweight and unobtrusive.

I also sew a pocket with a velcro closure on the inside of my jacket lining. This works well in cooler temps.

I have had the unfortunate experience of having my purse robbed twice in Europe, with several more unsuccessful pickpocket attempts. (I am blond and short---what more can I say---I must make an "easy mark".)

Although I always wear my purse slung
"bandolero" style across my body, I was accosted on a wide esplanade in Seville and drug behind a motorcylce until the strap on my purse broke. (Not a pleasant experience--but at least my valuables were under my clothes.)

On another occasion, we were hit by "drive by" robbers (as the French police detectives call them) in Antibes.
Men on motorcylces follow you from the downtown area back to your hotel, and once you unlock the car doors, one pounces and grabs any valuables in sight. Before you can even get your seat belt unbuckled, the robber has run to the waiting motorcycle, hopped on, and takes off---rummaging through your purse to keep anything of value and discarding along the roadway the things that are of no value to them.

Believe me , I wouldn't travel anywhere in Europe without my securtiy pouch!!