My wife & I use money belts, and travelinvests, but different types for different seasons. We always ensure that each day, we have sufficient money in a buttoned up shirt pocket for our daily need, then the remainder (credit cards,passports, airline tickets,etc) are carried in a money belt or neck pouch. But ALWAYS, ALWAYS, wear the waist money pouch "under" your clothing (remember out of sight, is out of mind). A money belt worn under your trousers, is a bit hard for thief to get to. If you need to get credit cards out of your money belt or pouch, always do it somewhere in private, where others can't see you doing it. Also we carry a very small camera, which fits into my shirt pocket. My wife doesn't wear fancy jewellery, so therefore, we don't stand out like a "shiny" targets. We try to blend in with the locals, you could say. If you buy a "neck pouch" make sure you test it, to see if its soft against your skin. Another device which is sold in Australia, is the TravelinVest, a front zippered vest, with zippered pockets inside, each compartment designed for things like, credits cards, passports, airline tickets, etc.
The metro is a wonderful way of getting quickly around Paris, but there are pickpocketers travelling on the metro, they targetted friends of mine, but alas, they had no money belt.
Personal safety really comes back to, being "aware" of people around you, being confident of what you do, wearing a money belt "underneath" your clothing or a travelinvest, etc.

i recommend a neck pouch, as it is much easier to get to. i did not have one as i was waiting for the train at trocadero station after visiting the eifel tower. seven little girls picked my pocket, and i lost my wallet with $200, cc, and drivers lc. still enjoyed paris. didn't have to worry about pickpockets after that. can't wait to go back, smarter and wiser.

My favorite concealed moneybelt is made of cotton cloth (like the belts that wrap around your waist) but instead of a "belt" it has a covered metal clip that goes over your belt or waistband. The cotton wallet part fits against your body under your pants or skirt, only the hook over your belt shows. If you are wearing a jacket or sweater , nothing shoes. But this is easily accessible if you do need to retrieve more money or a credit card. And it is much more comfortable in warm weather than a belt that wraps around your whole torso or hangs from your neck.

These are harder to find than the other varieties-- specialty travel accessory shops tend to be the only places that carry them. If you are in the US, Try the shop "travel in style" in Stanford Shopping Center/ Palo Alto, CA or San Francisco. I believe they have an 800 number and a website...

From your screen name I assume you will be traveling with kids (sharp, aren't I?) so you will need a money belt of some kind since you will be distracted at times by your children.

I use the waist kind with the pouch in the small of my back when I am in a big city or tourist area and have to carry valuables with me.

My ex used to use the kind that attached to his beltloop and went under his pants, you could use this plan, it is easier to access (if you wear belt looped pants).

I went ahead and made a little pouch about the size of a credit card because we found everything else to be too bulky. I used muslin (very inexpensive cotton fabric) and a thin piece of elastic. The elastic lays flat on the neck but is stretchy so you can pull the pouch out from under your shirt and not have to take it off from around your neck. My husband wears it on each trip with usually one debit and one back-up credit card in it. I keep another credit card and some cash in the zippered part of my purse, so I am the one accessing the money most of the time. On our first trip, my husband wore a money belt, and it proved inconvenient and too bulky -- but it was our first trip and we were a bit nervous, so it was better to be safe than sorry. Since we usually stay in apartments, we leave our passports there and do not carry them with us daily.

Yup, three kids so I will no doubt be distracted! I am going to look into the belt loop pouch.

I have done some looking on the web and I keep coming across the Eagle Creek Undercover Hidden Pocket. It is inexpensive ($8), loops through your belt and tucks into your pants. It sounds pretty secure and much easier to get to when you want things (sounds like it could be used as a real wallet). Has anyone used it? If so, is it comfortable and does it get wet when you sweat?

My hubby found a great belt at Sport Check. It is a nylon belt, like a normal black belt, but on the inside is a zipper that goes about 1/2 round the inside of the belt. The belt is only about 1 inch wide (like a normal man's belt) and so we rolled up the $$ we werent using that day and stored it there. He just wore it like a normal belt. Each day we took out what we needed. It was great. We also kept copies of our passports, bank card numbers etc in there on paper. Worked like a charm!

I don't use my credit card <i>that</i> many times during a day. When not in use it, along with my ATM card and large bills, remains safely ensconced in my around-the-waist money pouch.

I tried an around-the-neck money pouch once but found it annoying.

We just returned from Normandy for the D-Day celebration. My veteran-father was pickpocketed in the Metro during the day...we were tired and let our 'guard down'. The pickpocket jumped on the metro and jumped off all in the few seconds the train door was open....with dads wallet. You cannot be too careful! By the way..They charged $14,000 worth of furniture in the first 5 minutes! the Babylon station is especially known for pickpockets according to the police, who were extremely helpful by the way.

Europewithkids,

That is exactly the product I use. It works great, very comfortable, as long as you have it in the proper position. As far as getting wet when you sweat, that is possible, although it does have something called Coolmax backing that absorbs moisture.

WLCJR: What is the proper position? Also, do you use it like a wallet, putting things in and taking things out freely, or do you need to use it like a moneybelt (difficult to access). I would like something that offers good security but that also lets me freely access my cash/credit card/ATM card.

I've been thinking about this issue extensively.

First of all, a waist-worn moneybelt won't work well with a dress. So I guess I will need both a neck and a waist type if I wear any dresses on this trip. I prefer the waist type otherwise.

Second, so long as I am within 6 km of the hotel, I don't think a moneybelt is terribly necessary. Passports will be stored in an in-room safe. I will keep money on me in a couple places, and one credit card. If I am somehow deprived of this, I can always walk back to the hotel (presuming I was somehow left with so little as to not be able to take the metro) and cancel the card. The money loss will be minimal.

However, if I embark on a daytrip away from my central location, I will use either a waist money belt or a neck money belt, depending on what I wear, and take two credit cards stored separately.

In the past, I just kept all documents on my person as discreetly as possible, but I did have my passport fall out a couple times (although I retrieved it). I fear I am at more risk of careless loss than theft.

WillTravel: I can understand your thinking, but only you know how you will feel if your pocket is picked. I could have just 20 Euros picked from my pocket and I can tell you that it would gnaw at me. I also do not want to be in the Metro/train station/crowded area being overly concerned about my wallet (although awareness of your surroundings is always healthy). Finally, I do not want to take precious vacation time to report a stolen credit card and/or ATM card, file a police report, etc. Being a man, I do not have the dress/skirt issue so the hidden pocket sounds interesting to me.

Hi WillTravel,

Last time I stored my passport in the moneybelt worn around the waist and other than being bulky it was good since it has a zipper. The clasp is made from plastic though and I was a bit wary of it hoping it wouldn't break. Otherwise, it worked out well. I don't quite understand how your passport fell out from your person. Do you mean it fell out from a moneybelt or did you store it somewhere else and it fell out?

francophile, I should have been more specific. I had the passport in a pouch (not a moneybelt) or in a purse and several times have had it fall out on the ground when I was trying to dig something else out. That was just me being careless, rather than a fault of the products.

Someone recommended using a safety pin in addition to the plastic clasp on a moneybelt. That might help your anxiety about it breaking (and the moneybelt I have now does seem to have a rather fragile clasp also).

Hi WillTravel, I have read about using safety pins-thanks. I will try it and hopefully it doesn't open up and poke me:) It's happend with safety pins and me before. I may look into getting another moneybelt if I find one with a metal clasp if there is any.

Both my husband and I have used $belts for years and find them quite convenient. I am one of those who posted a year or two ago, about wearing the main part of the $belt to the &quot;rear&quot;. Less bulky and, I think, that you are less aware of wearing it. You can always find a corner in which to get something out of it, if you are caught short. Tried the neck bag and did not like it hanging inside my top--although under the arm might be better.

If the clip on the belt is a concern, you might do as I've done, take off the tape which fastens the belt around you and replace it with a piece of elastic in a comfortable type and dimension. This way, you never have to worry that it might fall off.

My husband was accosted in the doorway of a Paris metro--similar to the story above--luckily, the two guys got nothing, but a real jab in the gut and my umbrella hitting the other.

For every person who says that they've traveled for years, are always aware, and carry their money in their pockets or in a shoulder bag or backpack with no problem, there are many others who are not as fortunate. We have always been careful with $$ and alert about situations, etc. --but we know it can happen.

$belts, travelers' pants, jackets, vests, secure bags worn across the body, etc. all give extra security and should help anyone to have a problem-free trip. Cheers! mhm

I found a waist money belt to be much more comfortable than I expected. One cc and a day's cash in my pocket, rest of important stuff (passport, ATM card, etc) in the money belt. I disagree with those who say to wear it in the back...I know that I would notice anyone trying to get to my moneybelt in front of me, but behind me? Particularly in the metro or other crowded, bumpy place? Just my thoughts!

Anne

Anne, no one can get into my moneybelt pouch (in small of my back) without getting under my shirt and inside my pants. I fasten it somewhat loosely so it is always covered below the waistline.
Now, if you wear hipster jeans and a crop top, that's a different story.