janisj

I take a large-ish handbag on the plane to carry things I want under the seat in front. But for walking around/touring I use a small bag holding things similar to what suze describes. It usually contains a small folding bag (closes down to about 4 inches square) in case I do buy things I need to carry around before returning to the flat/hotel.

I'm not one for schlepping water bottles, guide books and major make up. If I want a drink - I'll sit down in a cafe and have one.

LoveItaly

I do as janisj does. I have never carried a water bottle, guide book, makeup etc., anywhere. And I have a very small wallet that is emptied out before I go on a trip so that it only contains what I need for the trip. I don't like carrying a heavy purse. My wallet is small enough it can fit inside the zippered pocket inside my purse.

Nikki

Jed, it doesn't have to be an expensive purse. I don't own an expensive purse. But I feel absolutely naked without a purse. And I would never wear a belly pack.

I spent the first half of my life being thirsty a lot. Then I figured out I could carry water around with me. Even better, seltzer. Don't have to wait until that cafe to stop that scratching dryness in my throat with some nice handy bubbles. What a luxury.

No home and car keys in Paris, but lots of paper with information and maps and stuff I've picked up while touring. Wallet, yes, but with lots of stuff removed for travel. Chapstick. Dental floss. Band-aids. Ibuprofen. Cell phone. Camera. Small notebook, pens. Tissues. Glasses. Small umbrella.

Many of my clothes don't have pockets. And I don't like putting stuff in my pockets anyway. I tend to forget what's where. I like having everything in one place. I like a purse.

And I have to say, having read many of these discussions here, that I have started noticing what women are carrying in Europe. Almost every woman I see is carrying a purse.

Jed

<Jed, it doesn't have to be an expensive purse.>

Actually, that's my point. If I had to carry a purse, I would have an inexpensive one, with the barest minimum of things that I needed for the day in it. As it is, I carry the barest minimum in my pockets, with my camera on my belt.

Happy and safe travels for everyone!

thursdaysd

I carry a backpack not a purse. Water bottle, folding umbrella (doubles as a sunshade in Asia), guidebook/map, camera, tissues (plus TP if in Asia), antiseptic hand gel, chapstick, cortisone cream (for insect bites), tiny compass and flashlight, calculator if I'm in a country where the exchange rate is something like 16,000 to 1, journal, wallet with one day's supply of money, and transport pass if it's warm enough and I'm not wearing a jacket, in which case it's in my breast pocket.

There is absolutely no way I would carry my passport in it, unless I'm in an airport or on a train that will cross a border. I only have my ATM or credit card in my wallet if I expect to use them. My passport, cards, extra cash and any plane or train tickets I'm not using that day are in my money belt, along with a list of important numbers. My spare money belt has photocopies of everything in the main money belt.

toedtoes

I carry a small purse not much bigger in diameter than will fit a passport in.

In that bag, I carry my ID, cc/debit card, frequent flyer cards (if required to show at check in, etc.), lipstick, room key/card, car key (if renting), small address book, pen, and small cash and change.

My camera gear has its own beltpack. I also put a spare cc/debit card and my second ID in this pack for backup.

If I'm going to be away from my hotel and/or rental car for the entire day, I will usually bring a simple canvas bag with a paperback and any maps I may need for that day.

For sightseeing info, directions, etc., I use 5x7 sheets of paper that fold in half and tuck into a plastic coupon holder. I put copies of reservation confirmations in there also. If I go out sightseeing and don't want to carry the coupon holder, I simply pull out the papers that I need for that day and put them in my purse or beltpack and leave the holder in my luggage. At the end of each day, I put all my receipts, etc. in the holder. I keep a copy of my cc numbers, etc. in the holder also.

Before my trip, I remove any shopping cards, work IDs, etc. from my purse that aren't needed for the trip.

This way, I have 3 separate carriers, each containing an ID/cc or the information. If I lose one, I still have the others.

suze

To carry or not to carry your passport on your person is a debate all of its own (that is in fact discussed here often... to no conclusion).

Marsh

I am a big believer in moneybelts! I always carry a purse, but on a few occasions I have put it down & walked away! Luckily, I got them all back! We have received several moneybelts from our travel company. But since I didn't want to add any bulk to the lower part of my body, I reconfiguered the moneybelt. I cut off the thick elastic band completely. Then I sewed down the length & width of the remaining bag so that it was just large enough for my passport & paper bills. I attached a loop of elastic to the short end of the bag & wear it as a shoulder bag under my arm & under my clothes. I pin the elastic to my bra strap. I put cc cards & ATM cards and important #'s in it. It is very comfortable for me to wear & I don't have to worry about my valuables!

ciaolaura

Try a Coach (or any other brand of a similar size) pouch. They fit securely under your arm, have a zipper and are just the right size to fit a normal sized digital camera, sunglasses and some spending money. Their wristlets are also nice, as they literally wrap comfortably around your wrist.

Lock your passport in your hotel safe and enjoy your trip!

marce71

You might want to take a look at Sherpani purses. They are great. I found a messanger style bag (GREAT size) for my travel in Italy last summer. This is the bag I have http://sherpani.us/ProductDetail.cfm...132&ID=134.

I will be traveling to Paris in a couple of months and I plan on using it again. This was the best investment that I made. I was able to avoid pickpockets while having a comfortable purse that hauled everything I needed for my sightseeing days.

Good Luck!

TinaLee204

I carry a fairly large and heavy Coach bag at home, but not when I travel overseas. I use a Kipling Lancelot bag for touring - you can easily adjust the strap to go across the body or over the shoulder, and most importantly it is light weight! The stuff I stick in it is heavy enough, without the bag itself being heavy to start with! The wide strap is also very comfortable.

violetduck

Any purse you enjoy will do. The
important thing is not to put anything
of great value in it. Carry your passport, most of your money, credit
cards and passport, etc. in a money belt that you wear under your clothes. A jacket with inside pockets is very helpful and you can pin the tops of the pockets if no zipper.

tuscanlifeedit

This is a long thread and I am about to fall asleep, but can't read through to see if all my recs have already been mentioned.

I have an r-town bag from Paris that has tons of secure zips, snaps, interpurse pockets that zip, and more. I love this thing. Bought in the Marais,at the r town shop. I will look for more information.

I also have two smaller eagle creek purses that are also filled with zipping inner compartments.

These 3 are small, but the r town bag is bigger and they come in lots of sizes. I can't find a website right now, but it is very late after a really hard day. I'll look again tomorrow.

Travelnut

Tuscany - www.r-town.com
LOL

Paris locations:
-- 3 rue de Buci
-- 13 rue des Rosiers
-- 46 rue des Abbesses

lvillinois

Love the r-town purses! Too bad I won't be anywhere near Paris for a long time!

And ditto on carrying the few irreplaceble things in a money belt, you never worry where those things are when they are on your person!

Just be aware and have a good trip!

Apres_Londee

>>>what do women carry in their purse while on vacation?<<<

All the same stuff I carry at home.

A wallet with a small amount of cash, bank and credit cards(though a lighter one than my regular wallet), hotel or apartment keys, palm pilot, phone, kleenex, tide pen, pens, transportation pass or tickets, tylenol, map, language guide, sometimes a guidebook (at home usually a magazine for the subway), hairbrush, hairclip or a couple of elastics, gum, water, mini sized sunblock, mini sized perfume, dental floss, mini lint roller, mini hand lotion, camera (while traveling only), a small make up bag with a pressed powder compact, cream blusher, eyeshadow, a couple of make-up brushes, a couple of eyeliners, a couple of lipglosses, and a few lipsticks; compact umbrella, extra pair of stockings if I'm wearing them, nail file, sunglasses, no flask of booze (yet) and no cigarettes, thank god...plus all those bits one tends to picks up during the day- business cards, cough drops or candy, small shopping parcels, thingiemadoodles and whatamacallits, stuff like that.

If some idiot grabbed my purse from a car or motorbike, I'd just let it go- my phone and p.pilot aren't worth much, and I can cancel my cards with one phone call. I don't wear my purse cross-body though, I wear it on my shoulder. There are two good reasons why I don't like having a strap across my chest, and IMO metal wire belongs in bras, not handbags.

Surfergirl

Jed,

I carry all the stuff my husband doesn't want to carry. Seriously.

Mimar

OK, Apres_Londee, it's midtrip; you're in a small city with no American consulate. Your purse has been stolen and you've canceled all your credit cards. How do you get money to continue your trip? You don't have an ATM card to get cash. You can't use your credit card to get emergency cash in a bank. You can't pick up that rental car you've reserved. Or the train tickets you pre-bought with the credit card (which you're supposed to show). Not to speak of the time you'll lose reporting the theft to the police and arranging either to get money or fly home early.

A money belt is just a simple form of travel insurance.

TALL_LEANNE123

I have a leather cross body handbag; with a long strap. and I also keep my wallet near the bottom of my handbag; and push a handkerchief over my wallet so it cant be seen or felt.

This did not stop me from being pickpocketed though.

I accidently wore my handbag over one shoulder and was on a busy metro. I felt a jostle and a bump and my handbag slip slightly behind me and thought nothing of it initially. But I moved my bag back to where it was at my side and noticed the zipper had been slid open and was broken. The white handkerchief was pulled back and my purse was sticking out a little. . I managed to catch it in time before my wallet was lifted. But the same thing happened to another woman and she wasnt so lucky. The pickpockets are now breaking the zips on handbags so they cant be secured.. Then they are lifting wallets.

I ended up buying a new handbag that is a crossbody, but with a flap and a zipper. I wear the bag so theflap faces inwards and I dont have keyrings or anything dangling from my bag at all

suze

This thread is 5 years old.