Nikki

Ky, are you trying to talk cyndyq out of her trip back to Paris? For me this is what makes the whole episode worthwhile. Sort of like the time our car got photographed by a speeding camera in France just as we were being passed by a motorcycle. I said I would gladly go back to fight the ticket. Alas, it never came.

zoecat

I'll never forget the group of tourists I saw at CDG, waiting for luggage, who wore their money belts around the outside of their clothing. I wonder how their trip went.

Ingo

danon, never been a college student tight on money? Or did you stay in hostels back then? Btw, I didn't try to make a point by mentioning it was a 2star hotel. I'd expect that people who work in 2star hotels are no thieves, as I would expect in a 5star hotel.

LJ, I realised my post was a bit confusing. LOL Just wanted to clarify.

scdreamer

Two words: Safety pins

I don't carry my passport with me. I leave it in the hotel ... in a safe if there is one, but if not, I still leave it stashed out of sight in my room. I carry a photocopy, and I also have another scanned copy, as well as scanned credit card info, including their international phone numbers to call in case of theft or loss, in an email to myself that I don't open.

I don't use a money belt. I have a small shoulder bag, that I carry across my chest, and a zipper compartment inside, which is always safety pinned shut. That's where I keep the one credit card I carry at a time, as well as extra cash. I carry a small amount of cash in a front pocket or in an easily accessed pocket inside my bag. I don't use a credit card for small incidental purchases.

I guess a skilled pick-pocket could manage to get to my valuables, but fumbling with a safety pin would give me some warning I would imagine.

Have traveled many times across Europe, Central America, and South America, and I have not been robbed.

(Well, on second thought, that overpriced meal in Santiago de Compostela a few weeks ago might count as robbery ...)

Luisah

<<The store clerk asked her supervisor and said, "Sorry, a copy is no good; show me a real passport.">>

I wish this had happened to me in a few shops when impulse buying won. If I'd had to return to the hotel for my passport I would've skipped the purchases.

I've used my cc in France, Prague, Italy, Morocco and Egypt without producing my passport. My last experience was in a jewelry shop in Santiago. When I said I didn't have my passport with me (and I'd forgotten to take the copy) the clerk asked for a driver's license, which I didn't have either. Then she said "Put your phone number on the charge slip." Then the sale went through.

decee

Nowadays it seems that every time I use my Visa card I am asked for picture ID--it seems coincidental that this practise has started since the new Chip cards have come out. I haven't yet refused to show them my (outdated)learners licence --I don't drive--so I don't know what will happen if I refuse to show them somethng.

kerouac

Spain is the only country that I have visited that often asks for additional identification when I use a credit card.

Oh, that's not true -- it has happened to me in both Florida and California as well.

(It should be mentioned that my Monoprix says that identification is required if you charge more than 200€ on your card, but that is unlikely to happen when I am buying groceries.)

oliverandharry

Only once about ten years ago, on a very crowded tram in Lisbon, was I threated in this way. Like an idiot, I was standing on the tram holding a copy of Fodor's Portugal. Might as well have had an American flag tattooed on my forehead. It was crowded, we were standing, but I realized that suddenly the guy behind me was pushing me - a full body push. My cash was in the front pocket of my pants - I don't carry a purse. As the tram was stopping I sensed that he wasn't going to let me get off the tram and my husband was ahead of me. I half turned, shoved my elbow into his stomach (yes, I did aim lower) as hard as I could and very loudly yelled "get the fu....away from me!" When we got off, a man who had seen the whole thing said it was pickpockets, but we lost nothing. And, no, I didn't give a rats if I looked like an ugly American.

CarolyninTexas

I carry a neck pouch and have never been bothered. I've been to China, Russia, Egypt, and Europe several times. Has anyone had their neck pouch picked? The closest I have come to anyone in my party being bothered, my traveling companion (cousin) had the man behind her stick in hand in her pocket on the funnicular in May of this year. She slapped his hand. She didn't tell me about it until we were on the ground. I would have screamed so loud everyone in France would have heard me.
Carolyn in Texas

jean253

My DH & I were in Naples in May, had a great day on the Hop on buses. We got on a crowded bus in the Port area the bus had only gone one stop & DHs wallet which was down inside his shirt was stolen. he had realized it had gone before the bus had started from the stop where the thieves had got off I was off the bus 1st but no sign of them.i can only guess a car was following the bus. I also think that they had followed us fron a cafe where my husband payed from his wallet. I think that one of the staff told them where it was.!DH had a large amount of cash in it plus CCs. yes I know we should not have had a lot of cash but the Apartment owner had to be paid in cash the next day.
I am sure one of them tried to pick my pocket also. , When we got to the Police station the policeman said "you have lost something it is bad in Naples". We just filled out the forms & they gave us the Phone nos for Visa etc.didn't ask for a description!! I have a moneybelt,but DH did not he thought it cumbersome!! We always have copies of CCs & passports. thank goodness that I had my Netbook which has Skype. so I was able to phone & cancel CCs as US 800 #s do not work outside of US & that would have been very expensive using the hotel phone. We have traveled extensivly for 60 years this is is a first. I also carry a whistle on a cord in my purse. I found out that most homeowners insurance cover theft including cash while on vaction etc. unfortunately we had a lerger deductable Jean

jean253

Sorry lerger should be larger

PegS

Heh, does my old heart good to see this topic pop up again.

I always leave my passport in the hotel safe and I also never put in in the same pouch as any valuables I'm leaving it in the safe. The odds of anyone going for JUST your passport are slim--petty thieves are looking for valuables they can sell or for cold, hard cash. Most are not international forgers. In 99.9% of cases, when people have their passports stolen it's because they were in with other attractive valuables--such as a purse or wallet where a thief believes money is held.

CarolyninTexas

Well, PegS, that's something to think about, too. I usually put my pp cc's and extra cash in either a plasic zippy or extra wallet so I won't leave something behind. You do make a good point and you've got me thinking. Put the cash and cc's in the zippy, close it and push the pp to the back of the safe and hope it's not noticed?

bredhairedgirl

I just returned from France, with no problems, luckily. I had a neck pouch while in CDG and the Metro ride into Paris. I spent a lot of time on Fodor's seeking advice and reading many posts. I used zip ties on all my baggage zippers. And velcro ties on my day bag which was slung acrossed my chest. But no amount of awareness or precautionary measures can help when more than one individual tags you as a mark.

I carried my DL with me for identification. I never carried my passport with me unless I was thinking of getting close to another country's border.

I would have walked out of the shop that denies a copy of your passport. Did they look at the picture? It should look like you, eh? You obviously speak like the country your passport says you are from. Again they would have lost a big sale from me (since the VAT execption is for over 175E.

susiesan

We had items stolen from a hotel room in Prague 4 years ago. It was a 3 star hotel. There were no safes in the rooms. We locked things in the luggage. The thieves were let into the room by the maids/staff and they ripped apart the zippers on the luggage. All they got from us was costume jewelry and cell phones that wouldn't work in Europe. Others staying in our hotel had all their cameras and photos on flash drives stolen. We did have travel insurance and in order to put in a claim had to have a police report. So at 11:00 PM, when we discovered the theft off we went with a local cop to the precinct to wait for the translator to come so we could file and get a copy of a report.We were reimbursed for the loss from the travel insurance after a fight. We didn't lose anything valuable but it was the hassle of the whole incident that ticked me off.

cmeyer54

DH had a backpack with him on a business trip that was doubling as his briefcase so he had his laptop, camera, passport, etc in it. In the security line in the barcelona airport at 6am, he put the backpack on the floor next to him to remove his sport coat and in an instant, it was gone. with only a couple of airport personnel around and perhaps a tourist or two, the police determined it was an inside job. He was able to board his flight to Frankfurt and the police/customs people there helped him get a through security, etc. Very upsetting to lose it all. He also makes a practice of keeping his wallet in a front pocket - makes it tough for pickpockets and has been told that its also better for his back! When we travel together, one person is at an ATM, the other stands back to back and watches. Thefts occur worldwide, its just more upsetting when you're on vacation and want to be a good tourist and guest of the country.

mconn

the only time i needed my passport in paris was when i had to go to the us embassy.

lanejohann

horrible encounter

glad it all got smoothed out

cherylgirl

We always carry our passports in our moneybelts. If there was a universal law requiring you to carry your passport, many people on this board would still insist it was not meant for them. Laws do not applyto them! Their way is always the correct way. All rooms have safes and passports are not needed for identification! Of course it's ok to put your wallet in your back pocket because you have it buttoned! You have been traveling for 100 years and never a victim! You people spend too much time on this board. Bored!

kerouac

Is this the place where I say that I have lost or been divested of 5 passports?

1. In Australia, I did something with my French passport. My main memory is telling myself "don't put your passport there or you're going to lose it."
2. In Los Angeles, both U.S. and French passports stolen out of the trunk of my car along with most of my possessions on Melrose, a very fashionable and 'safe' part of town.
3. In Johannesburg, both passports stolen in a mugging involving numerous young men with butcher knives.

So, what do you do in cases like that?

In the first case, I went to the French consulate in Sydney, and they said, "you still have your American passport and you are transiting through Los Angeles? Just go back to France and take care of it there!" And that was indeed a simple solution, because in those days, it was very easy to get a new French passport as long as you had a 'lost or stolen' certificate.

In the second case, I still had my French ID card, which is all that is required to enter France. Anyway, it was Thanksgiving weekend, it happened on Friday, and every single office that I tried to contact was closed for 4 days. (People who criticize other countries for having offices closed when they should theoretically be open since it is not technically a holiday should meditate this occurrence.)

As for South Africa, I called the U.S. consulate and all I got was an answering machine. (Once again it was holiday season, a couple of days before Christmas but not yet a real holiday.) So I called the French consulate and got a somewhat irritated woman on her mobile phone. She was the duty officer and was doing Christmas shopping with her young daughter in a shopping mall. Nevertheless, she told me to take a taxi to her place (she had to pay, because I had no money left), and she actually invited me to spend the night in her house, which was expressly forbidden by the rules, but it suited both of us (no need to take me to a nearby hotel and pay for my room). And she cooked a fantastic meal, not that I was in much of a mood to really appreciate it.

The next morning, she got my laissez-passer for France by contacting my office which had photocopies of my identity papers and faxed them, and I was on the flight home as scheduled (since all of this happened on the very last day of my vacation). The last thing left to do was to send a check to the consulate to reimburse the money that had been advanced to me.

Anyway, this is just to say that really awful things can happen on a trip, but everything is relative, and as long as you are not injured, it really doesn't matter.

Unfortunately, I am still not allowed to enter the U.S. without problems, even though I have been 'good' for the last 14 years. What are those people thinking?