Pacsafe Neck Wallet / Women travel and Spain & Seville tips/safety
 

Hello

My mother (50yrs) and I (28yrs) will be traveling Spain for 2 weeks May 11 - May 25th. We will be visiting Madrid, Seville, Granada and Barcelona with a couple day trips in between. While traveling I bought us slash safe PacSafe neck pouches for us to carry our belongs my first question to you all especially savy travel ladies who have traveled with this product, is the PacSafe neck pouch safe worth it? I've noticed that it pops out in the back but has it caused any problems or issues?

2nd question. I've spent time in Madrid and have visted Granada and Barcelona, but what are some saftey or trvael tips one can recommned for ladies traveling this Seville? I know that Seville is city or narrow streets one can get lost.....what areas are worth aovind?Where should we go and what should we avoid?

3rd question: Overall in Spain, how has the atompshere been for ladies traveling spend together, any current cautions to know about?

Thank you

In answer to your first question, anything like the neck pouch is a signal that you car carrying something valuable and could become a target. The best bag to carry would be what most Spaniards use, an across the chess bag (small if possible).

In answer to your second question, just stay alert. The streets are not narrow and dark. Most are well lit at night and active with people.

In answer to your third question, refer to the above answer, and try to relax.

My college age daughter and I spent a recent week in Seville, loved it, walked everywhere at all hours to and from our Triana apartment, did not have anything like a problem.

She thinks she's streetsmart but has a tendency to leave purses lying around. I was more vigilant, after hearing how pickpockety it supposedly is there. Both of us wore our purses, mine a large leather flap top one, across our chests. We used normal city precautions otherwise.

A few times people approached us, either selling something or seeking donations, but took No for an answer always. I had an old pouch type thing in my suitcase to wear under my clothes, but never bothered with it.

I'm with Robt. Except some of the streets are very narrow indeed in Santa Cruz neighborhood. The most threatened I felt was one rainy night when one taxi after another roared past us while we stood on <12" sidewalks.

Narrow is when you can't drive a car (or SUV) down it, or you wouldn't think so until you're in the medina or kasbah of most old quarters.

You didn't give a link so we have no idea which purse you bought. If you put it under your shirt it will be uncomfortable and will bulge. If I were a thief, you are the person I would target as I'd think you're carrying a lot of cash.

My question is what are you going to be carrying in it that you have to have a special purse? I carry enough cash for a day or two in a small coin purse that goes into my cross body bag - the same bag that I use every day at home. My credit/ATM cards go into the zippered compartment. It's light weight and doesn't pull your neck. The bag never leaves my body, especially when eating in restaurants.

https://www.lesportsac.com/Deluxe_Sh..._wCharm?color=

I absolutely loathe any sort of thing that hangs on my neck (if that's what you're talking about) or hangs on my waist. I can't stop thinking about how abnormal and uncomfortable it is. For me, the solution to traveling abroad safely is to have exactly the sort of equipment I am used to at home, rather than having to accustom myself to some new gizmo. So I use the same cross-body bag I use most of the time at home. No surprises.

Plus, every time you want to buy something like a bottle of water or ice cream or pay for admission or lunch you have to take this thing out of your shirt or stick your hand inside your shirt to get the money.

Try it at home first and see how it works for you.

I travel with this: http://www.amazon.com/Lewis-N-Clark-...rds=money+belt

Much less obvious than a neck pouch. I put it on in the morning and forget it until I take it off at night. I wear it with the pouch at the back. If I have a hotel safe I don't wear it, but the places I stay often don't have one. I keep one day's cash in my day bag. I'm sp used to wearing it that when I get home from a trip I feel undressed without it.

Cannot agree more that those pouches just attract a lot of attention. Use you normal purse (but make sure it goes across the body - and put cash and card in different sections/pockets - so even if you lose drop something you still have the rest.place

Most places in Spain are safer than most any place in the US. You just need to not carry a lot of cash and keep track of what is going on around you. And NEVER allow strangers to approach you with some sob or other story. Just say NO loudly and kep going.

For travel, I have a small cross - body handbag. It is a regular handbag, not a travel - specific type of bag. It fits my wallet, sun glasses, small map. It is small enough to easily hold on my lap on restaurants and hold close on the Metro, etc.

I use a small Mark Jacobs cross body bag and it's perfect. We have a SMALL backpack for water, maps etc which my HB carries. It is NOT big enough to side swipe people if he turned around, unlike some that can positively knock you off your feet.

I should add that we usually wear clothes that have a couple of zip pockets so I'll put €20 in one pocket and a credit card in another one so that I can't ever lose everything.

My bad, this is what neck pouch I'm inquiring about
http://pacsafe.com/coversafe-75-anti-theft-neck-wallet

I'd like to see it on the model underneath the singlet she's wearing!

You are travelling in May when the weather will be quite warm. Would you agree that a pouch like that one will be very visible underneath summer weight clothes. It might be an option if you were travelling in cooler months and wearing more clothes.

I agree with thursdaysd, if you are carrying a lot of money / passports, a money belt that goes around the waist is a lot easier to hide than the neck pouch. Normally, when I travel, I use the money belt for anything I am quite sure I am not going to need in the day, but am not comfortable leaving at the hotel. I use a purse for any less valuable items / smaller bills.
My mother and I were in Spain three years ago (both females) and we had no problems. We felt safer there than we do in big U.S cities. Just be aware of your surroundings and you should be fine.

It does seem too bulky to wear under your clothes. I think the wire enforced cord might rub or chafe your neck too. If needed, I use the type that goes around the waist under clothes and only carry a days worth of money in my purse or a zippered pocket. You never of course access the pouch under your clothes in public! I think that if the neck pouch is used at all in public than a thief will know exactly where you keep your money.

Why do you think you need this product and what are you going to put in it? If you had thought this was a great idea you wouldn't have posted, asking what others thought about it.

I think this is a case of buyers remorse.

Ask yourself why your only questions posted on this board are safety concerns. Focus on the food and the sights and relax.

On my first trip to Italy with the family, I stashed passports and my credit and ATM card in a waist pouch while traveling on trains. I really hated it because it made me sweaty and added pounds to my normally flat belly (one of my few good features). Also awkward when we needed to access things.

Since then, I have just used my normal cross body bag with good inside pouches. Some of my fellow travelers have used the neck pouch and I did notice it sticking out at the neckline.

My main worry these days is going through train stations and while on public transit. Then I am just more vigilant with my crossbody bag.

If you are traveling light (with only a carry on) then you should be fine moving through train stations with just. However, if you have multiple bags, some large, that are awkward to handle, then something like a Pacsafe is not a bad idea.

But it is better to travel light.

I also just travel with a crossbody bag. Lots of inside zippered places to put things.
I would never wear something like this because it is to obvious under clothes.
I notice tourists wearing things like this all the time and can't believe they think it is secret. either the neck cord hangs out or you can plainly see the form under their shirt or blouse.

"Also awkward when we needed to access things."

YOU DO NOT ACCESS IT. The whole point of a money belt is to hold things you don't need during the day. On the rare occasions when you do - e.g. after visiting an ATM - you find a restroom. And if you don't like the way it looks with the pouch in front, wear it at the back, it should fit nicely into the hollow below your waist.

Re thursdaysd comment on Access: Probably poor planning on my part.

Also, I am not against these items (waist belt, neck things). If it takes away extra worry and you feel more comfortable wearing one, you should. It doesn't make sense to be stressed out. If having your valuables in what you feel is a secure place makes your trip more enjoyable, wear one. Don't feel you shouldn't.

Thank you for the responses. I really don't have buyers remorse about the product. Its quite good and thin but I guess I was thinking twice when someone mentioned thieves yanking it and trying to choke people with the string. Intense, but I really feel being that with my mother and I are traveling together its a very very slim chance and quite frankly I would be ready to attack to make sure that doesn't happen to her. Better in numbers I guess. Having lived there at one time though, thieves really just try to do it on the sneak or be "discreet" from what I've noticed.

Most days, I use the same money belt that thursdaysd uses, also worn to the back (LOL, thursdaysd - yet another commonality! :-) ). For days when I need to have my passport handy and "only" want to stash a spare credit card and some cash, I use this little pocket, which I pin to a suitable undergarment:
http://www.zappos.com/eagle-creek-si...140409061930:s
(I'm sure the snap is secure, but I like the extra security of a safety pin.)

And I underscore what thursdaysd says: DO NOT try to access a money belt or other under-clothing storage system once you leave your lodging for the day unless absolutely necessary, and then do so only in a safe, secure place (like a locked rest room).

One of the things I always carry in my money belt is a copy of my passport. I also carry a list of information I might need in an emergency -- how to contact next-of-kin, insurance companies, & credit card companies; medical alerts and prescription info; etc.

Carry what you reasonably expect to need during the day in a purse or whatever, preferably something with which you are familiar, that you find comfortable, and that you can carry in a way that increases the chance that you'll be aware if someone is trying to get into it. Be mindful of your surroundings. If you can't afford to lose something, think about whether you need to take it with you. Take reasonable precautions.

And finally, if worries are nagging at you as you prepare for your trip, write your worries down, put them in a sealed envelope, and give them to someone for safekeeping while you are away. I'm sure those worries will still be there for you when you return and you won't need to give them a second thought during your absence. :-)

I agree with what Kja (and Thursdays) said. I wear the waist money belt every single trip to Europe.

It is NOT that I think Europe is less safe than the US. Actually I think it's the opposite. There may be more pickpockets but there is less muggings and other kinds of crime. But the reason I take precautions when traveling to Europe that I don't take when I travel to large cities in the US is the amount of time and trouble it will cost me if I do get robbed (or loose something) - needing to replace a passport in order to get home, having my bank and credit card companies far away and on different time zones, language barrier, etc. The extremely minor inconvenience of having a money belt around my waist is nothing compared to loosing a day or more of my precious vacation by having my passport replaced and trying to get a new credit card/ATM sent to me at a hotel somewhere.

I have the Pacsafe portable safe and I love it. I can leave all valuables in that safe in the hotel room and carry just what I can afford to lose during the day. My husband has the pacsafe bag and backpack protector because he carries expensive and bulky photo gear. The protector allows him to safely leave the backpack locked to a palm tree on the beach and go have fun in the water.
http://pacsafe.com/travelsafe-100-portable-safe
http://pacsafe.com/pacsafe-85l-backpack-protector

The neck wallet however makes me nervous for all the reasons already mentioned. A cross-body regular handbag and a general awareness of your environment is all you need to be relatively safe anywhere.

That neck pouch looks awfully uncomfortable, and yes like someone could grab it and choke you with the non-slash cord.

I just travel with a regular leather pocketbook same as I use at home every day. But one with a thick strap that can go across the torso and a medium size that fits close against your body.

IF you feel the need for something like that pac-safe thing I would go with a traditional money belt worn under your clothes.

I suggest you check E-bags siteand look at the Travelon brand; I purchased the anti-theft hobo bag 2 years ago for Spain; it is plain, and both large enough for my daily essentials plus scarf, cap, thin layer as you need not pack a wallet; there are inside pouches for that. The zippered top is secured by a lobster clasp; the strap is slash proof. I use it all the time on city outings as it's handsfree; it's small enough to take out to dinner but does not say "theft proof neck pack" which looks totally inaccessible. We four (two couples) were so worried about theft in Spain and it was a total non-issue, we strolled the Ramblas in Barcelona day and night (but not late, perhaps 11:00, still very busy on the main streets). We kept extra credit cards and passports in personal combo hotel safes and felt totally fine about that. We travelled on trains from Barcelona/Madrid/Cordoba/Seville. My husband sometimes uses a underclothes waist pack and has to access the restrooms to use it, I would find it too inaccessible. My daughter's open large tote was attempted to be invaded in the turnstile at a Paris metro years ago, I intervened. Our tiny small camera was stolen from last open bench in Rome cathedral (Travestere) which was not valuable except for pictures on it-- put nothing down -- keep in pockets. Assume you wear cargos or pants w/ lots of pockets, same for jackets. The confusion of what you keep where foils would-be thieves. Have a wonderful time and don't worry!

I've been using the Eagle Creek silk waist wallet for years. I can hardly feel it and sometimes touch my stomach just to be sure it's still there. I also have a slash-proof purse that I wear across my chest. It's difficult for me to get into but I view that as a deterrent for a would-be thief. Weather permitting, I wear a sleeveless vest with several deep and secured pockets. So far I have not been a victim. I'm off soon to Spain and Portugal and am concerned about petty crime, but I'm not going to let it stop me from getting out and about. Unfortunately, it will be too warm for me to wear my vest during the day on this next trip.

I agree with many of the posters here to make a copy of your passport and give it to your travel companion. Take a photo of it and have it in an electronic device. Carry small amounts of cash with you. The price of additional ATM withdrawals is a small price to pay for peace of mind. Leave jewelry at home. Never, and I mean never, put your purse down on the ground. That's like giving out an invitation. These people who steal for a living have been trained to do so and they are very, very good at it.