karussell

Do you/should you carry your passport with you at all times? I'm getting paranoid about being robbed.

Travelnut

Robbed from your person or robbed from the room safe? Neither is terribly likely... pickpocketing out of a purse or pocket is more likely.

We carry ours in 'leg safe' or moneybelt underneath our clothes, as we don't use it for much of anything during our trip. A copy should suffice if you want to shop or something. I prefer to retain control of it at all times.

Many others prefer to stash in the hotel safe and carry the photocopy with them. Whichever makes you feel comfortable (don't leave town without remembering to get the pp out!)

You won't get a consensus on this topic, you'll just have to make up your own mind.

francophile03

Personally I prefer carrying my passport in a moneybelt as I am one of the few who don't trust hotel safes. I make copies too.

Daisy54

I do the same as francophile03 - carry my passport with me and also make 2 copies - one I bring on my trip but don't carry on my person, and one at home with family. Not all hotels have safes, nor do B&B's.

PalQ

I always want my passport on my person and of course take appropriate precaustions such as wearing a money belt under my clothes. 37 years of European and world travel, never been robbed (knock on wood) - you'll especially want your passport in countries like France if you are not Caucasian - lots of police stops in France for Arab-looking folk for instance - one of the sparks that ignited recent violence - Arabs were sick of harassment. And if you just get in an accident and are by yourself, the passport with a contact number in it could be useful. Unlikely to be stopped by police but never know. On trains with railpasses may be checked with passport and pass name.

Margaretlb

Just remember, if you're going to shop in the EU, you'll need your passposrt for the Tax Back.

Statia

I always stay in apartments and prefer to leave it in a safe place there and only carry a copy on me at all times. I'm just too afraid of it getting swiped on the street.

I also leave a copy of my passport with someone at home who can always fax me the copy in the event I needed to get it replaced while abroad.

nukesafe

My vote is with Frankophile and the others who carry passports. I feel I should have some kind of official picture identification on me when I am out and about. If I am knocked over by a taxi, it would be good to have a return address on the body.

Since I see no need for all of the library cards and other junk that clogs my back pocket at home, I leave my wallet at home. I carry the few ATM/Credit cards I may need daily in a small folder in a front pocket; hopefully pick pocket resistant.

Passport and larger amounts of cash go in a money belt or leg safe.

Have a great, and incident free, trip!

ira

Hi K,

Whether you carry it or leave, you ought to make a copy or 2 of the 1st page, just in case.

laclaire

I never carry my passport on me. In fact, I am one of those trusting individuals who just leaves it in her luggage in the room.

My parents have an emergency pack for me at home and if I ever get into trouble, they can overnight it. It contains:
copy of my passport
one recent picture of myself (updated yearly)
1 emergency credit card
$300 in travelers checks
a list of my credit cards and their numbers, as well as the phone number to call to cancel.

I also carry a duplicate of that packet with me when I travel. It is usually tucked into my big bag and I keep it sealed shut so I can automatically see if anyone has been in it. I carry the canceling information to the emergency card in my regular wallet, thinking that it is pretty improbably that both be robbed at the same moment.

I don't feel paranoid when I travel anymore, but I think that it is because I have the precautions under control.

SuzieC

I pdf'd copies of all that stuff and e-mailed them to me at a yahoo address too. ...Just in case!
But I carry mine as well.

suze

I always keep mine with me. I carry my passport in my normal purse. I am not paranoid about being robbed.

Others choose to: carry it in a moneybelt, neck pouch, leg strap, or hidden pocket under their clothing, leave it in the hotel front desk safe, leave it in a room safe, or even just keep in their suitcase in their room. Those are about all the possibilities I can think of.

nessundorma

I always put everything in the hotel safe. I try not to stay in places where I don't trust the staff, which means I either stay in hotels that have stellar reputations or tiny establishments run by one or two people in the middle of nowhere who probably have no use for my passport.

I frequently walk around in the US without carrying identification. I assume if I'm abducted by aliens, eventually my husband will notice and ask around.

thursdaysd

I leave it in the hotel safe if the hotel and the safe look safe... Otherwise it's in my money belt under my clothes. Copy of the picture page plus any visas is in my spare money belt in my padlocked backpack - along with copies of everything else in the moneybelt. If I'm in a country where I might be asked for ID on the street I carry another copy in my daybag. I also don't worry if the hotel is keeping it while they do their recordkeeping.

nessundorma

Oh -- and a funny story about those "underclothes" passport holders:

I once bought one before a trip, thinking it might come in handy, and I tried it on with my passport in it a few weeks before I left. (I think it was a leg model.) I couldn't find anyplace on my leg where it felt comfortable: it either kept slipping down, or the corners of passport dug into my skin, so I just tossed it aside.

The morning of my flight, I went down my final check list of things to do, and went to retrieve my passport from the drawer where I ALWAYS keep it so I can always find it --- and it was missing! I almost literally had a heart attack.

After 30 minutes of tearing apart several drawers, suitcases and closets, I suddenly remembered that damn leg thing, and found it on the corner of my work table.

J62

I routintely leave my passport in my hotel room, secreted away in my luggage (never had a thief steal my entire laundry bag of dirty clothes, and willing to take the risk they won't).

I carry a photocopy with me for ID, although I also have my US drivers license on me.

As a backup in case I need the info, I keep a scanned copy of the key passport pages on my yahoo email account. I figure I can always retrieve that info anywhere there is a pc with internet access. I'm assuming that even US Embassy would have that access if it would help get a replacement passport.

sharon1306

My husband usually carries our passports in his money belt, but we keep one photocopy in our luggage and one back home. I also mail copies to my yahoo account, like mentioned above, just in case.