Keiracaitlyn

I carry mine with me in an under-the-clothes money belt.

NewbE

Well, just to counter all these tales of woe, I confess than when in Mexico--generally small and even tiny towns, granted, not heavily touristed areas-- we have left our passports unsecured in our rooms in several places and returned to find them right where we left them.

APBaron

Thanks everyone for all of your input. Forum folk are incredibly helpful. Much appreciated.

bilboburgler

I was interested by this question both from a a historical point of view, i.e. when did the passport become used by us normal people rather than ambassadors (for whom it was designed)? I'm also a Brit, for me, not carrying an ID feels like a core part of being a citizen. In fact I would argue that not carrying an ID is one of the benefits of the allies winning WW2.

So the more I dug the more interesting it became. I concluded that wiki has the best answer here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ies_by_country after all if the rule works on the local citizen then a visitor should follow the same rule.

I also looked at the UK gov's advice for each country.

From your list Turkey worries me, as citizens are required to have IDs at all time but the UK says a photocopy will do. Given my few experiences there, I'd say the last thing a local policeman wants is to confront an uppity tourist so a photocopy would do

For your 4 a photocopy will do.

Belgium's position is pretty tough. I might avoid that country more if it wasn't between me and many of the wines of France and Germany

vincenzo32951

The idea that there are cops who would "penalize" tourists who aren't carrying a passport, rather than giving said tourists a reasonable chance to produce the ID, tells me that there are some dumb cops everywhere.

Odin

<<most hotels in europe don't have in-room safes.>> I would say most hotels do have in room safes with a minority that do not, certainly this has been my experience but maybe nytraveler has more experience of European hotels than I do.

chrishowells

I would say, keep the passport safe and carry around some other ID, which is not as important as the passport - a driving license, for example.

Fra_Diavolo

During my years as a consular officer, I frequently had to replace passports which were lost while being carried. I never had to replace one which disappeared from a hotel room. Make of it what you will.

Pegontheroad

I left mine in the hotel safe in Heidelberg and forgot it until I was a hundred or so miles away. Fortunately I was going to go to a Goethe Institute for a month, so I had it sent there.

If I'd continued to travel to multiple destinations, I'd have been worried that it would become lost in the mail.

I carry my passport in my money belt, which I wear all the time.

bilboburgler

I wasn't initially allowed into a dining "club" (the club was in fact a restaurant pretending to be a club, a technique to avoid some types of Italian tax I later understood) because I had left my PP in my room, I explained that my parents hadn't contributed to WW2 just so I had to provide governmental paperwork to be allowed to eat, seemed to work, but my italian was better then and my host was the parent of one of the chefs ;-)

AlessandraZoe

I have totally changed my travel style over a few decades. You would think I have become more cautious; in a way, I have become far more at ease because I think my so-called "safety nets" may have made me more vulnerable.

For ages, we carried in different luggage copies of each other's passports--and our luggage was always carry-on.
We wore money belts.

Likewise, we kept photocopies of our credit,ATM, health cards with the same system.

All of the above was snail-mailed to my mother before we left so that in case of emergency, she could help us handle things.

The passport photocopies were kept with us; the passports went in the hotel safe.

Put your thinking cap on and you can see all the holes in this system.


Years later, I don't trust hotel safes for one second. And we're just not doing money belts. I now carry a really flat little purse that fits under my armpit--and my passport is always in it when abroad.

My husband wears pants with deep front pockets with both cash and credit cards bound with sticky rubber bands to create drag.

Should my little purse and passport be stolen, our should my husband be pickpocketed via his "parts", I have instant electronic access to every item via my own online account and/or via other members of our party.

And oh, I have a teeny tiny little cheat sheet, on both hard copy in my little travel binder and online, that carries CODED info for my credit/debit cards plus health, AAA, passport, global entry with all the needed phone numbers for contact. Should someone steal that cheat sheet, I have time to make contact before the code is deciphered.

Yes, the code is in my head, not written somewhere else.

Yes, someone can hack my drive. Someone can always do SOMETHING. That is the point: <b>we are all vulnerable</b>. Buying time, increasing awareness, and reducing paper vulnerability are my new goals.

annhig

Well I'm the other way round. I reckon that I am much more likely to lose/forget my handbag or have it stolen while I'm out and about than I am to be the victim of theft from my hotel room safe, so that's where my passport stays.

And in 45 years of travelling in Europe and the rest of the world, apart from checking into hotels etc. the only time I have needed my passport was to support a C/c purchase in El Corte Ingles in Madrid about 10 years ago.

travlsolo2

This question is one of those that always generates multiple answers and opinions, just as the "should I use a moneybelt?, and "should I get Euros ahead of time or wait to get from ATMs when I arrive? You consider the risks and do what's comfortable for you. I always have my passport in my money belt, comfortably worn in the back, so I always know where it is.

Pegontheroad

I left my passport and 2 credit cards in the hotel's safe in Heidelberg and didn't remember them until I was 100 miles away. Fortunately I was going to be at a Goethe Institute for a month, but I had them sent to me.

I now usually wear a money belt with my cards and my passport. I feel safer that way.

My sister gave me her passport and credit card to put in my money belt while we were having dinner at a restaurant in Barcelona; a clever thief pretending to be a waiter made off with her purse.

Pegontheroad

Oops, so I had them sent to me.Not "but I had them sent."

nanabee

If you want a back up ID card ypu can get an international drivers license. I believe it can be used as ID and that will allow you to leave passport in a safe place at the hotel.

benformisano

I personally brought mine with me. Keep it in a money belt. You need it for museums and buying luxury items. It's really important to have or at least a photo copy of
www.benformisano.com

greg

The original question was on safety, presuming loss or theft. In which case, leave at hotel safe. However, blind applications of this criteria would rule out many things of value worth pursing in spite of the risk. Is it safer to stay home than traveling to Europe? May be yes, may be no depending on where one lives and where one goes as well as if one has a belief that no risk is worth taking in spite of the benefit even if there is an acceptable fall back.

I think this is the case of the usage model. Those who have had problems not having one would carry one.

Having denied shopping for items, not once, but twice in Spain, having sent back to hotel after being told, "The copy of passport is no good, I need to see a real passport to accept your credit card," I carry one with me when I am likely to buy something that might require an id. It is up to the merchant to decide if a foreign drivers license is acceptable or not in Europe.

Whathello

I prefer not buying something because I am refused my CC than traveling my my papers.
However as an European I have the luxury of having a driving license with photograph plus an ID card with photo and a passport with photo.
I put those in different places.
I have never been pic pocketed but have been handed back my passport or cc several times. There are more correct people than thieves.

Michael

<i>Having denied shopping for items, not once, but twice in Spain, having sent back to hotel after being told, "The copy of passport is no good, I need to see a real passport to accept your credit card," I carry one with me when I am likely to buy something that might require an id. It is up to the merchant to decide if a foreign drivers license is acceptable or not in Europe.</i>

Would American officials or store clerks accept a copy of a photo ID when identification is required? If not, why assume that Europeans would? Once in a foreign country, only the real thing counts for identification purposes.