Folks. Making a color copy of your US passport or any other official US generated document is ILLEGAL. The reason is that it [or currency or driver's license or whatever] can be mistaken for the real thing. Take a good B&W copy instead.

As an answer to the person who asked about things being stolen from their room, yes, it happens. A friend of mine in Mexico got his plane ticket and money stolen from his suitcase. He had even carefully (he thought) hidden them among his clothing in the luggage. His friend who had a locking suit case and hid his money in the room (behind a picture) lost nothing. I happen to work for a major hotel chain, and most hotels will not take any reponsibility for your belongings, even in the United States. Most have a sign on the door mentioning this to protect them. The cases where I did see a hotel pay out, it was a very large dollar amount loss, (like computers and jewelry) and there was proof that it occured in the hotel. You have to immediately file a police report, and also file an insurance claim to get reimbursed. <BR> <BR>Also, a note about e-mailing your credit card information to yourself... it sounds like good idea, but e-mail isn't always secure, so be cautious about doing this with credit card numbers... <BR>

Your credit card number is of no use to any one if they don't have the expiration date. Send that in a seperate email or just remember it . I love the emailing to yourself idea!! Thanks to Andrea for suggesting it.

I have travelled extensively and here's what we do. We leave our passports locked in the room or hotel safe. We carry only the cash we need, a credit card and a photocopy of our passports in a money belt while sightseeing. We each travel with photocopies of our important documents like credit card, passport, air tickets, confirmation # etc.. and we locked one copy in our bag and one in a room safe if available. This may seem extensive and in my 24 years of world travel I've never had anything important taken but better to be safe than sorry.

My thanks to everyone who responded with a story of something being stolen from their luggage -- <I>locked</I> luggage, I presume -- in a hotel room. <BR> <BR>I used to carry my passport with me at all times but have grown accustomed to leaving it, along with my plane ticket, in my locked luggage. While I'm sure that thefts from locked luggage in hotel rooms are <I>relatively</I> very rare -- especially in European countries -- your stories have caused me to reconsider what I've grown accustomed to.

Always! carry your money,your passport an you. Sometimes with purchases they will ask to see it also in all the luggage keep a photocopy, and men, do not keep your wallet in your back pocket

Jody, Interesting comment: "c.c. number is useless w/o the expiration date." If using it by phone, could'nt the thief/user simply make up a date say, w/i a year or 2, as most cards state? Also, re: the "keep passport in locked luggage" argument, my philosophy is that once it's been stolen/cut out of soft-sided luggage, there's nothing you can do and no one will admit to the theft. Better safe than sorry-- another vote for carrying it in a money belt.

Wherever you leave your original, I suggest making copies of your flight tix and passport and kept separate.

Les, Sure a thief could make up an expiration date, however when sales are keyed into credit card machine the date must be the exact date on the card or the sale is rejected. Who knows they might get lucky though. By the way I use hard sided luggage, better for carrying home breakables and pictures that I want to check thru. I have a wheeled Head bag that I wouldn't give . up for anything. Thats the one I use to lock up my stuff, I believe theres a better chance of losing your valuables on the street than in your room. Maybe not if you stay in hostels but I'm beyond that. <BR>I can't imagine what you would purchase that someone would ask to see your passsport. With credit card purchases they are not allowed by Visa or Master card to ask for any additional information as I recall. At least thats true in US , the card companies themselves tell you not to give your phone or drivers lic. #

I used to think that leaving things in a "locked" suitcase was a fine idea - until a hotel employee showed me how very, very easy it is to pop open those locks. It took him exactly 3 seconds to open my combination lock (I had accidently set the combination to a new number when locking it)and even I can do it now blindfolded. As for the "keyed" locks, it takes even less effort. He told me that a locked case in a room is a big signal - "something of value inside". I now know that any hotel employee could open locked luggage, help themselves and re-lock the case without anyone ever knowing. We had friends who had "just some" -not all, of their money stolen out of a locked case. Not enough to notice at first, just enough so you might think that you hadn't counted correctly or had forgotten an expenditure. The only things I leave locked in luggage now are those things that I could replace or live without but are trying to protect from just being easily picked up, like binaculars or small cameras, cd's, etc.

Never, Never, Never leave your passport in your locked suitcase in your locked hotel room -- it can be stolen. <BR> <BR>Mine was last Sept. from Hotel Bersoly's St. Germain, 28 Rue de Lille, <BR>Paris, France. And this is a smaller hotel with the desk directly opposite the hotel door. It's a "mystery" --per the Manager. <BR> <BR>Fortunately my passport was on me, Not in the suitcase. Replacing lost air tickets cost me $75 but not as serious as losing that passport would have been. <BR> <BR>When we got home, we checked with the Passport Office -- the copies (which were in the suitcase in case of loss) can not be used and there was no need to re-issue our passports.

Judy, We travel to southern France each year. <BR> <BR>I keep my passport with me at all times. I leave a photocopy of it, my TC numbers and airline tickets locked in my hotel room. <BR> <BR>Two years ago I had a long bureaucratic wait to cash some TCs at a bank in St. Remy. By the time I got to the window I obtained ny cash and ran out leaving the passport behind.My hotel proprietor called the local police and sure enough the bank had reported that I had forgotten my passport. Next morning I retrieved it. <BR> <BR>Remember also to never leave passport or anything else in your car. On another thread some poor soul reported having her car broken in to in four separate villages in Provence on the same trip!!!

In my earlier reply, I stated I leave my passport in the hotel safe. I was refering to a safe in my room where you can set your own combination. I think this the best place to leave my valuables. I have had small items and small amounts of cash disappear from my room. Never anything of large value. But I would never trust a locked suitcase and am very uncomfortable about a hotel desk safe. Plus it's very inconvenient. If you do not mind carrying all this stuff in your money belt that's a good place for it. I again emphasize that you should carry your hotel key in your money belt also. But, remember that carrying too many valuables on your person or large amounts of cash puts you at risk for robbery. Don't carry your passport anywhere on your person other than in a secure money belt etc. If you just put it in your pocket,purse etc, you are asking for it to be lost or stolen. It is not safe there. <BR> <BR>Gerry

I should add: You should consider the worst case scenario. If , for example you lose or have your money belt stolen, what will you use for back-up? If everything is in your money belt you could be in serious trouble. <BR>I always have a minimum of copies of my important papers, an extra credit card/cash card and emergency cash in another "safe" place away from my person. I consider this just like having insurance. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. One can never forsee all that might happen. But better safe than sorry. <BR> <BR>Gerry

My husband and I will be traveling in France this summer - Paris and the Southwest. I have purchased a shoulder bag to wear across my body. - The pouch rests across the tummy. Isn't this safe enough?

Having read all sorts of horror stories about pick pockets in Rome here - I was a bit apprehensive when I first arrived. By the 3rd day - after seeing numerous Italian men walking around with "filofax ass" - bulging wallet in back pocket - I put my wallet in my rear pant pocket and had no incident of being pick pocketed. I also kept my ticket and passport locked in my luggage in my room and had no problems.