Passports and children in Paris
 

We have had lot's of mixed answers on this topic and hopefully someone that has "been there, done that" can give advice. Or anyone that has knowledge that will help us...<BR>Wear should you keep your childrens original passport. With Parents? on them? At your Hotel? Keep copies on them?<BR>Our last trip to Paris (just parents) we kept our original passport on us and kept copies at home and at the Hotel. Was this the proper procedure?<BR>mike

Mike, I don't know how old your kids are but I can't see any reason for letting them hold onto their own passports. When we travel as a family I hold onto ALL the passports, including my husband's, and the airline tickets. Keeping a copy of passports and tickets in the hotel room and at home is also a good idea.<BR><BR>Whenever we needed to present the passports (only at hotels and the airport) I liked the comfort of being able to pull out the packet from my backpack and knowing all four passports were in there.

Mike, I was pondering your question and maybe you think the kids should hold onto their passports in the event your kids get lost from you? I had this worry too and got my kids (ages 7 and 8) ID bracelets before we went to Europe last summer. They had their full names and address engraved on the inside. Gave me a little piece of mind.

We traveled with a couple last year who kept their 5-year old's passport on the safe along with theirs. They took a copy with them during the day. And they gave the little one a copy of his own, mainly because he wanted to "carry his own passport in his own backback".

Thanks for the useful info.<BR>mike

We always make several copies of passport - the kids carry copies, we carry originals (ages 11 and 15). My husband carries his own and a copy of mine, I do the same with his. We also make sure each kid has a copy of our itinerary/hotel name in case we get separated. My son went to Italy with a school group when he was 13 and they all carried their own passports with the chaperone carrying copies.

When I have gone with the Association of Franco-American Classes - - www.afac.org - - the passports have all been kept together for the fifth-graders who went, even though each is apart (in the individual homes of their host families) every night for the three weeks that we are there.<BR><BR>I prepared laminated copies for the parents back home, the host families, the kids and myself - - and so far, never needed any of those copies, that I am aware of.<BR><BR>Belts AND suspenders, duplicated, even!<BR><BR>Maybe that kept away the evil spirits!<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>