We are traveling to france and Italy this next week, and I was wondering if any one had any advice as to where to keep our passports and other valubles(cameras,etc) I was think on just putting locks on our suitcases and leaving them in there - possibly locking the suitcase to a piece of functiure while in our hotel. I really don't want to carry about a wallet around my neck - and I have two cameras (one digial, one SLR) so I won't always want to carry them every where we go. I don't think any of our hotels have safes.

Any advice?

I think you'd be very well-advised to consider using some sort of moneybelt...if not around your neck then under the waistband of your trousers. Of course, it depends on where you are..crowded spots in cities such as Metro stations, train stations, flea markets, etc., are often havens for pickpockets and take it from one who knows..they are VERY skilled at diverting your attention while they do their work.
Not sure what to say about your in-room valuables since I usually only stay in places that have safes.
Good kuck to you.

Sorry, that was Good LUCK to you.

This is what I do:

I put 1 credit card, and the cash I feel I will need for the day, in an inside pocket of the small shoulder bag I wear bandolier style. An inside pocket of a jacket would work too. I always carry my camera in my bag.

All other valuables, i.e. passport, other credit/atm cards, railpass, extra cash, etc. go in a money belt. Actually a ?leg stash?, which I find more comfortable.

I don?t worry about:
pickpockets,
light-fingered maids,
are the in room safes, safe? or non-existent?,
will I forget to retrieve items from safe?

No one can be ?aware of their surroundings? 24/7 without a few seconds of inattentiveness, and that?s ALL it takes for a pickpocket. Using a money belt means I don?t have to pay a high price for getting ?lost? in my surroundings.

I agree with elberko, my passport, extra credit cards and moneys are safe in my money belt, which i always have with me, even if my room has a safe in it..I feel more comfortable doing that....The metro in Paris is a heaven for pickpockets and believe they are Good and Fast..

Why carry the camera in your bag? Seems inconvenient at best, especially for a quick shot. Isn't a sturdy round-the-neck strap good enough? It would take more than just being "diverted momentarily" for someone to lift my SLR over my head.

dedlaw: I don't carry my camera in my bag to avoid pickpockets, I just meant I don't leave it in my hotel room.

I have never found a hotel manager weithout a safe of his or her own, and I leave my valuables there.

ben.haines@:btinternet.com

Thanks, elberko. We're on the same wavelength -- under the clothes pouch (worn wherever most comfortable), daypack with nothing irreplaceable, and my wallet (I bring a special one on trips which loops around my belt and then hangs into my front pocket).