vega8

It seems a wonderful trip, but really two persons do not make one traveler, it makes two travelers, and two can help each other remembering or schedueling. So my adivice would be to be independent about ID, money, tickets, etc. Where to keep it, is the other issue. I normaly share money between several bags in case one is stolen, or lost, you can also forget your belt- now that in "security" moments like airports they ask you to take them off. My ideal would be a lateral little bag that will not disturb from running, dancing, whatever. And have a great time.

kp

Removing a money belt at an airport security check??? Money belts have no metal, why would you need to remove it?
I always wear one while "in transit" and have never been asked to remove it.

Travelnut

You don't remove your moneybelt / leg safe / whatever, when going thru the security points.

janisj

I have never worn my money belt in an airport. I figure an airport is about the safest place you could be. Well, almost. Anyway - I just use my handbag and regular security wallet through security and on to the plane. I usually put it on after arriving at my destination - depending on the type of transport I'm using in my arrival city.

Pegontheroad

I wear a money belt whenever I travel. My sister had given me her credit card and passport to put in my money belt before we went to a restaurant in La Boquería in Barcelona. We were enjoying dinner when a very slick thief made off with her purse. Luckily she had nothing in the purse except a $500 camera.

My wallet was either lost or stolen in eastern Europe, but all it contained was my driver's license, as everything important was in my money belt.

You will go to Europe ten times and have no problem at all. The eleventh time you might not be so lucky.

mercy

The Moeny-belt question has been thouroughly discussed on many threads. I ,frankly, do not see why some people are so adverse to wearing one. I've worn one for up to six weeks while traveling and after the first few days, don't even know I'm wearing one. I take it off at night, of course and usually stuff it in the shoes that I will be putting on in the morning--so I'd probably never forget it.

Several of the scams mention above, I have seen, or once my husband was "almost" the victim of the guy kneeling in front of you picking up something while his friend went for your pockets. It does happen. On another thread, above, a woman mentions her camera snatched from her hands by a guy on a bike. I could also mention the name of a friend who had her purse snatched in a similar incident--she was holding it tightly under her arm--but not tight enough.

I think people need to decide which is the better thing to do: hate to wear a $$ belt but wear it anyway, just in case; or take a chance, don't wear one and see if you win the "lottery!"

In my opinion, the advice on this thread is good--those with critical judgement will probably take heed. Ciao!!mhm

CarolA

As someone who was chaperoning a tour where $10,000 in Traveler's Checks were "lost" I STRONGLY recommend a money belt.

Yes, we eventually got all the stuff back but do you REALLY want to spend a full day of your vacation dealing with the mess. (We spent about a day and a half in London getting the person who lost the stuff her new passport and getting replacement traveler's checks. And the credit card never really got replaced, we just used mine!)

I don't know if it was pickpocketed or just Lost, but either way......

If I lose my cash/etc in Greensboro, NC (where I am today) I have a lot more options then in London. (Having lost my purse, I can tell you the process was not near as painful as the mess in London. It's a lot easier to call BOA from Greensboro then London LOL!)

After that mess, I will ALWAYS wear one with passport, debit card and "large" bills!

CarolA

Also, "I figure the airport is about the safest place you can be"

WHY??? The story above... it appears the stuff was "lost" at Heathrow.

Thieves KNOW you are disoriented, tired and "bleeding cash" LOL! THey go where the pickin's are easy!

hanl

Agree with CarolA that airports (just like train stations) are often favourite haunts for thieves and pickpockets, as people are distracted and often struggling with baggage. There are loads of people coming and going, often disoriented or in a hurry.
I thought I'd had a bag stolen at CdG airport a few years ago (turned out it had dropped off my trolley and I managed to retrieve it before anything happened to it). However, before I found my bag again, I went to report it, and was told by the woman at the information desk that it happened all the time, there were many thieves operating in the airport and to be more careful in the future!!

Luisah

"I have never worn my money belt in an airport. I figure an airport is about the safest place you could be."

That's where I'm the most tired and distracted: long check-in, security, passport, baggage claim lines, being crowded and jostled. Dealing with tickets, baggage, pasports, etc. Rushing to make connecting flights, tired from a long international flight or excited about getting onto one. The belt at this point is more to protect myself from dropping something or leaving it behind than from theft.

I keep the money belt on when leaving the U.S. and returning and have never been asked to remove it going through security.

johnthedorf

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2764537...hoto1181998863

I'm off to Spain in two weeks and this is how I carry my valuables/Passport etc. My Vietnamese tailor in Seattle made these for me. Very easy to make from trouser scraps. Measure twice/cut once.

janisj

OK - to clarify - I don't wear my money belt through my <u>departure airport</u>. Don't know about you but at the beginning of a trip I am pretty much on top of my game. I have also seen folks have to remove their money belts in the screening line. Either because there was something metal in it or perhaps because it was so bulky it called attention (don't know the details but I've seen it at least 6 or 7 times).

As I tried to explain - I put my money belt on at my destination. That would either be when freshening up just before landing, or in the restroom at arrivals, or sometimes after getting to my hotel. I would NOT wear one through departure security screening - but that is just me.

Mimar

The people who have been to Europe hundreds of time and never been pickpocketed. Well, that's wonderful, but not necessarily because you're so city-savvy. Maybe it's just luck. Now if everybody who'd been to Europe had never been pickpocketed, that's an argument against moneybelts.

Abroad the traveler is jet-lagged, lost, in a place where a foreign language is spoken. Just looking at a map identifies you as ripe for the plucking.

A moneybelt for each of you is just a form of insurance. Does your husband follow you into the restroom? Do you follow him? You're necessarily going to be separated some times. And I think it's desireable to take some alone time while on a long trip together.

JN

When I'm in a country, I use a moneybelt for my passport, credit cards and cash beyond about $50 worth or so. The cash I carry goes in the zippered &quot;hidden&quot; breast pockets on the shirts I wear--Travelsmith products.

Travelsmith zippered shirt pockets are extra deep and good for storing plane boarding passes/tickets, passports etc. when going through airports, too.

DickM

At the beginning of one of our trips to Italy we met an American couple who were pickpocketed in Rome. He had his billfold in his front pocket but lost it while distracted by a couple trying to get their baby stroller on a train. Another couple we met in Naples had their taken on the metro. Both couples claimed to be seasoned travelers. We always use money belts

Bloom

johnthedorf- nifty!

Bloom

tuscanlifeedit

johnthedorf: I am going to make some of those! Even I could fit that under my clothing. Very clever.

oakglen

Orvis and Travelsmith have great spotcoats, pants etc that have zippered security pockets. Wife uses a similar vest with multiple security pockets, These have worked well for us. Please note; European police, like most US city police, do not prosecute pickpockets or purse thieves. Your complaints go to the &quot;circular file&quot;.

J_Correa

tuscanlifeedit - I am short too, and a little thicker then I would like to be - LOL. Money belts do not work for me either because I am just too short. There just isn't enough distance between my waist and my lap (or rear, depending on how I try to wear the thing) so that I could sit anywhere with a moneybelt on and not have it bunch up, pop out, and so forth. Neck pouches work ok for winter travel - wear it bandolier style so the pouch is at my side - but for summer it doesn't work because the cord is always visible and sometimes you can see the pouch itself.

So - I go old school. I have a small fabric sleeve with a velcro closure - big enough for a passport, a couple cards, and some cash. It is smaller than a money belt and MUCH less bulky. I attach it to the inside of my clothing with a couple safety pins. That way, I can put it anywhere that makes sense.

My husband has a pouch that attaches to his belt with a loop and then slips inside his pants, right behind his front pocket. It is also just big enough for a passport, a few cards, and some cash.

janisj

What I use (and I am probably shorter than any of you ) is sort of like J_Correa's and her husband's pouches.

I formerly used a traditional around-the-waist money belt w/ the pouch in the small of my back. J_Correa's husband's version would be my choice - but I just don't wear belt loops/belts all that often. So I use the around the neck type that is on a long cord w/ a toggle. Only I don't put it around my neck - I put it around my waist and use the toggle for a snug fit. It ends up being a &quot;pocket&quot; that I can site anywhere around my waist depending on what I'm wearing - often just behind a front pocket.

J_Correa safety pins her's in place and I use the cord to do the same thing.