Your wallet is in your BACKPACK? I'm stymied here. You're all pouched up with stuff tucked into here and there under layers and your wallet is in your BACKPACK?

And if you don't use the money or credit cards in the pouches to pay for anything, what DO you do with them?

Seriously, this is very confusing to me.

From the responses in this thread, obviously different people have different preferences as to how to carry his/her money and CCs etc. I think we should do whichever way is most comfortable and comforting to us. To each his/her own.

I know that I can never be on guard and alert every single second when I'm traveling; esp at the end of a 10-hr sightseeing day. For my own peace of mind, I like to know that my money is safely stored in my own "system".

I always carry 2 ATM cards and 2 CC with me when I go to Europe, in case one gets rejected or "eaten" by machines. It has never happened but better safe than sorry. I don't put all the ATM cards and CCs in the same wallet. I separate them so in case my wallet gets stolen (which also has never happened), I still have access to cash.

When my nephew, some years ago, started his first trip around the world, never having been abroad at all, carried everything in his back pack and Heathrow was his first landing and he never even made it out of the airport before his passport got stolen. LOL Lesson learned.

Me? I'm like St. Cirq, carry the same purse in Europe I carry here, with everthing I need in it. I don't carry a lot of cash but always have some.

I also want to add, I am by no means saying it could never happen to me.

St. CIrq -- it really isn't all that confusing. We don't like leaving our valuables in a hotel room that doesn't contain a safe. If there is a safe, we will put our passports, extra credit cares, cash, etc. away). I always travel with a backpack, mainly because I travel with my family, which includes a husband and two kids. I am always the one who has to carry the cameras, the snacks, water bottles, maps, books, sunglasses, etc. The wallet that I carry in one of the many hidden pockets is a taxi wallet, which to some doesn't even qualify as a wallet. All I carry in it is about $100 in cash, an ATM card and one credit card. It really works well with us, and I never feel like I'm a walking target. I also use my pockets to keep some small amounts of cash, so if I need to buy a soda or an ice cream, I don't have to pull anything out.

I'm not about to say I will never be pickpocketed or become a victim of crime, but I am very careful of my surroundings. I grew up in NYC and learned from a very young age how to be "street smart." Starting when I was 13 I travelled by bus and subway to high school, a 1-1/2 hour commute each way. You learn quickly how to stay alert and avoid trouble.

I'm not saying it could never happen to me, either, but in something like 150 trips to Europe the closest I've come to being pickpocketed was on a subway, coming from a huge parking lot outside Rome into Rome, in a massive crush of people, and a woman near me yelled out in Italian for me to watch my purse, and sure enough there was a young guy who looked like he might have been about to handle my purse in some way or other. He vanished into the ether and I lost nothing. I might have, sure, but imagine if my wallet had been in my BACKPACK.

Only place I've ever been mugged was on Connecticut Avenue, NW, in DC, years ago in broad daylight. I had everything valuable I had on me in a backpack. That was stupid.

"I wear a fanny pack in front of me and I keep my fist cocked."

LOL, cold

Reading some of our posts you'd wonder why people go on vacation at all!

I don't carry my normal purse but that's mainly because it would make my shoulder whine and cry before too long. When traveling, I carry a medium sized messenger bag with a zipper top and zipper pockets throughout. It's big enough for convenience, but the main opening is against my body and towards my front. It's easy to carry and fit souveniers/lunch into without being bulky like a backpack.

When I last used it overseas, I kept my passport and daily money in the zipper part that was right in front of my hip, and my purchases could go in the main part. If I was in a tight space, I could pull it in front of me to both take up less space and be safer. It sits just above my hip so my hand is usually on the strap with my arm along the top. The only way for anyone else to get something out of that bag is to either cut it open, or yank the strap off of me.

I never dink with money belts or the "around the neck" pouches, mainly because they drive me batty. I keep emails with my credit card and passport email in an account I can easily access if needed and don't put all of my money in one place.

If you're still reading this travellingmom, my suggestion is to go with what you're comfortable with and don't put everything in one place. Don't keep huge amount of cash that you're getting into every time you make a purchase, only keep a "daily use" amount that is visible when you're making purchases, hide the rest. If you start to run low in your wallet, simply use one of your bathroom stops to pull out more cash without revealing where the stash is.

As I just came back from London and was robbed on the underground, I say be careful of very packed places. I made the mistake of getting some pounds out of an ATM near the underground and was followed. As there was 4 of us, I was feeling very secure...until we got to the hotel and discoverd my wallet was missing. So, yes be weary of cramed spaces and keep small amounts of cash. It does happen out there. But don't let that stop you from traveling...I love to travel and have been flying to Europe for many years and this was a first.

In regard to "pickpockets" I have been in the metro in Paris when a voice announced over the speaker system first in French and then in English to "beware - there are pickpockets in the area". Also I have been with a group and a guide. Our guide told us she would say "there are angels all around" when she saw known pickpockets. This was in Rome. I have also known of thefts in New York. When in Naples I witnessed a purse snatching and a man who lept in between the cab driver and his fare and snatched the money. A theft can occur anywhere and I do usually wear a money belt and carry my small handbag with a little money, guide book, etc. Just be aware of what is going on around you and if possible don't carry all your money on your person. If you must, then an inside secure pocket or a "money belt" is a good idea.

I have learned so much from all these posts. Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to add your thoughts. As a novice traveler, I would not have thought to email myself a scanned- in passport or my credit/debit card account and phone numbers. I appreciate the message of many of the posts to be careful, alert, organized but not paranoid. As I'll have my 8 year old daughter with me I am apt to be a bit distracted keeping track of her so keeping my money/cards organized and having a simple system that I keep close will work best. I appreciate the comments of using a purse/bag that is comfortable and that I am familiar with also are very helpful. I hate to admit this but I am often found at the grocery store with my wallet dropped into the bottom of my basket which I have been known to walk away from to gather items around me. I KNOW this isn't an acceptable way to travel which brought me to posting this question. I am planning on a fun, safe trip!

I often wonder why women who leave their purses and wallets in the grocery cart don't use a neck pouch for a wallet and just loop it around your neck while you put your purse in the trunk of your car?
At least get one of those wallets that are meant to loop around your wrist.

It worries me when I see purses in grocery carts, it would only take a moment...

Okay sorry to scold but now that I'm through with that getting a money belt would be a great idea for you to keep your passport, an extra card and money in.

But like others say a healthy dose of paranoia keeps you safe.

It sounds like you are not a person who is always aware of her surroundings -- and you are not the only one. If you get distracted in the grocery store, you will surely get distracted in Paris. Wear a money belt and go out and enjoy the sights without worrying about pickpockets. Carry a small amount of cash in your purse so you won't be wiped out if you lose that.

Have a great time in Paris.

www.tilley.com for great travel clothing. 'Pity the poor pickpockets' used to be their motto.

I do wear an eleastic money belt with a pouch attached to it with 2 zippers for passport and money. Then I carry a humongous handbag with all kinds of junk in it and even hanging out of it.

At the D'Orsay in Paris, a museum guard came over to warn me that my bag was open and there were pickpockets...I explained it was alright, I just had museum pamphlets sticking out of the bag.

At L'Orangerie in front of the Rodin statue, a man approached me speaking French maybe, or maybe not, with the game " the gold ring, did I lose it? - before he could go into his spiel
I told him " non, non, no." He changed his mind and asked me for a cigarette which I gave him and he left. Another young girl approached me with the same gold ring bit, she definitely looked to be the gypsy, near the Concord. Had I not been warned by Fodor's people I might have fallen victim to these pickpocket games.

But worst for reputation of pickpocketing are Rome and Barcelona where a definitely gypsy man walked up and down the cue openly surveying who would be a good victim...Rome has a large gypsy population and I was warned by the hotelier that a girl on the subway the day before had fought off a gypsy girl with her hand in the girl's purse...so the gypsy girl took her umbralla and stuck it in the girl's eye and killed her. An extreme example but dont be lulled into security by the well traveled Fodorites who are more experienced or aware.
You are not.

Just an aside - my grandmother came to America I guess around 1896/1900 from Europe. There must have been plenty of gypsies and/or pickpockets around even then because she never lost the habit of pinning her change purse to the inside of her bra - even 70 years later and even though we lived in a small country town where no one even locked their doors :)

;my waist safe is much thinner than this-no bulk- with 2 zippers one for passport and one for cahs , and actually I wear it in the back of my waist where it doesn't show under slacks, jeans or skirt. I got mine at Tuesday Mornings if there's one near you, otherwise here's a photo of what they have at Amazon's:

http://www.amazon.com/Waist-Safe-by-.../dp/B0002V9OYK

you should not carry your passport -leave it in the safe at the hotel; but you should carry in a safe place a copy of your passport;from a man's pespective, I wear either a neck wallet or a money belt that contains a small amount of cash, a credit card and any other passes required
like a museum pass or transit card. You need something like that-maybe you should adapt to slacks for a good portion of your trip. And try not to be very conspicuous with a lot of jewelry, fancy watches, or a large camera. A pocket size digital does very well for most people. The trick is to blend in as much as possible.

Pickpockets are rife in europe and S.A. at major crowded tourist spots like the long lines into the louvre ( agoo reosn for a museum pass), metro's, scenic walks like the ramblas in barcelona and the flea market in madrid, etc. Beware of one person approach you and attempting to distract you i some manner-brushing into you, dropping a paper in front of you, while another walks off with yur prized possessions.

My husband got pick-pocketed in a Rome subway, he got a little too comfortable... had a money belt but put it in his front pocket instead of where it belonged. Luckily he had very little cash, unluckily he had his passport in it. He never thought it would happen to him, he's a 5'3" former Marine. He knew when it happened, after the fact.

Shamelss self-promotion
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php...ng_id=31348415

I've never worn a moneybelt or neck wallet in all the times I've been to Europe, Asia and Africa.

A wallet in your pocket, zippered preferable, and with whatever amount of cash you have withdrawn from the ATM. I've also tended to have a small amount of cash sitting in my pocket, that I use for lunch, admissions,etc..

I would never qualify Paris as "rife" with pickpockets.

Whoops, he's 6'3", not 5'3"

For those ladies that have their purse in a shopping cart. Put the child seat belt through the handles of your purse. This can help keep someone from grabbing it easily. It takes me forever to undo the seat belt clasp but suppose someone else could do it quickly. Don't turn your back on your purse while shopping. It just takes a second and your purse is gone.