CIB

We will be at the beach in August in Greece. Do you carry your original passport with you all of the time? If so, what do you do with it when you are swimming at the beach? I can't imagine leaving a bag unattended with some money and passports while you swim.

zeppole

I leave it in my hotel room safe when I'm traveling, and if my room doesn't have a safe, I leave it with the hotel desk, not just when I swim, but for the duration of my stay. The hotel desk usually gives me the use of a safe deposit box, and gives me the key. Were I to go swimming, I would pin the key to my suit.

bob56

I am sure there are stories but is it that common that people break into hotel rooms and go through luggage looking for passports and other valuables? I suppose the biggest threat is from off-duty staff with room keys.

And don't some countries require you to have a passport with you at all times? And then there are those hotles that hold on to your passport until you check out. Is that ever a problem?

Sominex

You can buy a waterproof container that will fit your passport, money and small jewellry. It's on a rope that fits around your neck and floats while you in the water. I used my for years now...at least my husband wears it in the water.
They come in many colours.
J

cathies

For goodness sake, give the passports to the hotel staff or lock them in your hotel safe. Take enough cash for an ice cream or whatever you will want for those few hours. We took a photocopy of the photograph page of each passport and carried them with us. I can't imagine anything more irritating than swimming with a little bag floating around in the water beside me. And we wonder if we look like tourists - please!!

Hans

I fully agree with cathies, leave the passport and anything which would be a real pain to replace in the hotel.

As for the requirement to carry a passport all the time, I come from Germany where we have such a law. But:
a) in 38 years I was asked exactly once by the police for my ID (beside crossing the border)
b) in nearly all cases but crossing a border a different photo ID is also okay, as for example a driver license. Take your US driver license, it’ll be disruptive to your vacation if it’s lost
c) even if the police asks for an ID and isn’t satisfied with a driver license (plus your American accent on a beach with a lot of other tourists who also haven’t got a passport with them), what could happen? I don’t know for Greece, but in Germany it’s a misdemeanor carrying a fine of 10 Euro or so, provided that you somehow get the police officers so upset that they actually care to do the paperwork.

adeben

The theft of passports from hotel rooms is certainly not 'common', judging by posts on this and other travel forums. I travel in Europe for two months each year, and, over the past twenty years, have stayed in innumerable hotels, and have not lost ANYTHING to theft. I realize that that does not mean that passport theft from hotel rooms does not occur; just that I have not experienced it despite always leaving my passport in my luggage in my hotel room.
I have asked several times in the past to no avail, but I'll try again: Has any poster ever had their passport stolen in their absence from their room in a European hotel? I'd really like to hear from someone to whom this has actually happened, and the circumstances.

traveller1959

cathies gave the right answer.

In some countries, it is mandatory to leave the passport at the hotel desk.

Take a photocopy of your passport with you but not the original. Take also your ID with you (as a backup for the passport). There are very few situations when you really need the original and usually you can substitute the passport by an another ID (e.g. drivers license).

Do not leave passport or other valuables
- in your hotel room (except in a safe)
- in your car
- unattended on the beach (even if that means that always one of your traveling party has to stay on the beach while the other is swimming)

CIB

Thanks. I never thought of a waterproof pouch. I think I'll order one from Magellans.
I'm one of those who doesn't like the idea of not being in possession of my passport.

We recently had a personal incident where a visitor from China had his bag (which was left in a car) stolen in the US and it was a NIGHTMARE getting it replaced. It took over a week of trips to the Consulate before he could travel home.

zeppole

"In some countries, it is mandatory to leave the passport at the hotel desk."

Hotels that require your passport may only keep it for as long as they need it to fill out paperwork.

I prefer to keep my passport in a room safe only because I worry it might get mislaid if not retrieved from the desk. However, when I stay in places without a room safe, I do ask the desk to hold it for me and, like I said, they provide me with a safe deposit box and I keep the key.

bdjtbenson

First choice, hotel room safe.

Second choice, hotel desk safe.

Third choice, with luggage in bus or train station locker if you aren't in a hotel.

Fourth choice, with luggage in your room, still safer than having it on the beach.

Fifth Choice, in zip lock bag tucked inside second zip lock bag on your person.

Sixth choice, take turns with a TRUSTED friend watching each other's stuff on the beach.

Never ever, leave your passport, ATM card, Credit card or other valuable/hard to replace items sitting unattended on the beach.

suze

You say "we" so I assume you are at least 2 people. Just go swimming one at a time. Have one person watch the beach bag/basket with your stuff.

Proenza_Preschooler

What planet do some of you live on?

Let the front desk hold your passport for you if you are too afraid (I can't imagine why) to leave it in your room safe. (Or if you don't have a room safe.)

I travel all over the globe--from China to Sri Lanka to Argentina to Paris to Nepal--and I do NOT carry my passport around with me.

I think there are a lot inexperienced travellers posting on this forum.

Thingorjus

suze

I would never go into the ocean with my passport in a pouch. What if it falls off, gets wet, or whatever.

Pretty much anyplace (as mentioned above) would be safer imo.

annesherrod

I usually keep that and my wallet rolled up in the "dirty" laundry bag inside my suitcase.

Who would go through that!?!?

StCirq

Float around in the ocean with a plastic baggie trailing around me? - thanks, I'd rather die. Imagine if everyone at the beach did that - now there's a howler of an image!

Leave it at the hotel desk

CIB

I am from planet earth Proenza_Preschooler. Thank you for asking.

I may be an inexperienced traveler, but I was under the impression this board was for obtaining information and ideas from the more experienced travelers (which I will hopefully be with every passing year).

It will be me and my husband, but how much fun is it watching someone play in the water while you sit on the shore?

Thanks for the replies.

ahc

Yeah, I would think you're more likely to lose your passport if you always carry it around, or go swimming in the ocean with it around your neck than if you just leave it at the hotel.
I wouldn't worry about it, unless you do something illegal a cop isn't going to out of the blue ask to see your passport.

Mathieu

I'm with Annesherrod. I hide mine and any excess cash somewhere in my suitcase (lots of hidden zippered pockets), and just carry a pc of the photo page (sometimes not even that) and enough cash for the day or hour. Its unlikely they'd rifle for any length of time looking for my pp, and in my case unlikely that they'd find it, short of running away with my suitcase !

Proenza_Preschooler

CIB, don't get mad. I wasn't referring to you, I was referring to the posters who stated that you should carry your passport with you at all times. THAT IS DAFT!

Thin