I usually keep mine in my wallet in my front trouser pocket as I do here at home.

BTW...have you ever seen the look on someone with a purse across the front of their body after that purse has been snatched by someone riding by one a scooter or by someone who sliced the strap with a sharp knife?

I just carry my wallet in my front pocket or jacket pocket as I do at home, but I usually leave extra credit cards at the hotel. I carry my cash in a money clip in the other front pocket. I also leave items I will not need -- membership, library and metro cards etc -- at home. Never needed to take even these simple precautions.

I ALWAYS have my (small) wallet in my front left pocket, save rare occasions when it gets zipped into a jacket pocket. First off, sitting on a wallet puts your pelvis off kilter, then your back.

When on the road I often switch to an even smaller version of my wallet: barely bigger than the cards themselves, holds DL and a couple of cards and bus cards, and falls way down to the bottom of a pants pocket where it's hard to find. Also is so slim that it's not very visible in the pocket, so any pickpocket would first have to figure out where it is. (That said, pros will often see you take out your wallet in a shop, etc, and then just follow a ways before making the pinch, knowing exactly where to pinch. Ouch.)

When out for the day traveling abroad I DO use a "looped onto the belt, then flipped over the waistband inside the trousers" flat zipper pouch for extra cash if I'm going to need it or for passport (or copy) and possibly one of the cards, just in case. As wise advisors above have mentioned, leave everything you won't need at home, and take enough care that you won't have the hassle of replacing things you really need.

I also advise keeping a decent amount of case folded in a pocket so you just don't have to get out the wallet so often. Put it away and leave it alone!

I usually wear jeans and I carry my wallet in my front pocket. I have a difficult time getting it out, so I know a PP would be really tough.

Plus, I'm over 6' tall, weigh 200 lbs, have a big moustache and look half crazy, so I don't think many people want to play games. I also have "the look", kind of the "Clint Eastwood Squint" which scares my college students.

:-)

dave

Shifting a wallet from back to front pockets all of the time sounds like a pain.

I keep my passport, cash, and credit cards in my neck wallet. I've never worried about security and have never been a victim.

The question that jumps out at me from the original post is why are you each taking a complete set of cards? I can see taking maybe a Visa and an MC, in the event something went wrong with one account, but taking extra cards just adds to the hassle. And for the record, he's not nuts. He correctly figures he's never been robbed using the wallet in pants method in the 99.99% of the time he hasn't been traveling, so it's quite reasonable he won't be robbed on vacation, either.

My boyfriend kept his small wallet in his front pocket, and when we were in crowded places, like the bus or Naples train station, he flipped the wallet and pocket backward, so that it was folded over on itself inside the pocket. Seemed like a neat trick.

In my purse, right behind the coin compartment, like everybody.

One or of warning about those magnetic money clips. I use one all the time to keep my cash in my front pocket. Never have had an incident. One trip I had a brillient idea; I would just tuck my credit card in the money holder so it would be handy.

Of course, the magnet erased the information on the magnetic strip on the credit card. I still use the money clip, because it is so handy, but I carry my credit card in another pocket.

:-)

My husband has a small wallet-money clip that he carries in his front pocket too - at home or away.

To minimize damage if we are pickpocketted or purse-snatched, we each took an ATM card for seperate accounts, a credit card for the account we wanted to charge things to, and then we each had a back up card (different accounts). Back up cards in hidden pocket or hotel safe. When we got cash, we took out the max daily limit to minimize fees and each carried half.

If his wallet or my purse was stolen, we would still have access to cash and credit until the cards were replaced - we would be able to continue enjoying our trip with minimal loss or hassle.

J, you sound like intelligent people.

I'm not saying where I keep mine. For all we know, Jen57 might be a pickpocket conducting research.

It seems to me that using a back pocket or carrying high-value stuff in a bag is a very bad idea.

Thanks all for your input, it's most appreciated! We've been over to Italy just once and France several of times in the past with no problems. Except being, once on the Metro in Paris. We were dressed up and going to dinner and had to stand and hold onto to the railing as all the seats had been taken. We were facing each other and I see this guy's hand slide right under my husbands sportscoat! I grabbed his hand and just started yelling at him and then some local Parisians realized what had happened and tore into this scumbag as well. I know it's mostly common sense, pickpockets can happen anywhere. In all of our past travels, I'm usually the banker and am charge of the cards, passports, etc. Just looking over the new bag I purchased for this trip, there's so many zippers and compartments, anybody including myself will have a field day getting into it! As far as the husband goes, he plans on wearing shorts during the day which have zippers or velcro. Guess he'll just carry some Euro shoved in his zippered front pocket & I'll take care of the rest. The wallet with the magnetic money holder is being returned! Thanks all of you again~ P.S. Padraig, sorry but I'm not pickpocket conducting any research, how ridiculous!!! I'm just a traveler like you looking to have a safe and good time is all!

I always carry my wallet, including cards in my front pants pocket. I used to put a wide rubber band around it which makes it almost impossible for someone to get out of the pocket -- but that included me and was such a pain, I stopped doing that.

<<sorry but I'm not pickpocket conducting any research, how ridiculous!!! >>

The first line of defense is entrenched denial. ;)

My beau keeps all his cards in his wallet. If wearing a jacket it's in the inside breast pocket. If not, in the front pants pocket.

daveesl,

Don't get too cocky. I pretty much fit your physical description, including the squinty look at high school students. That did not stop a team of pickpockets from going after me in Madrid. You have to remember that it is not one-on-one open combat. It's sniper and snatch. You don't know that anything happened until hours later when you look to see what time it is or reach for the wallet. I did survive the Madrid attack but only because of two things that happened earlier and fortunately had me on high alert.

Seriously tho...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF97-XVLc-w

<i>For all we know, Jen57 might be a pickpocket conducting research.</i>

and/or writing a book titled &quot;Pickpocketing 101.&quot;

bardo1, love it!!! Again everyone, thanks for your advice and input. Also to a couple of you, thanks for the good laughs, I need it!