Money belt vs. day pack?

Hi Jill, you can find lots of information by searching for "money belt" in the Search box. This topic has been discussed in great detail. You can purchase these items on the Rick Steve's Shop, Amazon, or your local outdoor store (REI, EMS, etc).

Most seasoned travelers recommend you both use money belts and split up your valuables. It's best to use the money belts for deep storage where you wouldn't access the money in public. Use the daypack or cross-body bag to hold money that you use during the day for lunches, shopping, etc.

Have fun in France. An entire month - so fun!

A money belt is not a purse; it is a body safe to be worn when you have lots of valuables e.g. on the way into town from the airport when you are carrying passports, cash, credit cards etc. It is not to be fished in while out and about. I never use them around town, although I did in Russia when I thought it prudent to be carrying our passports since I had little experience of Russia.

The best way to carry valuables is to not carry valuables except the amount of money and one card that you might use during the day. You then carry that in an inner hidden pocket in clothing (not the front pocket which is easy for pickpockets) or in a cross body purse that is under your control in crowds. Those neck wallets worn under clothes are visible but could be useful for the day's money and ID and some prefer them. I have this image of someone grabbing the cord and they make me nervous -- but I think that is me and not a great risk. I always find them uncomfortable but many love them.

A day pack or messenger bag is great for guide books, water bottles, a sweater etc. My husband and I have messenger bags we carry on the plane with computer, camera etc etc When we are traveling locally and need a bag (generally only on a day trips) one of us carries one of the bags with our stuff and we trade off. I have found travel to be a lot more pleasant since I discovered how easily I can get by without a bag for most local travel. Check out Scottevest.com, Magellan or Travelsmith for clothing with hidden pockets -- and even those bog standard travel shirts from REI etc have a hidden zipped pocket behind the front pocket which is great in warmer weather for a little cash and a credit card. Things like tissues and lip gloss can just go in ordinary pants pockets. A messenger bag, especially if worn by the woman, reads more like a purse when entering a museum than like a back pack -- especially with heightened security back packs are often required to be checked. If you use one and it is not stuffed full, wear it on one shoulder like a purse sort of under the arm and it may pass. Again this works better for women who are expected to have purses.

Depends on what you mean by a daypack. The key is to have a secure way to keep your important documents like passport, money and credit/debit cards (I also consider phone to be on that list). There are many ways to do that. A waist money belt is a popular one, but many don't like them and they are not convenient to access (since you will actually need that money and those cards). A neck pouch that tucks under the shirt around your neck is a good one that allows you access merely by pulling it out from under your shirt. Women can carry a secure travel purse (secure meaning it is nearly impossible for a thief to get inside without you knowing). SafePac is a good resource. But that should only be an option if you are not the type to sling your purse over the back of a chair or the type to forget and leave the zippers and locks undone. I personally carry a belt loop wallet that can't be removed but hangs by my side and can also carry my phone (while visible, it folds over and has several layers of zippers and Velcro to make it nearly impossible for a thief to get in without me knowing). Some wear jackets or shirts with inner zippered pockets that are fairly secure, but that isn't much of an option in summer. A daybag, if it can be securely closed, can also be a good option - but again - you must not be the type to set it down or sling it over a chair. It has to stay on your body the entire time you are out and about.

Wallets in any pants pocket is not secure and can easily be picked. A regular purse is not secure as the zipper or clasp can be easily opened. A daybag with just a zipper or clasp is not secure. Understand that pick pockets work on distraction and stealth, and usually in teams. Vigilance and awareness are not very effective measures. And while smaller towns are not likely to be major centers for pick pockets, pick a good system that works for you and just use it all the time.

Day packs are fine for hauling around stuff you'll use during the day -- and stuff that wont ruin the trip if it is lost or stolen. But there isn't any substitute (imho) for a money belt (or similar item) for deep storage from the standpoint of safety and peace of mind.

Jill, go to the menu on the left of this page and click on Travel Tips, then select Theft and Scams. There you will find Rick's guidance on money belts and why you should keep the the important things there. But what do you mean by valuables? Passports, credit cards and cash reserves - things you don't need to use during the day, should be in deep storage , that is a money belt. A day pack is for your rain jacket, water bottle, candy bar, and guide book, not for valuables. Many people don't use the money belts or have another way of protecting those important things.

I travel solo, but if I had a partner with me I would still feel most comfortable if we both wore belt-loop pouches inside our jeans--debit card, spare credit card and excess cash go in there, and this trip I'll add my passport. The only things readily accessible--and are in a small wallet/pouch that gets pinned securely at the bottom of my deep crossbody bag--are a credit card and cash for the day. My pouch is by Eagle Creek and I bought it on Amazon.

My crossbody holds things I'll need for a day out and about--camera, phone, various sundries, guide book and map, perhaps a light sweater and a snack. It's just a regular leather purse I would carry at home, not a special travel brand.

Hi,

That depends on you as a matter of preference, comfort, necessity, etc. I use some variation of the money belt in Europe and France, ie the neck pouch and/or the hidden pocket, at least one of them, sometimes both.

I don't use a day pack at all, don't like it, don't need it, even on a day trip by train r/t., say Paris to Bayeux, or Berlin to Halle.

The money belt is for things you can not live without (credit cards/ money/ passport) and a daypack is for things you could live without if it was stolen!

We generally wear our money belts all the time because we keep a lot of money on us. In big cities I also tie up our day pack with produce ties holding the zipper (yep don't even want to look like a possible victim) but don't do that for villages. Still, be aware of potential pick pockets.

There is also an excellent packing video on youtube by one of the RS guides (Sarah Murdoch) that shows exactly what to put in a daypack. It also has great advice on packing light.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnbTgfimiCs

I have done three road trips in France plus a couple of two week stays in Paris. The first trip I used money belt, the other trips I didn't. I've used a Safepak, but the last trips to Paris I just used a cross body bag. I think the best suggestion is to use what you are comfortable with. I like a cross body bag because it is easy to keep close. A day pack slung behind my shoulder would seem like a target for pick pockets to me. My cross body bag has many zipper pockets and I separated my valuables among the pockets, so if picked I wouldn't lose everything. I don't carry my passport with me, just a copy of it. My passport, excess cash and extra credit cards are kept in a safe place at my hotel and apartment. Most important is to be alert to your surroundings and keep track of your stuff.

Not having a clue where you are going, if you are in small towns you probably don't need a money belt. But I personally would use one anyways. A money belt is a convenient place to keep your passport, credit cards and cash reserves. You always know where these valuables are. You can replace your passport, but replacing would be a hassle.

I'm not very consistent. When I travel in the US, I don't use a money belt. But overseas, I use one. When I lived in France, I didn't. When I worked in London, I didn't. I guess the difference is that when I travel in Europe (or Asia), I'm there for a short time and I prefer to keep things extra secure so I don't risk wasting time replacing items like passports, credit cards, ATM cards.

I also like to tour with a cloth shopping bag. Yes, it's open, but no one has ever swiped my guidebook, map or jacket! If I buy food or a snack, I add it to the bag. What I like about using a bag is that I can easily access the map when I need it and then stick it back in the bag when I don't, without fussing with a zipper.

I have never carried a day pack.. when I go downtown where I live for the day I do not use one at all, so why the sudden need to carry so much stuff.. why would I do it in a foreign country. I can always buy a bottle of water.
I carry my purse... just like at home.. it fits my camera,, even my small tablet, a brush, lipstick and change purse that holds my cash for the day. I leave large sums of money and my cards in a hotel safe.. or wear them in a money belt if no safe and /or I am in transit.

A moneybelt has nothing to do with a back pack or purse.. they are for completely different uses.. a moneybelt is deep storage.. for stuff you are not planning on accessing during day.

There is a difference for me between traveling in Europe and in the US. I certainly don't travel the same way. In Europe I carry a neck pouch /hidden pocket as I did in Poland, France, Holland, Austria, in Germany less so. But recently I've started doing that there too. I know in Europe I have tourist written all over me while taking a trip there in the summer. It makes no difference since I don't care about blending in. That was more of a concern 30 years ago or so.

My hubby carried our passports in a pouch that attached to his belt and then into his pants that we got from Rick here that he couldn't even feel.

I had our big cash about €1000 and credit cards in a money belt. Not hard as we did not carry a ton.

I also carried a pacsafe purse with our daily €300 or so daily cash and camera, batteries, memory cards etc. I never worried at all. That purse was really secure. Cross body, lockable zippers, steel mesh so it can't be slashed, etc etc.......my mom carried one too. Never worried. Worth every penny to not have any worries. Best part, I got them for just $17 each.
By the end of the trip, I moved everything from my money belt to my purse. I did not even take it off in restaurants.

We saw scammers, we saw pickpockets, we saw gypsies with their clipboards and ring scams......just easier to not have to worry. Not worrying at the Louvre or in line somewhere was a godsend. Just my 2cemts.

My husband and I both wear money belts that were purchased from Rick Steves. We carry only one day pack with nothing valuable in it for picnics and/or hiking. I have a little point and shoot camera that I carry around my wrist.

Most of the time we road trip, so I can't use the hotel safe. I have a belt clip wallet for larger cash, a credit card and an ATM card. I use a neck wallet for passports and backup cards. My wife has a separate credit card and nothing else of value. It works for us.

From reading the comments here and on similar threads, it appears people are unclear on the purpose of a money belt. A money belt is not a fanny pack (waist wallet, bum bag, or whatever you might call it). It should never see the light of day. It is a place to keep things you can't afford to lose and should always be tucked deep under your clothes. It is absolutely not to be dug into out in the open for a few coins to pay for your coffee.

That said, I use both a money belt and a day pack when traveling in Europe. The money belt has my passport, extra money, and credit cards I don't think I will be using that day. The day pack has umbrella or rain poncho, light jacket if it might be chilly, guide book, maybe my lunch, and other things I might think I need during the day away from the hotel or bus (i.e. nothing too valuable). I keep enough cash and a single credit card for use during the day in a zipped pocket in my pants or inside my shirt.

I carry a daypack regularly when I'm out and about. I use it for maps, travel guide, picnic stuff, drinks, sun glasses, snacks, sunscreen, lip balm, etc. It's good for a grocery bag when we stop at a store too. A daypack isn't secure and may be the biggest target of pickpockets because they are so easy to steal from. I don't put anything in a daypack I can't afford to lose.

I keep a daily supply of money (less than 50 euro, usually half that) folded in my front pocket. When I get into a crowd, I put my hand in the pocket.

I also carry a moneybelt (or substitute) and make sure everyone else has their own - with their own stuff in it. I carry my passport, tickets, credit/debit cards, extra money, etc. in it - stuff I really don't want to lose. Moneybelts are safe because they are inside your clothes and not taken out in public. If you need something, use a restroom (and make sure you don't drop anything).

Substitutes for a moneybelt include a neck wallet, a pocket that attaches to your belt and hangs inside your pants or a leg wallet. I've used everyone at different times. The leg wallet didn't stay up by my knee so I didn't like it. It was down by my ankle too often. It needed more adjustment and not stretchy band material so it would stay where I put it. The neck wallet has a neck strap that is visible to potential thieves. Other that that it's a decent option.

You can find them at REI stores, AAA offices, department store travel sections, or online (Amazon has plenty of choices).

In Paris i use the neck pouch...that depends on the weather too...but definitely the Eagle Creek waist wallet and the "hidden pocket." Those two I always carry, are a must. The old waist wallet was picked in 1999 as I was waiting among the throng of people trying to board a Paris Metro train, saw this hand going into my old waist wallet (not an Eagle Creek, but a cheapie), felt like sticking the guy with a safety pin, but to no avail he didn't anything since that part was stuffed with tissue.

Hotel safes are barely mentioned in the replies. Is that because people don't trust them?

We used the hotel safes for our passports, and carried paper copies with us in our daypacks and money belts. The only time we had to show our passports when we were out and about was to prove our son's age to gain him free entry into museums. We did not need to buy him a museum pass!

Another thought that gave me peace of mind, although I realize it wasn't super secure, was to lock my iPad into my suitcase with the TSA lock. It made me feel better when I realized the iPad would not fit into the hotel safe. We had no troubles.

Laurie