Photo ID

Your passport is your official "permission" to be in the country. If you are concerned about losing it, you could carry a photocopy, but if there were a problem, it wouldn't help you. You would still have to produce the passport. If you are thinking about having to leave your ID as security at some place like a museum, your drivers license will work. The point there is that they want something that is valuable enough to you for you to come back for it.

No, of course not. They want solid proof of who you are and that you are legally in the country. That is the purpose of the passport. A photocopy of your passport is worthless as an id. For some reason, many American tourist seem to be very uptight about carrying a passport. No different than always carrying you driver's license in the US. We have carried our passport everyday for nearly a year of travel in Europe over the past twenty years. No problems. Just carry it in a very secure location - for most people - that is a money belt.

Some will carry an expired driver's license to leave at museums for the head sets.

Sorry, the only legally acceptable ID is a passport. By law you must carry it. French (and other EU) citizens have to carry their national identity cards, foreigners their passports. That is the case in many European countries.
A driving licence is not acceptable ID, but you must also carry your licence (and International Driving Permit if required) if you are driving.

A private organisation (museum) can accept what they want (licence, library card, ....)

I recently got a new passport, and paid extra to get a little card along with it which has my passport picture and number. I would think that would be proof of passport, anyway that's what I'm putting in my wallet-I'm keeping my passport at the hotel. I think you can get the card by itself if you want. Good luck.

Thanks for your replys. I was thinking of carrying something with me that I could leave at a museum or use for ID to pick up tickets that I have pre-bought.
It would stress me out to carry my DL or Passport with me (no matter where I traveled) I would like to keep those back at the hotel safe and sound. :-)

Kelsey, I personally would prefer to have my passport in my money belt on my person at all times, rather than behind in the hotel room. But all that is beside the point .... Chris F ( see above) has stated the unavoidable fact: It is the law in France for foreigners (that's you and me) to carry their passports with them.

" I recently got a new passport, and paid extra to get a little card along with it which has my passport picture and number. I would think that would be proof of passport " The " little card ' you refer to is only valid as a passport between the USA and Canada or Mexico , it has no other validity , certainly not on the other side of the pond .

I leave my passport in hotel safe. I use my DL at museums.. here its easy and cheap to replace my DL.. ( 25 bucks) and I don't need it on vacation ( since I don't drive) so not sure why it matters ( other then the loss of 25 bucks) if one loses it on vacation?

Most of us do drive, so that would make for a loooong walk home from the airport ;-)

I would absolutely rather leave my $30 DL rather than my passport as collateral for an audio tour. But I never forget to go back and retrieve my DL. Know Thyself; some might be better off with their expired license. You know who you are ;-)

kelsea823, most here just put their passport in a moneybelt and go about their business. It's your official ID, it won't be lost nor stolen in your moneybelt, and you shouldn't even be aware you're wearing a properly-fitting moneybelt.

And, of course, there has been a few reports here about how unsafe hotel safes are. Nothing is a substitute for a passport especially the little plastic cards. So the question is ---- Which situation would you prefer? Having your passport with you and not needing it OR needing it and not having it with you. You do what you are most comfortable doing with the fully understanding of the different consequences of each option.

"It would stress me out to carry my DL or Passport with me (no matter where I traveled) I would like to keep those back at the hotel safe and sound. :-)"

Are you saying that you don't carry your drivers license with you at home? Do you drive? Do you have some other kind of ID card? I always have my drivers license with me at home. That's how we prove who we are. The same as a passport while out of the country. I do use my DL when leaving collateral for an audio guide or things like that. I just had to renew mine and kept the old one for that purpose.

Thanks all for your replies. I do carry my drivers license at home. I just don't like carrying all that stuff when I travel somewhere and we are sightseeing etc. That's what husband's are for! Ha!
I've had my wallet stolen before in Mexico, it wasn't fun replacing the things I had with me. :-)

Many folks do not travel with husbands ... solo, solo with kids.. or with friends... relying on my husband would not even be a good idea as he is far more likely to lose or forget things then me!

There are always those who quote "how unsafe hotel safes are " but these posts are always third hand..not direct experiences, and some of those cite "forgetting things in safe" something most solo travellers would never do..( husband thought wife checked safe, wife thought hubby did).. solo travellers tend to realize the buck stops here and are more careful.

The last time we were in Paris for a stretch we had some business at the American Embassy and as we waited our turn we were surrounded by semi-hysterical tourists who had lost or had stolen their passports. At least one couple near us had missed their plane home and they were all in a swivet. Yes you can get emergency passports or travel documents, but it is expensive and sucks up a lot of time. It is commonplace to have purse taken, a pocket picked, or even to mislay or lose the thing. (once found a passport on the floor of a bathroom stall, presumably dropped from a pants pocket)

I have been traveling in Europe since 1960 and a lot in the last 25 years and have yet to be asked for my 'papers' except in the particular situations that require a passport i.e. banking, crossing the border into Schengen or elsewhere, buying a phone sim card. The copy works just fine anywhere else including hotels for the most part. If by chance it should become critical to have the passport for legal reasons, I suspect having to go back to a hotel to get it would be the least of my problems.

I leave the DL for collateral (you would have to be unusually dim to leave a passport in some drawer of a vendor of audio tape devices) and use the copy of the passport for ID for VAT or whatever. If I am going to be traveling out of town for a day or two then I carry the passports in the money belt or if we are driving any distance.

So ID? The question is always what for? There are not many situations in which you need ID; very few of them actually require the passport. Losing it and having to replace is is a major pain.

"I've had my wallet stolen before in Mexico, it wasn't fun replacing the things I had with me. :-)"

Moneybelt.

Plus one for Janets post!

I pre-bought some tickets and they want me to bring my credit card and a picture ID.

I just didn't want to carry around my drivers license or passport when we are sightseeing so I was just wondering if anyone knew of a travel card photo ID or something that would be no big deal if lost.

Thanks all for your answers!

I'll never understand the need for a wallet in Europe.

I can put every essential thing I need for the day in my moneybelt and feel confident that no one is going to get it from me. The order is skin, shapewear, moneybelt, panties, pants. My husband's order is skin, moneybelt, shorts, pants.

I leave things not needed for the day in our lodgings. The key is figuring out what is and what is not essential. My passport is #1 on my essential list and I always have it on me in my moneybelt.

A fat wallet especially in a pocket or easily accessible purse or bag is a very desirable target. A moneybelt inside the pants is much flatter and harder to get to. The only time I have actually seen a pickpocket pass something on to his partner, it was a large, fat, folded man's wallet. I'd guess it was so obvious in whatever pocket it was in that it was irresistible.

I recently saw a PBS special, "Rick Steves Europe." He carried his passport, drivers license and money in his money belt. A friend suggested I not take all of my money with me, but leave some in the hotel safe. I would like some feedback on this idea.

Patrick, the money you carry in your money belt is not to be accessed in public. It is for deep storage. You should carry what money you will need for the day in a separate place where you can get at it without revealing your money belt. I rarely carry a large amount of cash, I just get money from an ATM as I go. But if, for some reason, I need to carry a large amount, I keep it in a money belt rather than leaving it in a hotel safe.

If you have a hotel safe, it's a great place to keep valuables you won't need on a given day.

I carry something (I go back and forth between a neck wallet and money belt) with my passport, a credit card, a debit card, and extra cash.

I put walking around money in my front pocket. I'm thinking of getting some kind of coin purse or wallet that holds coins because I can't stand a pocket full of one and two euro coins.

A passport is your only legal ID. It proves who you are and that you are legally in the country (Europe has immigration issues too). True, you're not likely to get thrown in prison for not having it, but don't act indignant when they aren't interested in your DL, passport card, or photocopy of your passport.

Thanks for responding, Nancy and Brad,

I plan on having my main meal midday, so I will need euros for that. I think you mean that I should carry that money in my pocket and not in my money belt, which should always be hidden. How easy is it to go to the bank ATM several times a day? I was not planning on walking around with a wallet, but should I carry my euros in that? What about my pocket? Won't that encourage pickpockets? Thanks for helping.

Patrick

I'm not sure why you would need to go to an ATM several times a day, but ATMs are all over. Yes, I did mean to carry all of the money you think you will need for that day in another pocket, more easily accessed. Trust me, you will not be constantly at risk from pickpockets, so it's OK. Just be aware of your surroundings and maybe take extra precautions in crowded places or on public transportation. Otherwise, depending on your needs, you should be able to just hit the ATM every couple of days, storing the bulk of your money in the money belt. If you were to run out of your daily money and needed more from the money belt, just get it out in a restroom or other private place.

I always wear shirts that have secured front pockets. In one pocket is my daily cash in a money clip. In the other pocket is the daily credit card and maybe the debit card if I am planning to hit an ATM that day. Everything else is secure in the money belt in the middle of my back under my shirt. It is really pretty simple although some folks like to make this very complicated.

Part of the point is that whatever money you don't have in your money belt, you have to be "ok" with having pickpocketed. Because your money is not as secure in your outside pocket. It's risk management. It's saying: OK, I have 300 euros they can't get to, but if they do get my today's money, I'll be out 50 euros (or 30 or whatever). You have to think what you could bear to lose in a worst-case situation.

No, you don't want to be going to ATMs all day long. They will often charge a fee and a percentage for every withdrawal you make, so you want to minimize (within reason) the # of times you withdraw money in order to minimize that cost.

My state will issue a "non-drivers license" identification card in addition to your drivers license. Thats what I take traveling when not planning to drive. Doesn't meet the legal requirement for having your passport with you, but an easier and safer form of ID for any other transaction.

Yes, a daily amount of euros that are easily accessible in your front pocket. A daily amount means different things to different people. For some 200 euros is pocket money, I'm more comfortable with around 50 euros, my kids would be happy with half that. It should be an amount that wouldn't be the end of the world to lose to a pickpocket. When I'm in a crowd, I'll stick my hand in the pocket with money in it.

My moneybelt/neckwallet has a credit and debit card if I need it and extra cash. I don't access it publicly. If I need something, I'll use the restroom (and check carefully when I leave to make sure I didn't drop something).

I normally use an ATM every couple of days, then keep the cash either in my hotel safe (if I have one, I use budget lodging) or moneybelt and replenish my daily cash as needed.

Just a side note about leaving passport in the hotel for safety -- we were at the German Consulate in SF yesterday getting my husband's passport reissued (in case we want to spend more than 90 days in Schengen zone) and the man next to us had just had his passport stolen from his hotel room so was spending a day of his vacation / business trip getting an emergency replacement. Can happen anywhere.

There can be odd times when someone wants to see your passport. I was in a grocery store in Rennes and used my chip-and-PIN credit card. Because it was a live transaction with a clerk, it defaulted to a signature and receipt. The clerk was flustered, to say the least, and demanded my identity card to verify my signature. I pulled out my passport (not sure why I was carrying it, but I was) and she wrote done the passport number and date of issue on her copy of the receipt. I've also had clerks ask for it when I've bought a French SIM card for my mobile phone. So when I'm in France, I usual carry it in my money belt.

Thank you ALL for your info!!

I just ordered a RFID money belt AND neck passport holder! Ha!