Documents

First, don't worry.

I assume that you are planning to carry on your bag? You really wouldn't want to put your credit card numbers in your checked bag.

You really don't need a copy of your credit cards. The customer service phone number can be helpful, but even that isn't required. As someone who has had their wallet stolen, I was able to deal with the credit card companies without knowing the card number. I made one single call to Visa International from the London transit police office in a tube station and was able to cancel 3 Visa cards and get info on who to call for replacements.

A copy of your Travel Insurance policy, one copy with you and another copy with an emergency contact at home.

I have made 30 trips in ten years, but I am still a little ana..... excuse me; conservative. We are husband and wife. We split everything 50/50, cash, cards, etc. We carry copies in our carry on of our passports. I carry around my neck half size copies of all the reservation confirmations and airline details and the credit card help phone numbers, guide names, etc. I have another copy of this in my carry on as well. Other than the airline confirmation numbers and the credit card phone number (one time when i handed the card to the wrong person), I have never needed any of it. I leave in about 7 weeks for the next trip and I will do it the same all over again.

Do what ever is comfortable for you and that will be the right thing to do. Know that in most circumstances that which you carry is as safe in Europe as it is in your home town. But still, its about being relaxed and enjoying the trip.

When I go to Paris I always take my drivers licence.. I use it in a few places that ask for my passport for collateral for renting an audio guide. The Louvre and Orsay both do.. and both accept my DL just as easily. I prefer to leave my DL with them.. if its lost or stolen its not going to impact my trip.. if my passport was .. it would be worse.

-Printed out copy of your airline itinerary in addition to your e-tickets.
-Do you have any tight connections on the way home? I don't know if you have to go thru SLC, but sometimes heading up to N. Idaho there is a 38 minute connection time which is for the last flight of the day. I usually print out (or email myself) the schedule for the next day so I will have that info at hand in case I need to be rebooked.
-I also have a list of airport hotels with the Trip Advisor rating in case I need to overnight after a short (missed) connection.
-Have your first hotel name and address in your purse. You will probably need the address when you fill out the card for Passport Control as they usually ask your destination address.
-The last time I traveled I got a plastic document envelope (a little bigger than a regular envelope) at Staples and used that to hold my itinerary, first hotel info and written info on transportation from the airport to the first hotel (in case I was too punchy to remember, lol!)
-Make sure your charger cords are in your purse/carryon.
-Also leave a copy of your whole itinerary and flight numbers at home.

Have a record/list of your credit and debit/ATM providers and they out of country collect telephone numbers to call in their event of loss or theft. Same with travel insurance if you have coverage. Email your list to yourself.

Scan your passport and also include it in your email list along with your air booking codes.

In a neck pouch, I carry passport, credit and debit cards, driver's license, and health insurance card, plus some dollars (and later local currency that I won't be spending the same day). In a belt pack, which rides on my hip, I carry itinerary and printouts of air tickets, hotel and car reservations, train reservations, copy of passport face page, and copy of my wife's passport face page (as she has mine), and copy of my eyeglasses prescription (which is why I've never broken or lost glasses, which I wear all the time). Sometimes I add maps of airports and ground transportation info. In the belt pack I also have a map of the arrival city (if I'm going to be there awhile) and transit map if any. These maps get replaced as I travel to different cities. So far this system has worked well, kept me on track, and nothing lost or stolen (knock wood).

What's the opinion on carrying your passport with you daily vs leaving it in your room/carrying a copy with you?

Charity, I also take copies of anything I've pre-paid (train tickets, tours, attractions, etc.). I put the copies in a plastic zippered pouch and keep it with me in my carry-on.

Laura, I keep my passport in my moneybelt. I'm sure I'd forget it if I left it in a hotel safe!

I always leave it in the safe.. I only wear a money belt when in transit.. I have never forgotten anything in a hotel safe in over 40 years of travel.. doesn't everyone check it before they leave?! First time I travelled alone to Europe I was sent to stay with my grandmother in France at 13. I was told by my parents if I lost my passport I would have to stay in France permanently. I never ever lost my purse once.. and to this day as just as careful .. although the fear of being stuck in France doesn't bother me now!

In a big plastic ziploc bag I have train tickets, vouchers, prepaid anything, hotel reservations, itinerary. This goes in the front zippered compartment in my rolling carryon. If I have to gate-check my bag it's easy to pull out the bag and transfer it to my small carryon daybag. In my small carryon daybag I have a small spiral-bound notebook with a daily itinerary that includes sights, train/bus connections, hotel info (one page per day). This has a page for bank and credit card info (phone numbers). The notebook also has room for notes, list of photos taken on the back of each page - I take long trips and would never be able to remember some places without it. I email a copy of my itinerary to myself and at least one person in the US.

Don't forget to call your bank/credit card company to tell them you'll be using your catds in Europe - otherwise your transaction may be declined for suspicious activity. Call again just before you leave to confirm that they have entered this info into your file.

Passport is with me. One more hint: if you like a hotel or restaurant enough to recommend it, take their business card. I always take the hotel's card with me during my stay in case I need it (helpful especially if traveling with kids and they get separated).

Remember a copy of your credit cards is just as good to the thief as your actual credit card. I know credit card numbers are not critical if lost or stolen but I do keep the numbers in an alpha/numeric substitution code. The only thing I copy is my passport in the unlikely event of it being lost or stolen. The copy is handy to prove to the embassy that you actually had a passport and for getting a replacement. The copy is not a substitute for identification. We carry the other information stored on an ipad or available via internet. And we always carry our passports safely tucked away on our body. Why not? Only twice in nearly a years travel in Europe have we had to unexpected produce the passport. Glad we had it then.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, the old passport controversy again. To Carry or not to Carry this is the question. Is it nobler to break the laws of Belgium or to go forth with that which is most trusted left behind .......................... in a $30 lock box that anyone with a master key can open.

I have gone to Europe 11 of the last 12 years for a month and leave again next month. I take the items you mention and since more and more places are not accepting credit cards (at least at my budget traveling) be sure to take a DEBIT CARD to use to get local currency from ATM machines that are all over the place these days. Getting money from an ATM machine using a credit card is considered a "cash advance" by most financial institutions and have high fees and poor exchange rates. Be sure to notify the places that issued your plastic cards of your travel plans. Several posts have mentioned carrying any pre-paid travel documents, plane tickets, hotel reservations, etc. I carry all of this in a money belt that I put on when I leave my home in the US. I leave nothing in hotel safes. I put the things in ziplock plastic bags to protect them from the elements. We also leave our travel itinerary with the neighbors who watch our home. Happy travels. aloha

Thank you all very much! I am of the opinion that I think a passport should be carried at all times. But, that could be because I've never traveled overseas. I take comfort in knowing that of all the other things that could go wrong, a stolen/ left behind passport won't be one of them.

Thanks all!! 1 week to go!

Charity; Some countries require you to carry your passport. Belgium and most of the old eastern block countries do; few other that I am aware of. You can look on the State Department page for any particular country and it will tell you if it is a requirement or not. Do they check you and will they punish you? For me that's not really the issue because i think it proper to respect the law when I am a guest. Do I always do what i preach? No, i am human. Where i have been frequently and where i have an uncalled for comfort factor i don't always do as i know i should. I also feel more comfortable carrying it as i believe with my habits i am less likely to loose it. As for hotel room safes you have no idea how many people have the override key.

Having said all this. I always try and be a tiny bit conservative and try and use good common sense and then i just don't worry. For the most part people are people are people every place in the world so i don't expect and haven't received much different attitudes than i would expect in the US.