Hi,
We'll be in a few different countries this summer and I'd like to carry a few different wallets to carry the Euros, GBP, and CHF.
What sizes are the coins and paper currencies?
I tried to Google it, but it just shows the currency not the actual sizes. I think they are bigger than US coins and paper money.
We'll have RS' money belts and I have a theft proof over the chest bag.
Laurie
I would suggest you not carry any wallets. And you certainly never want to go into a money belt within eyesight of any strangers. Wallets are just an invitation for a pickpocket to stumble into you and rifle your pockets.
Just take each country on its own. What's hard is estimating how much money you'll spend in each country and minimizing leaving that country with any currency.
I am now very spoiled to having one currency (Euro) in so many countries.
We were in Switzerland, Britain, and France this summer and the paper currency fit fine into our wallets. I still have some! British Pound notes are shorter in length than ours and a hair taller but not significantly different than ours. Swiss notes are a little larger but still fit fine. Some of the smaller denomination coins are lighter than coins in the US and a few of the larger denomination coins are bulkier and heavier. These larger ones you tend to spend more quickly though so you won't accumulate many. I don't think you'll need separate wallets for all three. By the time you move to a new country you'll, hopefully, have spent all of your currency with little left over, putting the new currency into your wallet to replace the previous currency. I took a picture of a $20 bill with my 5 and 10 pound notes but can't figure out how to post a pic here! Oh well... :)
Are you carrying three different wallets because you plan to buy those currencies before you leave the US? That will be extremely expensive to do. ATMs are plentiful over there and you won't have any trouble getting currency immediately upon your arrival with your debit card. Just alert your bank before you leave and tell them which countries you are visiting so you won't have issues with your card being shut down. The exchange rates will be a million times better at ATMs in Europe than exchange agencies here...
@Anita--thanks so much for answering my questions. No, I'm not getting currency here. I will use ATMs there.
As the other person suggested, wallets are not recommended so I guess I'll just use the money belt and zippers in my purse. Some of the hotels want cash, so I'll have to have large bills for that.
Laurie
Zip-lock bags. (No mater what you do, the locals know that you are a foreigner.)
Laurie,
the European $$ gets bigger with the denominations. My wallet that i had for 15+ years died on my trip last year. Its a tri fold approx 4" x 9" open and it had NO problem holding any of the larger notes you will encounter.
The coins will be larger/heavier than ours too. the 2 E/BPS coins are larger than our quarters and about the size of a 50 cent piece. There is also the 50 pence which is just about as large too.
what you may want to consider.
some of the places you will be traveling to will use 1 & 2 Euros/BPS (dollar) coins, not paper.
i always end up carrying/getting alot of change around wherever i go. by the end of a few days, you will want to dump/use them. I have a coin pouch on my belt, but it cant handle what i end up collecting.
happy trails.
Regarding euros: The Wikipedia pages 'Euro banknotes' and 'Euro coins' both have the dimensions, albeit in mm not inches.
Every euro bill except the 500 euro bill is shorter than a dollar bill. The 5 euro bill is less in height, the 10 euro bill is for all practical purposes the same hight, the 20 euro bill is roughly 1/4 inch higher, the 50 euro bill is a bit more than 4/10 inch higher.
The one and 0.5 euro coins are roughly the same diameter of a quarter, but thicker and therefore heavier. Especially the 0.5 coin feels subjectively much more substantial, even massive. The 2 euro coin is a bit bigger than a quarter in diameter and much thicker and heavier, something like 2-to-3 in weight.
Pennies and nickels are a bit larger than 0.01 and 0.05 euro coins respectively, a dime is a bit smaller than a 0.1 euro coin.
Relax, you are overthinking. RS money belts AND a theft proof over the chest bag? I hope you will be able to stand up straight! Just carry enough cash for the day and leave your passports, etc in a safe place.
I agree with Emily. You only need one secure money/card storage system. If you have a secure travel purse or bag, and are not the type to be careless with it (don't sling it over restaurant chairs, don't set it down while you take a photo, etc...), then place your wallet (s) in there. They key is that the bag must be a secure travel type bag, not just a purse that unzips from the top like normal. Secure travel bags require several steps to gain access (typically with inner secure pockets) and can't easily be accessed without you noticing (and you'd be amazed at what a pick-pocket can do without you noticing).
Or you can use a moneybelt, which is not convenient for accessing and forces you to use a regular wallet for that day's money. Or a neck pouch, which can be easier for you to use. Or a belt-loop wallet that is very easy to use. All three are equally secure from thieves.
Also, there is less of a concern of accessing your money/cards in public as there is keeping it nearly impossible for pick-pockets to access. That's why you use a secure system - not to hide it from thieves.
Leave other currencies back at your hotel in the safe or in your luggage secured with a travel lock.
I don't get the thing about wallets. I see it a lot here, especially in posts about pickpockets, and wonder what people put in them when they travel. I have never used one for travel. So many of the things I carry in a wallet-type thingy at home (I don't really have a wallet in the US either) are irrelevant when on a trip to Europe and don't need to be carried. To me wallets just add more weight and bulk wherever you put them.
To summarize: One wallet. Carry the local currency; put the rest in small Ziplock bags which stay in your hotel safe (along with your back-up credit and ATM cards.) Don't carry anything in pockets unless inside clothing and buttoned. Messenger-style bag worn across the chest, and carefully handled, should be enough security. Really no need to be a walking Brinks truck. In many European cities you will be far more likely to be run over by traffic than robbed by razor-slashing pickpockets. Nothing is impossible but you can minimize possible damage by not carrying huge amounts and all your plastic with you.
I agree with Southam, BUT, while I agree also know that some countries (most?) require that you carry your passport. That doesn't mean I do it but that does mean I don't recommend anyone do what I do.
Most of the trousers I wear these days either have zipper pockets in the front or cargo pockets with two buttons. I put the bulk of everything in those and some loose cash and a card in a small wallet that I carry in a front pocket. I carry half and she carries the other half. Zip lock bags sound okay, but I use paper envelopes and put them in a locked bag in the room. Yup, they can steal the bag, I will deal with that when it happens. I guess if I were smart I would get a cable and a lock and lock the bag to the bed and surround it with ....... naaaaa, too much trouble. I really don't carry much money. I use cards and the ATM.
It is a myth that most countries require you to carry around your passport. Carry a copy of the picture page of your passport and you'll be fine.
For example, in Austria, where I live, you have an hour to produce your passport to the authorities, if asked. That said, I have lived here for nearly 7 years and never been asked to show my passport once. Traveled pretty much all over Europe - never been asked then either.
Some information on myths: You might want to go here and check the countries you are traveling to:
Master page: http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country.html
Bulgaria: http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/bulgaria.html
Slovakia: http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/slovakia.html
Romania: http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/romania.html
Hungary
Turkey
James - How dare you destroy our conventional wisdom on the need to carry passports everywhere! Shame on you ;-)
It's not a myth, it's a law to carry nationally issued identification in most countries. The fact that it is not always rigorously enforced doesn't make it a myth.
Douglas, be nice. Some countries I carry it, others not. But to be honest I can't think of one good reason not to. Just isn't that hard or inconvenient.
The myth is that you have to have it with you at all times. The law is that you have to have one. It is perfectly fine to have it in your hotel room and if the police want to see it, they will go with you there. Yes, you have to have it while crossing borders, but not for strolling around town. I have never carried my passport with me in 27 years of living in Germany. It has not proven to be a problem. When I visit other countries I bring it with me, but then it stays in my hotel safe while I am sightseeing.
If you look like a typical tourist, and you're not causing any trouble, the chances (in non-Russian Europe) that you will be subjected to a random passport check by the authorities borders on nil. If you plan on causing a drunken row or trafficking drugs, then perhaps you should carry your passport at all times, along with the telephone number of the nearest US embassy or consulate, and contact information of a pre-selected English-speaking defense attorney.
Quite frankly, the police in most of Europe have far more important things to do than to make sure an obvious tourist from North America is carring a passport with a proper Schengen entry stamp.
It's not a myth, it's a law to carry nationally issued identification in most countries. The fact that it is not always rigorously enforced doesn't make it a myth.
But James's links show that it IS a myth. Direct from the US State Department. At least in many European countries. For Spain, the Embassy even tells you to leave it at the hotel to avoid the chance of it being stolen.
James - You are simply going to have to try harder next time to debunk myths...
I really don't see the forum as a competitive event. There is no winner or looser. I just knew that it was the law in Hungary so I thought it might be the law in "most (many?)" other countries so I did a little research. I only checked a few countries so I guess rather than debunking myths i was suggesting that people do a little research before their trip so they can make an informed decision as to what to do. I sort of trust the state department when it says:
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"Visitors to Bulgaria are required to carry their original passports with them at all times."
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"Everyone in Slovakia over 15 years of age, including U.S. citizen visitors, is required by law to carry a passport at all times. It is not sufficient to carry a photocopy of the passport, although we recommend that you keep a photocopy of your passport in a safe place. The police have the right to ask U.S. citizens for identification, and only a passport showing legal entry and/or legal residency status is adequate evidence".
..
Romania: "Foreigners are required to carry identification documents at all times. U.S. citizens who obtain a temporary or permanent residence permit must present the document upon the request of any “competent authorities.” Foreigners who do not have a residence permit should present their passports."
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"Belgian law requires that everyone carry official identification at all times. This ID must be displayed upon request to any Belgian police official. U.S. citizens who are not residents of Belgium will need to present a U.S. passport."
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Check the links in my previous post for these and the master page that will take you to what ever country you might be interested in.
There are many laws in Europe which policemen themselves don't know about. Some of my friends went to Czech Republic and were staying in some small town with their friends. There is a law that if you are not staying in hotel, hostel, pension etc. you yourself must register with police in 3 days. They attempted to do that, police knew nothing about it and sent them home (I don't mean to US, just home to their friends), telling them not to bother.
James - the myth you debunked (including from me) is that carrying a passport was legally required everywhere. I'm not surprised that some eastern European countries like the ones you mentioned DO required a passport at all times. But I checked several typical western European destinations, like the UK and Spain, and it is not required.
It's been conventional wisdom here that it is required everywhere and that gets mentioned in each (of the MANY) threads here on carry-or-leave passports. As far as I know, you are the first to show us the links that debunk that. This forum is great for trying to get accurate information out there and not just go with conventional wisdom. Even when it requires us to tell people, politely, that they are wrong about something.
And I was being silly in my earlier post - sorry if you mis-interpreted that.
To clarify, in my previous post I referred to national identification, not necessarily passports; for US citizens, the national identification (non-military) would most likely be a passport.
How did we get from Monies to Passports? Oh well, just to unsettle the arguement a little, I found this advice being given to British citizens by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office's official webpage, Living in Switzerland.
"You must also carry proof of identity at all times. "
Incidently, if the purpose is to protect the passport in the best possible way, I would put it in my money belt/neck pouch. I wouldn't carry it in my jacket pocket or leave it in a safe, outside my immediate control. In-room safes have master codes which are supposedly only known by the manager, but who knows. And, there is a special screwdriver that can be used to take the face off the in-room safe. Common safes are openable by a plethora of people, some of whom might know you put your passport in it.
I'm using my netbook computer on the road today, and for some reason, the icon for adding links at the top of the "Add Reply" box for adding links is missing. I'm trying to createl the text of the link from memory.
OK, found the syntax from on of my other posted links, but it still doesn't work.
Now it works. Amazing, George, the 's' in "living-in-switzerland", in the URL, can't be capitalized! If it is, the website doesn't recognize the page.
Douglas, I like to call them Central European countries. I checked the west too and the only country I hit on that required you carry a passport was Belgium. But then I didn't check all of Western Europe either.
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I get lazy in one country I visit a lot and leave my passport in my room when I am just going to be around the town; even though it is one of those countries where it is a requirement by law to carry it. But then I know who else has the key to that room and I know enough people in the country to get me out of trouble if something should happen. Still I am wrong. I agree with you in that the safest place for the passport is in a protected location on your body. I know about hotel safes, I own a couple of them. They are called "perceived" security devices.
