Keeping your passport secure

Allan when I was taking student groups to Argentina 20 years ago, my local coordinator what lecture them on the first day about the importance of keeping "tres p's" safe: Passport, Plata (wallet), Phone.

In his opinion, it needs to become almost a sort of tick when you are traveling, running through a three p's check regularly.

I think one thing that happens with traveling is that people become overwhelmed because of all the stuff they are carrying, people, whom they shepherd, etc, and lose sight of the elevated importance of the Holy Trinity (how my Argentine coordinator artfully put it). Those were the last three things you want to lose - the rest of it can be easily replaced.

To this day my family still uses "three p's?" As short hand to regularly check in with one another that the essentials are secure, particularly at transition times - changing trains, leaving hotels, etc.

So yeah, maybe less dumb these people than not triaging correctly because they don't own the right attitude about their three p's :)

Some people are just a disorganized mess at home and away. We recently traveled with a friend who left host her passport on the plane. Luckily we were in traveling from Egypt to Jordan and she realized it immediately (small airport). She ran back and a flight attendant was still there and retrieved it for her. She said it fell out of her purse.
I learned long ago to never buy a purse that did not zipper closed and to keep it closed at all times. When at an airport and I need to constantly take it in and out I use a belt bag or a small crossbody under my coat/sweater. I don’t care if I have to take it out 10 times, it goes back and zippered. Especially when using the ladies room.

I've only lost my passport once. Luckily it was on a Rick tour. I had taken a separate day tour, but had the tour leader's number. I went to take it out of my waist money belt and realized I wasn't wearing it under my skirt. I looked around on the floor of the van, no luck. It had fallen off with out my noticing as I was preparing to leave the hotel room My van tour guide called my Rick guide who got help from the hotel to get in my room and confirm it was there. When I realized it wasn't with me, I had the most awful feeling, but I kept doing deep relaxing breaths and was amazed how calm I remained (under the circumstances.) Lesson: always check to be sure your money belt is securely fastened before leaving your hotel room or a public restroom.

When I travel I use neck pouch for my passport, and some money. I have credit card clip, and that will contain a debit card ,a credit card, my National ID, my insurance card and whatever local transit card I have for the place I am currently at. My phone is in a holder that also contains a few cards: My drivers' licence, and my other CC.

So things are spread out a bit. A pp will have to swipe three things to put in me in a position where I have nothing to prove who I am, and no means to pay at least the taxi to the nearest police station...

Now I have never had an issue with pick pockets. And I actually do not have anything that would be of any use to a pick pocket...

I lost my passport 27 years ago on my first trip to Europe, in London. It was in my money belt, which fell off while I was walking. I was wearing a light rain coat at the time (I was there in early October) so didn't notice it until I stopped at a shop. It also contained all my credit cards, my travelers checks and cash. This was around 10 am.

What happened: I went to an AMEX office as I had brought a blank check, and got $300 there. Then went to the Embassy, where i started the process, got passport photos and had my new temporary passport (good for 3 months) in hand by 3 pm (some sobbing was involved). One week after I got home, I received the entire money belt with my passport, cash, travelers checks and credit cards. A student had found it on the street and turned it into the police (I had filed a police report) who gave it to my landlady, who then mailed it to me. I sent the cash back to the student as a thank-you.

What it taught me: I never carry a money belt now. Instead I always have a secure crossbody bag that my passport goes in (in a zippered inside pocket). I also never carry all my credit cards in one place - I usually bring 3 and have 2 with me, and one in a zippered compartment in my personal bag. Luckily I don't have to worry about travelers checks anymore, and the cash I carry now is minimal.

So the most vulnerable place is at the airport or on the plane, where you are most likely to have just used it.

My passport will be in a zippered shirt or vest pocket while in transit situations where I will need it, so its never physically separated from me. Then transferred to a neck pouch after hotel arrival.

I don't want to put it in a daypack or an around-the-waist money belt, as I have seen a few of those left behind hanging on the door in a toilet.

I keep it in my neck wallet and I wear it on the plane, under my shirt. I don't pull it out until I need to show it at airport check-in or to border authorities, or to the hotel abroad. For going through the TSA metal detector, I put my neck wallet with passport in my carry-on that I put on the conveyor belt. Otherwise the neck wallet is always around my neck, and the passport is always in the neck wallet.

The key is to have a system and never vary from it.

I’ll share a personal situation where it could have easily happened and also what I do to not lose it.

In 2021, a friend asked me to join her for a trip to Mexico at her timeshare since I cancelled my trip to Italy. At the airport, we had several security stops for various items - our passport, our Covid test to leave, other paperwork, a short list of oral questions, QR codes to show from our phone, etc. All of these papers didn’t fit well the spot where I keep my passport in my suitcase, plus it was very busy, so it was definitely out of the norm for me. I remember thinking this could be the situation where I could misplace my passport.

My normal is having my passport in one designated pocket of my bag before & during my flights & checks. When I am going down the ramp to get onto the plane, I stop momentarily and return my passport & plane ticket to that luggage zipper pocket. After the flight & I’m through the last airport check, I go into the bathroom and put on my money belt with the passport moved to it. This may be TMI, but I wear my money belt underneath my pants (or dress) and inside my underwear. So, if it ever came loose, it wouldn’t drop to the ground and be lost. I wear my money belt whenever I leave my hotel room. During my last month-long trip, I had my credit card loaded into Apple Pay on my phone which was very useful! Other than showing my passport at some hotels, I only opened my money belt twice to use my ATM card. I keep both of my ATM cards and both credit cards, plus Euros I won’t use that day inside my money belt.

Jojo,
I think there's a lot of wisdom in having a system, that's always practiced. That encourages a "muscle memory" of always returning the essentials to the same place and the same way. I use a neck passport holder, and altho I don't like seeing the strap around my neck, it's a functional system for me. Safe travels!

I have changed my system recently. I’d be curious to know if anyone has thoughts on this. My last trip overseas was the first trip I ever had pants with a leg zip pocket (Eddie Bauer and Duluth brands) so I started putting my passport in that pocket. I still carried a lightweight neck wallet with my debit card and backup credit card. Travel purse had ‘walking around money’ only. I felt that only in the most extreme case could my neck wallet be lost or grabbed but no way could someone unzip a pocket on my lower thigh without bodily assault.

My last trip to NYC I took yoga type black knit slacks with similar pocket and put in the debit and credit card and driver’s license. I felt very comfortable thinking that being relieved of them would be extremely unlikely. I always considered my passport to be the #1 thing that is crucial to not derailing my travels when out of the country. I put photo copies in every bag I have as well.

The key is to have a system and never vary from it.

I agree. And I get so annoyed at myself when I break my own (not to be broken) routine, because then I have a few frantic minutes while I find it and swear (again) that I will never ever break the routine.

For me, it's passport in a neck pouch during airline transit.

When I don't expect to need it, it goes into a zip pocket that I took from an old purse and sewed into the back waistband of a pair of travel trousers.

Well, even in non-travel situations, I think my spouse creates situations in which he's more disorganized than it needs to be. For example, why not use a handbag or something to hold your keys, wallet, phone, etc. together? Instead, he'd put keys in one pocket, wallet in another, phone in another or some combination thereof. The problem is you have to keep track of various items rather than keeping track of one item (your handbag) when you're moving from place to place or context to context.

I use a handbag and everything that I carry with me goes there: phone, earbuds, wallet, keys, parking pass, institution ID, etc. And when I travel, I have a travel pouch which contains passport, boarding pass, hotel confirmation document, etc. and that travel pouch goes in the handbag. That way, whenever I change wardrobe, I don't have to remember to also move with me these separate items. I just have to remember 1 thing: bring the handbag.

When I'm travelling, as soon as I don't need that passport, I put it back into the travel pouch which goes into the handbag. I often would fold up the boarding pass and slip it into my trouser pocket. This way, when I leave my airplane seat to go to the galley or restroom, if I ever forget my seat number (it happens because it's row after row of the same type of seats) I just need to pull out my boarding pass and look again. Simple.

Part of this "trick", which my dad taught me, is really about forming a habit and using that same habit over and over so it not only becomes second nature but so that you don't have to keep thinking about a new procedure of where you keep your things. It works!

We were on a flight from Newark to Naples recently and one of the passengers lost (misplaced?) their passport sometime after going through security. There were multiple announcements after we boarded asking all passengers to check our area for the errant passport. We saw the passenger and their spouse eventually getting off the plane as it was not found before we left. I can only imagine how terrible that must have been for them.

I agree that having a system you use all of the time is key. Things were a little different on this flight. They were using facial scanning for boarding and we didn’t need to show our passports to board, although we were asked to have them out in case the scan didn’t work. On top of that, just after we initially boarded and settled in for the flight we were asked to de-board due to a mechanical check the crew needed to do. So there were multiple situations in which the person may have misplaced their passport. After another hour wait we were able to board again and finally take off. Well, all of us except unfortunately for them, that one couple with the missing passport.

I also use the neck wallet beginning with the cab when we leave home for the airport. However, I want to check it constantly and have been admonished, and correctly I suppose, that my fussing will be my end. But stuff happens. He once announced he’d lost his passport as we were walking through some airport. I just turned to the first counter I saw with a uniformed employee and said, “What do we do? We’ve lost a passport.” The agent replied, “Is his name XYZ? and handed it to him! We have no idea to this day how it was lost, (missed pocket is a leading theory) and even less as to how the person I randomly approached along the concourse came to be holding it. We got lucky.

I just turned to the first counter I saw with a uniformed employee and said, “What do we do? We’ve lost a passport.” The agent replied, “Is his name XYZ? and handed it to him!

I hope the agent asked for identification before handing it to him! That's sort of a scary scenario.

Mardee, I was trying to recall exactly that as soon as I’d posted. We were already home in the US. He now reminds me that we had told them his name, and considering he was standing in front of the person holding his ID with his photo and name that it may have passed sufficient muster. This was some time ago…a kinder, gentler time ago.

I have a small crossbody Pacsafe purse, not much bigger than my passport. When we are going on planes, trains, or buses, I make sure that there is nothing in the main part of the purse except the passport --- my phone is in a pocket inside the purse, for instance. So I can get to the passport quickly and put it back where it goes without any fuss. We are often going to Europe in winter, so when in transit anywhere, my purse is under my sweater or coat (which is what I happen to also do with my regular also-small purse at home in winter). I have to stash the purse in my under-seat carry-on bag when going through airport security, which kind of annoys me, but other than that I am always wearing the purse. I might be able to get used to a neck wallet or money belt, but I just think either one would feel so physically weird to me and so unlike my normal life that I would do something stupid or forgetful if I tried them. Or their straps would break or come loose somehow. I'm not used to carrying important things in my pockets at home, so I don't do that when traveling, either.

As part of my volunteer job, I spend a week at an Info Desk that has a Lost & Found box --- it is incredible how many phones, wallets, checkbooks, water bottles, sunglasses, credit cards, hats, sweaters, car keys, etc. we accumulate in a week.

The key is to have a system and never vary from it.

I agree. And I get so annoyed at myself when I break my own (not to be
broken) routine, because then I have a few frantic minutes while I
find it and swear (again) that I will never ever break the routine.

I was going to write the same thing. Too often, I think I have a way that makes more sense and then minutes later I panic that my passport is missing.

I'm impressed that nobody has announced that they store it in the seat pocket of the plane. I almost left my tablet behind by doing that once.

I'm impressed that nobody has announced that they store it in the seat pocket of the plane. I almost left my tablet behind by doing that once.

Allan, this might make you rethink that next time. 😳 https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/airplane-seatback-pockets

As a teacher, I helped lead several student trips to Central America (Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua), and the guides from the outfitter we went with always collected all the student and adult leader passports and kept them in the main office in Costa Rica. We would not see them again until it was time to leave. Or we got them back briefly if we were crossing into another country, and they were then re-collected, and kept by the guides. On all my other foreign trips, I have always kept my passport in a sort of travel document folio that goes in my backpack while in transit. I tried the money belt system for a few years but just found it awkward.

For those of you that may not keep your passport in your pocket while on a plane here's a short article suggesting you keep it in your personal item and not your suitcase, just in case the suitcase has to be checked. https://www.travelandleisure.com/never-put-your-passport-in-carry-on-7550341?utm_campaign=travelandleisure&utm_content=photo&utm_medium=social&utm_source=Facebook.com&utm_term=%7B%7B.ShareRef%7D%7D&fbclid=IwAR0UCOU_8O1ZJO0U_sUrAnoTZn7zTAWn8MBPiQj_1L7VgK1tvXyus_VH_aI

I‘ve never lost my passport but I did lose my entire purse/personal item at the airport once. It was our first domestic flight with our 3 month old baby. So. Much. Stuff. And a baby to keep track of! We got to the gate and I realized my purse was gone. GONE! Was it stolen? Had I left it at home? It was possible I left it on the kitchen table, this was 1994 afterall when you could get through security with a gum wrapper for ID.

We frantically retraced our route and found it just sitting off to the side at security. They said, “oh, yeah, we were going to page you right away but nobody could figure out how to pronounce your last name.” Seriously!?!

After that traumatic experience I try to always stay focused and keep to my routines when transiting. At home, we triple check the passports and credit cards as we’re walking out the front door. Both my husband’s and my passports and my cards are in my PacSafe crossbody wallet (I think it may be the same one Nancys8 references upthread.)

We show the passports at each point required and they immediately go back in the wallet. The wallet goes in my personal item at the x-ray conveyor belt. I must admit, at this point I always feel anxious not having it on my person and I try to keep a visual on my tray. After going through security, I go through a verbal, tactile and visual check with my travel companion that passports are in place and the crossbody is back on before leaving security. The crossbody wallet and I become one for the remainder of our trip. Ok, I do take it off and put it by the bedside when I sleep.

Too funny. Yes, that's me. I put my wallet, cell phone and passport in the seat pocket. It's the first thing I do after I settle into my seat. If I leave the seat I take the PP with me. I did this for over 40 years of travelling and never a problem. Once I am off the plane, the PP is always in my pants pocket as is my wallet. If I ever put it anywhere else, it goes into a specific pocket in my carryon bag. The key here is routine and consistency. I am constantly checking and rechecking to make sure I know where it is.
There have been times when I had to hand it off in order to access a customer faculty. Whenever I was at a Foxconn factory working on an Apple line, I was expected to leave it with Hon Hai security. I always tried to pretend that I didn't have it with me and would hand them my driver's license instead. That worked most of the time once they recognized me and knew my role.
At Samsungs Semicon fab, there was no access without the passport so reluctantly, I always had to hand it over. These guys were super cautious about anything brought in from the outside right down to small scraps of paper. I once made a mistake with some proprietary documents and was lucky to convince a Samsung employee to carry them out for me.
The only time I ever "lost" my passport was travelling through customs from Malaysia to Singapore by car. I handed my passport to a colleague in the car. He was driving and so he handed the passports (his and mine) to the customs agent for inspection and departure stamps. As we drove away, I asked him for my passport so that I could put it back in my pocket. He panicked when he realized that he had left them behind. He was a Japanese who was living in Singapore. Losing the PP was more of a big deal for h than it was for me. We had driven about 5 minutes already when I asked him about it. We turned around and headed back. Lucky for both of us, they handed our passports back to us without much of a hassle.
In my opinion, the most important way to protect your passport is to develop and follow a routine. And...keep checking to make sure you have it, but do this subtly so that you are not signaling thieves and pickpockets.

I am puzzled by those that mention finding money belts left hanging on bathroom doors, etc. This is not something you remove and it is worn under your shirt. Perhaps you mean a hip pack, waist belt?

I am also wondering about the passports being stolen out of a hotel safe. I know people forget them in there, but have yet to meet anyone or hear of anyone that had anything stolen from a hotel safe. Am on several forums, so if this was a thing, wouldn't people write about it? Wouldn't they post reviews on TA about it? Oddly, have never seen anything about real theft from a hotel safe.

am also wondering about the passports being stolen out of a hotel safe.

I became leery of leaving valuables in hotel safes about 20 years ago when I checked into a room in Paris and found the safe door was not left opened but locked, suggesting the prior guest absentmindedly locked it with their code. I called the front desk, and was told to ask the maid who was on our floor to open it - I did, and she had a pass key and she opened it. That experience gave me pause about using hotel safes knowing that staff had the means to open a safe. I mean, it makes sense that they do, but it bugged me.

Ever since then I wear a neck wallet when I travel abroad and carry all valuables in it - extra cash, cards, passport - whenever I leave the room. I sometimes use the room safe to leave non-valuables, like paperwork, itineraries. Basically put in the safe anything I don't want to leave lying around in the open...and I also lock up the valuables in the safe for overnight, but I remove them when we leave the room the next morning.

@Ms Jo, the standard money belts I know are worn under your pants, necessitating removal. Neck wallets under shirt (my preference).

Allan since you're from Canada be aware that you can ask for a certified copy of your passport from the passport office ( there's a fee).

Place the passport and certified copy in two separate locations, if one is lost you stil have the other.

Not all jurisdictions allow this (mine allows it).
During my recent 3 month trip to Portugal I had the certified copy with me at all times and kept the passport secure at vacation rental.

I also carry a sacrifice wallet with a few $ in case the pickpockets are successful.

I have to carry mine, plus DH's (I don't know why but I just don't trust him not to lose it). I hand it to him when we need to show them, then immediately make him return it to me and put it back in my cross body messenger bag. That bag stays on me at all times; by the end of the trip I want to throw it into the ocean.

Its true as mentioned above to not vary your routine and make it muscle memory. Years ago in France we had a rental car and I ALWAYS put my bag at my feet in the passenger side. One day we stopped at a rest stop and for some reason when we got back to the car I put on the floor of the back seat. The panic that ensued. It had the passports, cash, almost everything. So don't vary the routine!

I have a friend who put her passport under her arm at security just for a moment -- of course it fell and she left the security area. Luckily she realized within five minutes and it was easily found. But it was a panic!

When traveling around town I do this same as many other posters above...crossbody Pacsafe bag with phone, day money & one creditcard, plus neck wallet under my clothes for deep storage (passport, extra money/credit cards).

However on transit days taking planes or trains, I amend my routine. These are the days when I'm managing luggage and tickets, so things can get a bit confusing. On these days I use this rule: Everything important goes on my body under my clothes.

I don't like using the neck wallet for this because it's inconvenient. Instead I have a very cleverly designed shirt and pants that I always wear, The pants have a deep side pocket, but at the bottom is a zipper hiding another pocket. It hangs down almost to the knee. The shirt has a large zipped patch pocket that again contains another zipped pocket below it that hangs down almost to my waist. I think a thief and I would have to get very well acquainted before they could get something out of either of those pockets! The phone goes in the shirt pocket, and the passport and deep storage money and credit cards go in the pants pocket, always everything in the same place.

Wearing these same clothes every travel day has prompted some comments at home like, "You look exactly the same as when I dropped you off at the airport 2 weeks ago! Are you still wearing the same clothes?" I do sink wash them, but in fairness to family and friends who are tired of seeing these same clothes, I am also in process of adapting some additional pieces to serve the same purpose. Using pants or shirts that come with deep pockets, I will split open the bottom and sew in a money belt with zipper.

I think I'm also still affected by the aftermath of 9/11, when there were a number of security instances where passengers were told to exit the aircraft with nothing in their hands. It's still comforting to me to know that I can do that and still have all the important stuff with me.

I wear a money belt every day on the Camino and never have to take it off unless I am going into the shower. If you have to take it off to go to the bathroom, we must be talking about some kind of different money belts. Mine is satin or silk and has a comfy band around it. I never even feel it once it is on.

In airports it stays in a zippered pocket in my crossbody purse until I checkin to my hotel. Then, it goes into my money belt, where it stays throughout my trip, including when traveling on trains, buses, or ferries. I have rarely needed it while out and about. There was one time I needed it in a small Italian train station to obtain a refund. The bathroom wasn't located nearby, so I ducked into one of those photo booths to retrieve it. Perfetto!

Allan since you're from Canada be aware that you can ask for a
certified copy of your passport from the passport office ( there's a
fee).

I never knew about that. It might be worth the $45 for emergencies. In about 2008 we were going to a light show at the pyramid at Chichen-Itza, Mexico. We had tickets, but to gain entry they were insisting we leave our passports at the ticket gate. There was no way I was going to let that happen and I left my driver's license instead-which I also wasn't comfortable with as I had a rental car.

After the show, we came back to an unmanned gate with a pile of passports stacked up and people having to look through the stack to find theirs. Luckily nobody seemed to have a problem with anything missing. I'm not sure if I would have left a certified copy either, but it would be nice to have the option so the main one never leaves my hands.

Thanks Allan, really interesting thread and nicely worded so we don't get distracted by the Which Method is Best argument.

Jojo, I think there's a lot of wisdom in having a system, that's always practiced. That encourages a "muscle memory".

I agree with so many here, whatever works consistently is the best way to go. I once switched to a theft-proof purse (many hidden features to access what I wanted) from my usual very small 30-year old Nordstrom waist clutch, and immediately almost left it at security, HUH. I just wasn't use to carrying a purse, though it's what I use every day at home. (And gross about those seat pockets, I use a lysol wet wipe before I touch those things, but even that probably isn't adequate.)

I am also wondering about the passports being stolen out of a hotel
safe. I know people forget them in there, but have yet to meet anyone
or hear of anyone that had anything stolen from a hotel safe.

Hopefully it's not common, but I wonder if making claims about it is. I posted this story in 2019 about a family whose passports among other things were gone after someone stole the entire safe from their room. https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/ont-family-stranded-in-rome-after-their-hotel-room-was-ransacked-1.4567520
The point of that post was to check your travel insurance carefully. In that case, when I looked at what was covered by my credit card insurance I discovered the following:

• I'm not covered with trip protection if I'm denied boarding because my passport is stolen.
• Theft is covered to a maximum of $2500.
• Cash is not covered.
• Hotel room theft is not covered without visible evidence that the ROOM was broken into. That's a bit troubling because in this family's case the article does not mention the room was broken into, just that the safe was ripped from the wall. I would also interpret that to mean that if staff were to come into your room and steal stuff, it would not be covered.

Which reminds me, time to read the fine print on all insurance coverage again...

Tangential to the question of where to keep your passport safe, as we do every night, we watched the nightly newscast from France 2 last night on TV5Monde, and there was a feature on pickpockets in Paris - showed teams of police recently out in force in crowded tourist areas, like the Metro and in front of Sacre Coeur, and the cops were pulling aside tourists with purses, cross body bags, and backpacks advising them to better secure valuables like a passport, etc.

There was also hidden camera coverage of pickpockets at work, and they are not daunted by any of the methods people describe here that involves an outer clothing bag or backpack or even a zippered pants pocket...not trying to stir up the passionate debates on this forum about pickpockets, but clearly it is a problem in Paris per the authorities' actions - and it is a problem in many other places in Europe - so beware and consider something like a neck or waist wallet worn beneath your clothes to hide valuables.

I am Team Neck Wallet...good luck...

My passport stays in my "hidden pocket" money belt at all times except on days I need it. Then it is in a Tom Bihn passport pouch around my neck.

My wallet and phone are in my front pockets. Both are clipped to a belt loop on my pants.

It was said earlier but i've been saying it for years....with just a passport, credit card and my phone, I can always get home.

I can understand the skilled thief getting into zippers on backpacks and back pants pockets without people being aware but I really question how anyone could not be aware of someone trying to unzip a pocket down on your leg in the mid-thigh to knee area. I’ve looked for info on YouTube but couldn’t find any. Anyone have more info on that?

Just got back from an international trip. At the airport I was asked to present my passport about 7 or 8 times from arrival at the airport to when I got on the plane. Juggling luggage and all the other airport-related tasks, I kept thinking, "You want to see it again? Please let me put it safely away. I'm going to lose it." Fortunately, I did not, but I never felt I had it particularly secure.

I so agree with the post above. We went through 3 security checks at Kastrup before boarding our plane. I've flown a lot of international flights US to Europe and Asia in the past 10 or so years including this particular route. This is the first time I have had to show the passport and answer the 1980's questions about who packed your luggage, did you leave your luggage unattended, etc. multiple times. This was required even with a Business Class, Fast Track access ticket. At each point, I assumed we were finished with the passport and it went back in the purse, only to be retrieved again. By the end, I wasn't sure where I had placed the passport and was double checking when on the plane.

OP, Just getting ready to renew my travel insurance, thanks for this addition.

The point of that article was to check your travel insurance carefully. In that case, when I looked at what was covered by my credit card insurance I discovered the following: I'm not covered with trip protection if I'm denied boarding because my passport is stolen.
Theft is covered to a maximum of $2500.
Cash is not covered.
Hotel room theft is not covered without visible evidence that the ROOM was broken into. That's a bit troubling because in this family's case the article does not mention the room was broken into, just that the safe was ripped from the wall. I would also interpret that to mean that if staff were to come into your room and steal stuff, it would not be covered.
Which reminds me, time to read the fine print on all insurance coverage again...

Posted by Linda

Instead I have a very cleverly designed shirt and pants that I always
wear, The pants have a deep side pocket, but at the bottom is a zipper
hiding another pocket. It hangs down almost to the knee. The shirt has
a large zipped patch pocket that again contains another zipped pocket
below it that hangs down almost to my waist.

Linda, please share the brand of pants and shirt you have with these deep pockets. Especially the pants.

Women's pants with deep pockets don't seem to exist.

Until Linda gets back to you, I wear women's Mountain Hardware pants on planes. They have a pocket on the leg that will fit a US passport & iPhone 12 mini. It would NOT fit a larger cellphone. Personally, I only use it to carry my cell phone when I travel. https://www.zappos.com/p/mountain-hardwear-dynama-2-pants-black/product/9400839/color/3?zlfid=191&ref=pd_search_1_sp_1

I can understand the skilled thief getting into zippers on backpacks
and back pants pockets without people being aware but I really
question how anyone could not be aware of someone trying to unzip a
pocket down on your leg in the mid-thigh to knee area. I’ve looked for
info on YouTube but couldn’t find any. Anyone have more info on that?

I have the same thought and have looked as well with no success. I suspect it could happen, but from what I've read, pickpocketing is a crime of opportunity and the typical thief is going to take the path of least resistance. All we can do is take the best precautions we can and hope that we're not the target.

I keep my phone and passport in the seat pocket in front of me so I know where they are.

Not promoting this, but ran across it by accident and looked like the sort of thing some may be looking for

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=6xVQPI73TaM
https://valcen.com/products/personal-pocket-bag

On this trip as with past ones starting in 2001, I took the usual perfunctory security measures, that of wearing the "hidden pocket" and the neck pouch plus my waist belt under the pants' belt. Neither one holds my passport. That goes into a pocket. I've never came close to losing the passport, misplacing it, having it stolen, picked, or any of the ways listed above.

This time I carried it with me diligently when out and about, above all, when doing day trips, leaving the city where my hotel is, such as Paris to Soissons.

Khansen & Sandancisco,
Alas, the pants were LLBean and the shirt Travelsmith, but neither are still available. I purchased them years ago. That's why I am now in the process of converting some standard clothing items to include the "pockets within pockets." I found some good pants and shirts to convert at Banana Republic. I found the shirt by entering search terms like "cargo shirt," and just accidentally found the pants there too. I noticed that Ariat also had some shirts that might work. Also look for pants at LLBean under search terms barrel pants and Bayside twills. Both of those seem to have deep pockets. I'll try to post a picture of my finished work once I have converted the items I bought.

For my first trip abroad in many years, I resurrected my trusty Samsonite passport wallet with adjustable neck cord. With my passport hanging around my neck, I always know where it is and can access it quickly.

But I had a moment of consternation when going through security at JFK. I had to take the passport wallet off my neck and put it in one of the bins, so it was out of sight and out of touch for a few minutes. When I retrieved it on the other side, the passport wasn't in it. I said, "Omigod, where is my passport?!" The man behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said, "It's right here; it fell on the floor" while handing it to me. I thanked him.

So now I will be extra watchful to make sure my passport doesn't fall out when putting my case into, or taking it out of, a security bin!

I am a firm believer in habits and doing the same thing all the time, for that reason I organize my smaller cross body purse I used while traveling the exact same way as my larger day-to-day purse. ANYTHING important lives in the small inside deep zippered pocket. This is a rarely used pocket so no worries of it falling out while getting something else, but is easy for me to get to if I need it. I can literally reach in blind and grab what I need as everything is always in the same exact place. The purse never leaves my body, bathroom, dining, sitting on a train etc. it just gets pulled forward and sits in my lap.

When I go through TSA security putting things in the bin, I take off the Eagle Creek neck pouch, obviously, but it's not lying in the bin exposed.

I don't conceal the passport in the neck pouch, anyway, but still don't want the neck pouch stolen. True, one is at one's most vulnerable moment at that point as you are separated from your belongings in the bin.

It's been a few years since I've traveled, but I don't recall putting my passport in the security bin at all. I'm fairly certain I just held it in my hand as I walked through the machine. Hmmm..need to travel again to figure this out.🤔

I use a very small crossbody bag that has my ID, wallet, phone and passport in it, and that goes in my carry on personal item once I don't need it at the airport/train station anymore. I never carry it with me when I am out and about.