Money and passport pack

To fully protect your passport, money and credit cards you should use a money belt. It goes under you clothes. There are several types. Look at RS site. I find the type that attaches to a belt the best. I pin it to my waistband. Once in place I don't access it during the day.

I carry a small amount of cash and mt debit card in a small crossbody bag I keep track of.

Carolyn, please do not use a fanny pack at all. They are very inviting pick pocket targets and those people are very skilled at what they do. Keep only one credit card and day money in a zippered shirt / blouse pocket or cross body bag worn in front. Use a money belt for the bulk of your cash, credit cards, and other important things and wear it under your clothing. Let me know if you would like to know the way we use money belts.

I would suggest that you leave your fanny pack at home. As previously stated, they are a magnet for pickpockets.

Use a money belt, or a neck pouch, or a bra stash, or a leg wallet. Whatever you find most comfortable. The RS store sells some. You can find others on Amazon, look under Travel accessories. The point is to wear something securely and unobtrusively UNDER your clothing for the bulk of your valuables ( cash, credit cards, passport). Then wear a cross body bag that holds only the items you need for that day while out and about. Make sure it has zipped closures, and keep it in front of your body ( you can't keep tabs on it if it's behind your hip.) Bury your wallet down at the bottom of the bag, and only have in it the cash you need for that day and a credit card.

This is what I use --- https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/silk-moneybelt

I just put "small change" for my daily spending in a front zippered pocket.... all the credit/debit cards, passport, main cash stash etc, go in the money belt

A fanny pack is just short of a neon sign saying "best stuff here"

There is no "best money/passport fannypack" pack --- period. You need to use a much more secure system that could include a money belt, neck pocket, etc. Fannypacks are just not very smart.

I use a neck pouch (Eagle Creek) but I hate it around my neck, so hook it under my bra and let it hang down on my side into my skirt/pants. I find the "money belts" uncomfortable.

Everything of value goes in it except daily cash and one credit card. Husband does the opposite cards and also very little money.

I still use fanny packs here in the US - golf events, shorts hikes, etc.

If you plan to use a fannypack for putting cash, credit cards, passport - you will be relieved of these items in short order.
The best - and most reliable - system is to hide your valuables where nobody can see them.
A neck pouch, or a moneybelt - all worn under your clothing - will protect your valuables.
You might be distracted while looking around at monuments, in museums, etc - prime targets for thieves.

If you plan to use a fannypack for putting cash, credit cards, passport - you will be relieved of these items in short order.
The best - and most reliable - system is to hide your valuables where nobody can see them.
A neck pouch, or a moneybelt - all worn under your clothing - will protect your valuables.
You might be distracted while looking around at monuments, in museums, etc - prime targets for thieves.

I'm wearing slim fit pants these days so I like my neck wallet better (more room under my shirt). Like others have said, the idea is to have your important stuff somewhere that's not easy to reach and not likely to be reached without your notice - so a moneybelt, neck wallet, hidden pocket or leg wallet is what you need.

If you use a moneybelt, I'd suggest something with either plastic lined pockets or put things in ziplock bags before you put them in pockets. Dry is a good thing, especially for your passport.

Carolyn -

Did you actually mean a money belt instead of a fanny pack??

I wear an Eagle Creek money belt. I find it not too uncomfortable. I even had days when we got back to our hotel room last year and forgot I even had the money belt on. It was so nice to not worry about a purse or bag and have my hands free. 😃

Safe travels!

. . . and don't call it a fannypack.

Don't expect a response from Carolyn. She has ask 15 questions and only responded to any of them once. This site works a lot better when we can have a discussion and refine both the questions and the answers.

Stan must have been in Australia.

How untrustworthy so many of you are!

I live in the UK and travel through Europe for about a third of the year. I have never been pickpocketed or had my bag snatched. I use a cross body handbag, as I do when not travelling and I always keep one hand on it close to the zipper. No uncomfortable under clothes pouches etc. For city breaks in the winter, I do put the bag under my coat.

I always leave passports and driving licences etc in the apartment or hotel safe but keep a photocopy in my handbag. As I say, I have never had a problem despite extensive travel.

I have to second Carolyn here... I live in NYC and never take any particular precautions. I have a deep bag that zippers at the top and my wallet always seems to have worked its way into the very bottom of it. I can't find it; no pickpocket will either. I also carry my passport all the time, even at home (things are getting weird in the US and I live in fear of having my citizenship challenged and being detained away from my children).

I have had friends who were pickpocketed (not here, when I lived in Chicago.) In both cases, they were carrying small, shallow purses that did not zip closed, were carrying large wallets, and were not paying attention to their bags. One woman's wallet was stolen in the public bathroom of a large store while she was in a stall; the thief simply reached over the door and snagged the wallet before my friend could react. Another woman's wallet was stolen on the El train.

Carry a smallish, crossbody bags that zips closed. Keep it in front of you. DO NOT wear a backpack. If you want, you can attempt to look a little more savvy by wearing more neutral colors and leather shoes instead of running shoes, but surely some Europeans are pickpocketed too. Just be mindful of your body and your bag when you're in a crowd or at a choke point, like getting on or off public transport, an elevator or escalator, or a doorway. That's when someone could easily pull off a brush and bump.

Please don't live in fear of getting robbed and don't let it ruin your trip.

Friends who rode their tandem bike across the Italian countryside must have gotten too complacent with rural life. The boarded a tram or bus in Rome on their last full day in Italy. She had both of their passports and wallet in her "fanny pack". A youth gang apparently unzipped the pack and grabbed their passports and wallet and ran. Our friend were strong but could not catch the culprits. They filed a police report but the police didn't seem to be very interested in taking action. But the police report worked because someone turned the passports in to the police that day. Of course, they are just an anecdotal instance that theft in Italy can happen.

This is where the conversation on this takes the silly turn. Jennifer claims to "never had a problem despite extensive travel." Just my keeping a tight grip on her cross body bag. Of course she lives there, may blend in a bit more, and is probably taking more precautions than she will admit or realizes. Of course, we can make the same claim of extensive travel approaching nearly a year in Europe over the past twenty plus years in most of the great pickpocket capitals of the world. We do use money belts worn in a manner that is very comfortable to being unnoticeable to us. We take a number of precautions concerning min usage of bags - cross body, backpack or other wise. Follow a number of street smart moves so that we don't stand out as an easy target. Dress in a subdued manner but not all place and dress very appropriate for the situation. Never had problem. So who's system or approach is best?

The one that doesn't make you so obsessed with getting robbed that you can't enjoy your trip, I guess, Frank! But I suppose it goes part and parcel with going on tours and sticking to the major sights. A lone traveler just isn't going to draw as much attention, and I'm not too interested in the postcard sights, which is likely why I've never had any problems.

I say, "it's not the probability of your being pick-pocketed, it's the consequences". You probably carry everything of value in the same place - jacket pocket, fanny pack, money belt). It's not likely to get stolen; maybe you've spent a million days in Europe and it's never happened, but it still could. Imagine being 5000 miles from home and it's all gone. You have to call your bank back home, long distance, and tell them to cancel your cards and issue you new ones, then wait for them to arrived. No one knows you. What do you use for spending money for food, etc, in the mean time? It's not the same as losing everything at home. Here, it might be inconvenient, but it's not life changing. You go home, get your bank book or a recent statement, and go to the bank, cancel your cards, and get money (or maybe you have enough food in the fridge to tide you over).

When you are far from home, in Europe, don't just do what you've gotten away with so far. Do the best you can do to protect if from happening.

I'd go to the American Express office and the American Consulate, in that order. On my next trip they're a block apart. There are no problems a gold card can't fix... ;)

RE: American Express office and the American Consulate, in that order.

If your passport is lost or stolen you may want to start with the Consulate to initiate replacement of your passport. However, be advised that as soon as you notify the State Department, your passport will be immediately canceled and void even if you find or get your passport back.

US State Department FAQ re lost or stolen passports: https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/emergencies/lost-or-stolen-passports-abroad.html

carolyn,

To begin with, it would be better not to use the term "fannypack" if travelling in the U.K. Waist pack would be a better term to use.

I would highly recommend using a Money Belt rather than a waist pack, as it will be considerably more secure from pickpockets and scammers. Use it only for deep storage of Passport, credit cards and larger sums of cash, and do not access where others can see. Keep some daily spending cash in a reasonably accessible pocket. If that gets pinched, you haven't lost much.

If you plan to use a fannypack for putting cash, credit cards,
passport - you will be relieved of these items in short order.

Chexbres: The OP didn't say she was going to Paris did she?

It can happen to even an experienced traveler

http://blog.ricksteves.com/blog/pickpocketed-paris/