Money belts in Europe... what's the deal?!

Kira, No you don't dive under your clothes for a money belt. I use a normal wallet for my spending money and one debit card. In my money belt is my passport, a backup debit card, plane ticket home if I have a ticket, and cash I don't plan on spending today...but tomorrow or the next day or the day after that. IMO, a money belt should NOT be though of as a replacement for your wallet or purse, but as safety deposit box you only access when you are in your hotel room.

As ed says, your money belt is not something you access in public, so no-one knows you're wearing it, so no, you don't look like a rube. I wear mine with the pouch in the back, and when I get home from a long trip I feel undressed without it. Congratulations on never being pick-pocketed. I was pick-pocketed in Rome, despite being a fairly frequent traveler (on the notorious 64 bus - it was late at night). All the thief got was one day's cash and an expiring bus pass.

BTW - I also think that money belts are essential for solo travelers but optional for couples. Husband and wife traveling together and one of them gets pick-pocketed. They can get by on the credit card/debit card that was in the other person's wallet. (Assuming they have cards to separate accounts.) One person's id can be used to vouch for the other when getting a replacement passport. Etc. OTOH, a solo person loses everything they are screwed. No money, no id, no credit card, thousands of miles from home. Even a single person at home can get by with stolen wallet when at home borrow $100 from a friend or coworker until the replacement ATM card comes from the bank. No so easy when everyone you know is on a different continent.

When you're standing up on the metro in anticipation of your stop, the door opens and some well-dressed businessman bumps into you - even if he says 'pardon' - you've just been pickpocketed. He got into your purse, or your pocket (pants - front or back, chest, low cargo pocket)...and you had no clue. You keep a day's worth of spending money in your wallet - an amount you could stand to lose. I've gotten to my credit cards on the rare occasions I've made a larger purchase by being as inconspicuous as possible - perhaps in a more secluded part of the store. I don't end up at the front cash register and - SURPRISE! - there's a $600 cuckoo clock I must pay for! I knew about that before I got to the register. Same thing for my passport - I've needed that for purchases, too, and other things. I've seen people just whip out their moneybelt and let it hang for 10 minutes while finishing their transaction...(dopes). Have you ever needed to scratch in public? Did you take your pants off to do it? No, it was a very subtle maneuver...hopefully. Sometimes it's not; see 'dopes' comment above. I've spent untold thousands and thousands of dollars on insurance in my life - cars, houses, life, health, travel - and I don't do that because I feel paranoid or Way Olde Fashioned. Sure, someone could get at my moneybelt (wherever I happen to stash it on that particular trip), but it's not gonna be the 'bump-and-grab' type; it's gonna be a 'pin-me-down-and-get-it-off-of-me' thing. I, too, am very conscious of my surroundings and don't let people get too close to me; sometimes they try to get close...So I don't anticipate ever being robbed either. But the belt is unnoticeable when worn, and it costs ~$10...so...I'm going to always be wearing one.

Last month I was in Barcelona. Since I had my moneybelt, the thieves were just added entertainment. I use the same procedure that others have described, the moneybelt is like a safety deposit box. You shouldn't need it in public or if you do, get to it in the restroom.

I've always been in the moneybelt camp. My husband wasn't, until he got pickpocketed. Interesting how they targeted him and not me. I look at it the same way I look at car insurance. There's a really good chance I won't need it. But if I do, I sure as shootin' better have it. When my husband was pickpocketed, we spend a couple of hours getting a police report (didn't need it, but thought we should have one just to be safe) and cancelling his cards. After that, we were in such nasty moods that we decided not to do our scheduled day trip. Vacation day mostly ruined. So, for me, having my passport, credit cards, and most of my cash tucked away in a safe place isn't being paranoid or old fashioned, it's just protecting the time and money I've invested in this trip.

Kira, As the others have said, the Money Belt is NOT something that is accessed for each purchase. Keep some "daily expense" funds in a cheap wallet, and ONLY access the Moneybelt in locations where you can't be observed. As you appear to travel frequently, it's fortunate that you haven't been victimized yet. If you should happen to lose a substantial amount of money due to a pickpocket, you many change your attitude towards Moneybelts. You find it "enlightening" to watch this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hboPd9GzJxg Happy travels!

Thank you all! I read back and thought - "eek! I sound kind of offensive!" - but you've all been really friendly, and given me excellent input. Which all makes total sense, BTW. Also - got it. Safety deposit box analogy. I was thinking the money belt was instead of a wallet. (Seriously. Duh!) This has given me something to think about. Excellent point about couples having each other as "back-up," but... insurance is a good thing. Thanks again! (Also, showing this to my husband. Who insists we would NEVER need such a thing.)

Kira, don't feel too 'duh'; I'm always amazed that I still see people wearing Absolutely Stuffed moneybelts on the outside of their clothing - around their necks, loosely slung around their waists...It's like they heard half the answer, then never wondered what the question had been...

I/we use neck wallets and inside-the-pants hidden wallets. I use a Rogue front pocket wallet that sits in the right zippered pocket of my Royal Robbins Global Traveler pants. My passport also rides in the same pocket. My wife has an opera wallet that she carries in her across the body purse. I tried a money belt once and it was a bother to access and uncomfortable to wear. The neck wallet and hidden pockets work better for me. Neck wallets come with a woven string that goes around the neck and is adjustable using a spring toggle. I've taken the toggle off and measured how much string I wanted for the wallet to hang comfortably. Then one end of the string was cut off the wallet and resewn along one side at the appropriate length.

@Monte Thanks for the tips! I have an opera wallet, too - goes in my purse. The jacket you mention sounds like a cool idea....

I think a money belt is paranoia and I wouldn't wear one in the US so why Europe. That being said, I''ll post back when, inevitably, my Karma gets a passport and follows me to Europe and I begin extolling the virtues of money belts on message boards.

You know, I'm new to posting here and I feel like I am going to have a test on what I've learned here. That isnt sent at the 30 day marks is it? Had no idea what an opera wallet is, looked it up. What advantage does that have over another kind of wallet for your daily $?

Kira, As Eileen mentioned, I've also observed some "Duh" examples of Moneybelt usage in Europe. While wandering around Stresa one afternoon, I observed a group of high school students, who were ALL wearing their Moneybelts on the outside of their shirts. As they were speaking "North American English" (ie: no British or Australian accents), I'm assuming they were either from the U.S. or Canada. They looked so "dorky", I almost burst out laughing. I briefly considered "educating them", but decided it would probably be a futile effort. Cheers!

"I wouldn't wear one in the US" I don't wear one at home, where I drive everywhere, and only carry one ATM and two credit cards. But when I stop off in New York or Washington on the way to/from Europe, traveling by foot and public transport, and carrying my passport, more money and more cards, guess what? I wear a money belt. (Unless I'm in a hotel with a room safe.)

Yes, Pam - there will be a test; Kent actually comes to your home...;-)......So if you see a man with a clipboard through your peephole, it's Kent! Probably... If I lost my credit cards in the USA, my bank has so many branches you could trip over them; I could get gas money for the drive home. I have resources. If I lost my credit cards and passport in Belgium, that's a very different story. Among other things, my DH and I don't intend to spend our precious and expensive vacation days trying to reach our banks in the USA and then stand in line at the embassy/consulate, etc. I've heard of many people not using some form of moneybelt and losing their cc, money, and passports to thieves (including several brave souls on the Helpline), but I've heard of only one case of someone's moneybelt being stolen - and the victim admitted doing something very foolish that allowed it to happen...

Pam, Far be it for me to say a lot about why women choose one purse or wallet over another. Opera wallets tend to hold more stuff, I think.

I don't think it's a necessity. It depends on who you are and what you're used to. I grew up in Moscow, I've always lived in a city I'm used to being aware of my surroundings so I don't find it a necessity for me. On the other hand, if you're someone from a small town where people keep their doors unlocked or if you're just uncomfortable in a foreign city, play it safe and wear a money belt! I don't like this preponderance of the idea that if you don't wear a money belt, you will certainly be stolen from. And I think this idea is this rampant only among the Rick acolytes, who make up only a small portion of travelers to Europe. Plenty of people travel all over Europe without so much as thinking about a money belt, and I doubt every single one of them has been stolen from. Then again, I also dropped 60 Euros on the floor of a cafe in Berlin, and it was still there a half hour later. Maybe I have a little more faith in humanity after that.

Whenever postings start to lag on Helpline, someone revives the moneybelt question. And that usually livens things up again for a while. Other than the frequency with which this comes up here, what I find amazing is that 90 percent or more of the money belt comments on Helpline are pro-money belt, while the topic seldom comes up on other forums. And when it does, it seems that 90 percent of the comments go in the other direction. Why such divergence?

" ...I've always lived in a city I'm used to being aware of my surroundings so I don't find it a necessity for me. On the other hand, if you're someone from a small town where people keep their doors unlocked or if you're just uncomfortable in a foreign city, play it safe and wear a money belt..." Sorry, I don't buy the who rural vs street smarts argument. Thieves specifically target tourists. They're carrying the most amount of cash and are unlikely testify in court should the bad guy be caught. It's just as easy for them to rob a local...it's just not worth their time. I know someone who has lived in NYC his entire life, uses the subway extensively and has never been pick pocketed; nor does he know anyone who has been robbed. He visited Barcelona and within a couple of days his wallet has lifted on the metro. If someone wants to play Russian Roulette by not wearing a money belt type device go for it I guess:) The last thing I want to do on vacation is potentially waste two days filing police reports, calling banks, visiting the consulate, and arranging for replacement cash.

@Roy: eek! Sorry. I didn't realize this was an old chestnut. :o) @Michael: hmmmm... I suppose that's a valid point. Maybe some people just look more like tourists than others? Anyway.... thanks again to all for the input. Sorry for bringing up something that has apparently already been done to death.

@Roy - this issue comes up with some regularity at Fodors. The responses are usually split 50-50.

I agree with Michael that it has nothing to do with street smarts vs. small town. I grew up in DC, and have actually caught a pickpocketer trying to lift my purse on the Metro. I have also observed tourists being targeted. I feel comfortable in urban settings, do not look very touristy when traveling (have had folks asking me for directions in the local language), and keep aware of my surroundings. However, I always wear a money belt while traveling. I do it because it's one less thing I have to worry about and it is such an easy way to get peace of mind. I also don't feel like spending hours trying to fix a stolen goods problem. I think for me, that is really the issue. I'm not so much worried about being a victim, as much as trying to clean up the mess afterwards and potentially ruin a trip (or a couple of days of it). The insurance analogy is a good one in that you don't ever plan on being in an accident... Another one of those personal preference discussions I suppose.

"and are unlikely testify in court should the bad guy be caught" I think this has a lot to do with why they target foreigners. When I did an internship at the DA's office, I recall one case we had dismissed because of lack of evidence. Chinese women had her purse snatched. She was unavailable for trial being back in China. The defendant was caught. She had identified him in a police lineup. (Inadmissible as hearsay.) When he was caught he had on him her passport and the passport of another theft victim on his person. (The contents of his pockets were admissible, that either passport was stolen was inadmissible as hearsay as that person was now back in Italy.) He had stated that he had found both passports in the trash and was on the way to the police to turn them in. He had a rap sheet of 14 arrests for theft over 20 years. All for pickpocketing/purse snatching of non-Americans. Of the 14, 11 had been dismissed because of lack of evidence because the victim was unavailable for trial. The three that their was enough evidence were 1) a women who had come to the US to attend college so she was available for trial and 2) pickpocketing in which two local people saw the defendant stick his hand in the victims pocket and 3) a businessman who came to the US frequently and the judge was more than willing to schedule the trial around the businessman's schedule. The judge said he was 100% certain that if the women was available to testify the defendant would be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, the Constitution and laws of evidence required him to dismiss the case for lack of evidence. This guy targeted people who would not testify if he was caught.

For me it's walking around money in my front pocket, enough for my expenses for the day, everything else in my moneybelt. If it's going to spoil your trip to lose, it should be kept secure (or left home). I rarely get into my moneybelt during the day. When I do it's in a toilet stall, or other private place, and I look around carefully to make sure I didn't accidentally lose something before leaving. Is it paranoid? I don't think so. There are people who make a living scamming and pickpocketing those who are careless. It's like the guy going hiking in the woods and putting on running shoes. His friend, wearing hiking boots, asks why he's wearing running shoes. "In case we run into a bear," he says. The friend replies, "You can't outrun a bear." He replies, "I don't have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you." The scammers and pickpockets are looking for the most return with least effort. Tourists are most likely to be carrying valuables carelessly (due to jetlag, fatigue, lack of situational awareness, etc.), that's why they are targeted. Any steps I take to make myself a less likely target will probably make the crook focus on someone else.

Maybe the 90%/10% split here is because those of us that don't bother with one don't really care enough, usually, to post about it. It's not like I'm going to go out of my way to tell anyone that they shouldn't; your typical distracted American tourist wearing Crocs and a baseball cap and hanging out in touristy places probably should. The pro-moneybelt crowd, on the other hand, definitely has that evangelical zeal and they loooove to post about why everyone should always wear one (my favorite is the guy that always comes on and says it's Russian Roulette if you don't.)

Ok, to change the percentage a little, I'll say that I don't care for money belts and have never used a money belt on my trips. I rely on vigilance and distributing my money/cards in different areas of my bag. However, should I ever get pickpocketed, I will post on here and you can all say I told you so :-)

OK, Sydney ;-) "I don't like this preponderance of the idea that if you don't wear a money belt, you will certainly be stolen from. (italics mine) And I think this idea is this rampant only among the Rick acolytes, who make up only a small portion of travelers to Europe." I don't recall ever seeing that (in itlalics) in writing here, and I've been reading the Helpline for however many years it's been around...but I'll just say it's easier to get into a purse than a moneybelt. I can SEE your purse, and I know where most pockets are, esp. the bulging ones (duh!)...but who knows where to start hunting for your moneybelt, If You're Even Wearing One - is it around your waist, your neck, your ankle, your bra, etc.? "Plenty of people travel all over Europe without so much as thinking about a money belt, and I doubt every single one of them has been stolen from." Well, I'd think not...BUT many of them have been stolen from... I'm with Brad - I don't even have to be the fastest runner, just faster than the next guy.

Eileen is correct in her above post, when she says: There will be a test on this ("Kent actually comes to your home with a clipboard"). And those scoring below 80% will have their passports revoked. Sorry, but some of this stuff is important and rules are rules.

Oh No! Kent, I hope that wasn't you I stared at through the peephole - are you approx. 17, bored out of your mind (apparently), and in serious need of a haircut? Sorry I didn't answer the door :-( Next time, wear your neck pouch hanging out...The Sign of The Helpline.

I have always been curious as to why those folks who do not use money belts, and if they get pickpocketed, do not return to post what happened. I do not believe I have ever seen any such post although I do not read this site every day. Do I think it is because no one who does not ware a money belt has ever been pickpocketed? I don't know.

Charlie, I will vouch for several who HAVE come to the confessional Helpline and admitted their misfortune. I won't name them...;-)

I went to Ireland with a friend last year and explained to her the importance of the moneybelt and how it should be discreet. She shoved EVERYTHING into it, including her eyeliner and pack of cigarettes and then let it dangle OPEN everywhere we were on the outside of her clothes. I chastisted her but then since it continued I had to let it go as I was sounding like a shrew and she didn't change her behavior. DROVE ME CRAAAAAZY though.

Kent, I am studying hard for that test! FWIW, I DID wear a money belt on my first trip to Europe in the early 70's so hoping to earn extra credit. That was before RS! In the 80's I gave that money belt to my Mom when she and Dad lived in Brussels for 2 years and she traveled a lot on her own. She always wore it when she went on a trip out of town. She did almost get her purse snatched coming up out of a Paris Metro stop on an escalator but Dad saw what was about to happen and got her off to the side before the decoy fell at the top of the escalator. The others got their hands on her shoulder bag, but couldnt get a purchase on it as they were ready to turn away from them. She regretted not letting them just take the bag as there was no money in it, but it ticked her off so she was ready to resist. So, I guess, referring to the OP we did think it was someplace exotic but the money belt served it's purpose.

Okay...here it is...I HAVE BEEN PICKPOCKETED!!! I was on a RER train in Paris, on my way to the airport to return home. I had a neck pouch with my passport and euros hanging under my jacket. My wallet with credit/debit cards drivers license, etc. and U.S. dollars was in my purse. I was distracted by my concern about getting to the airport on time and making sure my husband and daughter made it onto the train. The train was VERY crowded when we got on. The next stop a lot of people got off and I immediately saw my purse was unzipped halfway. My wallet was gone. I called to cancel my credit card while still on the train. I was unable to reach anyone at my credit union, as it was midnight at home. I had a fraud number, but it was in my wallet. That was dumb on my part. The person who stole the wallet immediately went to a shoe store and spent about $1200. I got my money back, but I was not happy about spending my first day home at DMV, the credit union, etc. I would have been much less happy had this happened earlier in my trip!!! This happened because when you travel, stuff happens. Distractions happen, either caused by scammers or just because you can't always control what happens around you. The only thing you can control is to keep your important
belongings as safe as possible. FYI - this not the first time I have told my story on the helpline. I think many people have a false sense of security because it has never happened to them...

Kent -- I'm studying, too. Bring it!

I would wear my moneybelt when traveling long before I'd heard of RS. Perhaps his dogma is what led me to worship here.

I agree with Eileen, even if you don't use a money belt odds are you won't be pick-pocketed. For me the issue really isn't that the odds of getting pick-pocketed are higher when you travel. They are but that is not the reason I use one. IT IS BECAUSE THE CONSEQUENCES ARE WORSE. If I lose my wallet at home, I can borrow money from a friend 'til the bank sends me a replacement ATM card. I will still have my checkbook and Backup id (I would lose my drivers license but not my passport). Yeah, it would be a pain the backside to get everything replaced and would cost some money, but it would be an annoyance not horrible. OTOH, if I lost everything when traveling. Particularly when traveling solo, then I have no one to borrow money from, no id, nothing. For me it has nothing to do with the increased risk and everything with the increased consequences.

Does Rick wear his money belt when he's having an intimate encounter with his girlfriend so he can say he's wearing "protection"? And is it possible the Money Belt Police can get their point across without "shouting" in big capital letters?

I got out of a crowded Tube in London to find my jacket pocket inside out. Of course, nothing was in it anyway but I had no idea a hand had been in there. The valuables were partly in my bag and partly in the moneybelt on my husband.

I agree with Albany Ed about getting pickpocketed. It's not the probability of it, it's the consequences. I travel mostly in countries with Germans, or at least people with a German culture, and I think they are some of the most honest people in the world. Although there are foreigners in Germany, I feel that I am less likely to get my pocket picked in Germany than in the U.S. That said, as Ed pointed out, if you lose your wallet in the US, either from theft or just leaving it on the counter, or it falls out of you pocket, you can adjust far more easily at home. Your bank's a block away, you have your check book to get cash. It's a pain to have to get a new drivers license, but all this can be done without international phone calls. I'm always amused at people who worry about carrying large amounts of cash. They carry their atm/credit cards in the same place. If they lose it all, losing the cash would be unpleasant, but losing those cards, and not being able to get any more cash, could be a disaster.

Charlie, Just for the record, I did post a story about losing my wallet -- it was about 2 1/2 years ago. I wasn't anti-money belt; I just had never gotten around to getting one. My wallet wasn't stolen; I dropped it when I was pulling my camera out of my purse. But that was enough to make me realize the pain of losing your money and credit cards. I ended up getting my wallet back a week later (with everything still in it), when the guy who found it tracked me down on the internet via LinkedIn. In the meantime, I had to cancel my debit and credit cards. Though it could have been a lot worse, it was a big pain, and I vowed -- on this site -- to get a money belt after that. I haven't traveled to Europe without one since.

I guess the thing is: people who LIVE in Europe don't wear a money belt, right? I used to live in Los Angeles and I didn't wear a money belt. Granted, if I got pickpocketed I wasn't that far from home, but still. You also see European women walking around with trendy purses over their shoulder. They don't look like tourists with their slash-proof cross the body bags. I'll be among the paranoid when I'm in Italy, but the locals don't seem that paranoid.

@Holly - read the posts above about the difference between losing your driver's license, ATM and credit cards at home, and losing your passport, ATM and credit cards, money and railpass/tickets when traveling, especially when traveling solo. I didn't use a money belt when I lived in London, but I do now I just travel there.

Rick says wear your belt Neck or waste, either will work
Does the Pope wear one?

people who LIVE in Europe don't wear a money belt, right? Sorry, Holly - wrong. We live in Europe, and we do. My wife was pickpocketed in Amsterdam several years ago on the number 7 tram. They got her bum bag (fanny pack). Somebody else on the tram noticed it shouted and the tram driver wouldn't open the doors until he dropped it, opened the doors and ran off. Nothing lost in this case but would have been no trouble because there was nothing of value, only about 30 guilders. Everything else was in her and my moneybelts. Two years ago as we got on the train at Piramide for Ostia I noticed that our backpack was completely unzipped. Nothing gone because only water and hats and sunscreeen and a book in the backpack. Everything of value was locked in our room and in our moneybelts. They are good at what they do. Be prepared.

Nigel brings up a good point about backpacks and fanny packs. Although they are often worn behind you, when you are in a crowded place (subway, busy train, etc) I would suggest wearing them in front of you. I only had a large cross-body purse with me when on the vaporetto headed to Murano, but my friend had a backpack and wore it in front of her while riding so she would see any action that occurred with it. Pick-pocketers are sneaky and know how to get into bags without you feeling it. Don't expect that you'll feel them unzipping it or anything. It is not always practical to wear it in front of you, but it is one thing that can help (whether you are or are not using a moneybelt)

"And is it possible the Money Belt Police can get their point across without "shouting" in big capital letters?" @Ceidleh Would it possible for the ain't money belt folks to actually for once explain what they would do if they lost all their money, all their credit cards and all their id while traveling solo a thousand miles away either from theft or accident, instead of repeating, wornout Ad Hominin, "Do folks who live in Rome wear a money belt? Well, if they don't then American's visiting Rome don't either." Without any thought to the fact that the native would still have a place to sleep, food to eat, friends and family unlike the traveler.

Devon: I think that was sort of part of my original point... I don't wear a bum bag or carry a backpack on my back here at home, so I don't do it Europe, either. I am always aware of where my stuff is, and/or actually have my hand on it. My purse is always closed. I've been jostled, shoved, rubbed up against - never had anything swiped. When I see people strolling along slowly, gawking up at the sights, with their bags dangling unattended, I want to say something to them! Ed: I am not a "no money belt person" (I was just asking!!!!) but my guess is that the confirmed "no money belt" crowd do not believe that the worst could ever happen to them. The more comments I read, the more I think that a money belt is a good idea. (And I will swallow my prideful "but I look like a rube!" feelings. :o) If it happened to me, I guess I'd beg the folks at my hotel to let me call home, and would then beg a family member to wire me some cash. Then I would spend the requisite hours at the embassy. And it would be gruesome. Actually, when I was VERY young and traveling with a college chum, she lost her passport. It wasn't swiped - she just lost it. The thinks to this day that she accidentally put it down the trash chute, although she can't figure out how. Probably left it with some papers. ANYHOO, we were in Aix-en-Provence at the time, and decided to use my rail pass (plus strategically wielded tears and begging, plus hiding in the rest room) to get down to Madrid. Her dad was friends with someone who worked at the American embassy there. It took here almost eight hours to get her passport replaced. Hours during which I had to cool my heels outside in a cafe, reading and trying not to panic. Money belts are probably a good idea.

I think you hit the nail on the head, Kira. You've put so much time and money into putting your vacation together, you don't want to spend a day (or even half a day) having to do all of that stuff getting a passport, cancelling credit cards, calling home to get money wired. Vacation day lost right there. When my husband was pickpocketed, he knew EXACTLY when it happened. Problem was, it was a group of guys that did it when he was getting on a train, so he didn't know exactly who did it, and they handed his wallet out to a buddy outside the train right before the doors closed. Didn't matter that he had a velcro closure on his pocket, they just ripped right into it and took the wallet. Luckily, I had insisted on carrying his passport in my moneybelt. We had reservations on a train that night, leaving from Prague to Frankfurt, and then flying home the day after that. The biggest loss was his debit card, we had to call and cancel that. But, arrogant as he was at the time, he didn't have copies of the card or the number to call, so I had to find an internet cafe to get the number and go from there. Plus, he had to spend almost an entire day at the DMV when we got back replacing his driver's license. He's worn a neck pouch ever since. There's pickpockets in the major cities and major sights that are professionals they know more ways of getting your stuff than you know ways of stopping them from doing it. The best you can do is to cut your losses.

I've written about this on this forum before, but now seems like a good time to repeat myself. As a woman traveling alone I was pickpocketed in a Paris train station while buying metro tickets from a machine. I had a money belt but for some inexcusable reason I was not using it that day. I lost everything. All my money, all my credit and debit cards. On that particular day that I was in Paris I was completely alone and knew not another soul in the city. I did have plans to stay at the home of a Parisian couple whom I had never met and who's address and phone number and name (which I could barely remember) were stolen along with everything else in my wallet. I won't go into how I eventually managed to right this situation. I'll just leave off here and let everyone imagine the desperate place I found myself to be in, which severely crippled the remaining days of my trip, even after I managed to somewhat right the situation. I will never forgo using a money belt ever again.

This message just received here at the Helpline Subcommittee on Moneybelts: From the Pick-Pockets Union of Europe: "Rick is right about most things but wrong about money belts. We strongly urge you not to wear one."

Maybe someone already said this, but "A money belt is like anti-virus software - you don't need it until...."

@Steve: at least one person has called a money belt "insuramce," but you're the first to mention the analogy to anti-viru software. Good one! @Everybody else - thanks for all the input! I thought this was a great discussion. Hope my question didn't annoy too many people. The verdict for me is - I am getting a money belt.

Kent said: "And the pick-pockets of Europe strongly urge you not to wear one." I think that is it. All of the people who are staunchly anti-money belt on this forum are actually professional pick pocketers who pose as travelers on this and other forums because money belts are horrible for their profession. It actually makes more sense than there could be so many people so silly to actually argue against them on the merits.

I actually got my debit card hacked into when I was in Seattle. I got a phone call at 8 am and it was Chase asking me if I had charged $300 or so at a baby store in New Jersey! Luckily, I was able to go into a Chase to withdraw cash that I needed. Unfortunately, they could not issue me a new debit card since I'm from California & there's an interstate banking law that prohibits them from issuing me a debit card. If this had happened when I was in Europe, I guess I would be glad to have that 2nd debit card so I could access my cash. Although this has nothing to do with carrying a money belt, I thought I'd just share this. And I am firmly in the moneybelt camp myself!

I have yet to read a post from anyone who is "staunchly" against wearing a money belt. It is more that they themselves don't wear one, not that they are telling anyone not to do so. I myself don't wear one, though I do wear a neck pouch while traveling. My messenger bag is of a design that folds completely over on itself, and then fastens at the bottom. It cannot be pick-pocketed, though of course it could be cut I imagine, but then again I don't really look like a tourist. (even though I wear white tennis shoes and jeans) My passport stays in my hotel room. If people feel comfortable wearing one, then they should, just I don't feel the need to do so while walking around cities in Europe. My husband had his passport picked out of his back pocket in Milan, at the airport of all places, so I do know this can happen.