Passport security

After I let the hotel have it for a while for their records, I always put it in my money belt and have it on me with a credit card. I just feel better knowing it's on me and I don't have to worry about whether or not someone at the hotel has a key to the safe...etc. Plus, if something does happen while you are out of the hotel, you have access to it instantly. I keep my copies in my suitcase. Evan

I keep mine in my money belt, on my person, whenever possible. A copy? Ever been pulled over and shown the cop a copy of your driver's license? You don't because a photocopy isn't a valid ID. It's the same with a copy of your passport, useful only to help get your passport replaced at a U.S. consulate. The entry stamp in your passport also shows you are legally in the country, which is just as important as proof of identity. European countries take illegal immigration at least as seriously as we do.

Technically I thought you were supposed to have it with you at all times? Keeping it in your money belt is probably the best bet, though the newer passports are awfully thick and inflexible. Another thing you can do besides keeping a backup paper copy is make a digital copy. That can be a digital photo or a color scan. I scanned mine and saved it as a PDF and keep it on a number of devices I carry with me. I also gave a copy of the PDF to the neighbors that watch our house.

Hello Gregory. I think keeping a Passport in the Hotel's safe, the Passport is secure. That is the safe (a vault) that is accessed by the hotel manager. Not a metal box in the closet in your hotel room. I think : if a traveler will not be a long distance from the hotel, and that traveller knows that he can easily return to the hotel, keeping the passport in the hotel's safe is not unwise. And, carrying a photo copy of your information that is printed in your U.S.A. passport is a good idea.

"Technically I thought you were supposed to have it with you at all times?" It depends on the country. Not all countries require you to carry ID at all times. For example, you don't have to carry your passport on you in England. Sometimes you can find advice on the country-specific pages of the State Dept website: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_4965.html

FROM BRAD. "The entry stamp in your passport also shows you are legally in the country, which is just as important as proof of identity. European countries take illegal immigration at least as seriously as we do." So if you are illegally in a European country they won't deport you but instead will let you get a drivers license and give you free health care, education food stamps and welfare.

I never carry my passport except when traveling and though I have lived here for over 24 years, have also never been asked to show it, except in travel situations. In Germany, it was a myth for a long time that you had to carry your passport all the time. Actually, you just have to have one. So if the police would stop me for some reason, I could just have them take me to my apt. and then show them my passport. Thankfully, I never behave in such a way as to have the police stop me. If you are driving a car though, it is best to have your passport on you. When I travel, my passport stays in my hotel room while I am out sightseeing.

I always keep my passport in the safest place possible - in my money belt.

I have always preferred to have my passport in my moneybelt at all times, and I wear the moneybelt in the back, which is the most comfortable for me. I keep a copy or two elsewhere in my luggage.

Gregory, I also like to keep my Passport with me at all times, either in a zip-lok bag in my Money Belt, or in a more accessible pocket if I may need it quickly (ie: when checking into a Hotel). I feel that the Passport is safer with me, than left in a Hotel room. The possibility of losing it and having to go through the hassles of finding the nearest Embassy and getting a replacement would be a major annoyance during the trip!

I always leave mine in the hotel room as I don't want it to get lost or stolen. On one visit to Rome I was hurrying down Via Del Corso to get to a movie with a panini in one hand, my phone in the other and a bag of Popeners in my front pocket. I must have looked suspicious because the Carbinieri pulled me aside and asked for my documents. I explained that my passport was in my hotel room and they took me over to a Carbinieri van where I was half surrounded by 5 uniformed officers until an older guy in a suit came over to "question" me. He says it will just take a second, pointed to the bulge in my front pocket and asked what I was carrying. I pulled the bag out of my pocket, it ripped and 3 or 4 Popeners fell on the ground. The guy says "Ah...Il Papa...you can go." So I guess the moral of the story is always carry your passport...and if you're in Rome, it wouldn't hurt to keep a few Popeners in your pocket just in case.

I always carry my passport, credit card and debit card in my moneybelt, tucked securely and comfortably in the small of my back. If I leave my hotel room, it goes with me. I keep my passport in a small plastic baggy to prevent any moisture from damaging it. I never have to give a second thought as to where these three critical travel items are, or whether they are safe. For me, it's simply peace of mind.... wanna break into my hotel room and steal all my luggage? Take my bag on a train? Slip your hand into my pocket on a crowded subway? Go for it, I have everything I need to continue my adventure.. I view my moneybelt as my portable safety deposit box