Why You Should Get a Money Belt; A Cautionary Tale

Carroll--I'm so glad your story has a happy ending but also happy you will be wearing a money belt next time.
Thanks for your warning.

And if you wear it properly, it will never make you look fat !!

Carol money belt or not, it pays to 'spread the wealth' and not have everything in the one place. I generally leave the extra credit card/cash etc back at my place of residence. It is dreadful situation to be bereft of money and cards, especially when overseas. I am so glad for you that the children were honest and gave you some joy after all. Bless them.

Carroll glad you got your stuff back, but lets face it that was a freak accident. I always carry my wallet in a zippered inner compartment in my purse, and like the other Pat said,, never carry all your eggs in one basket..
I've had stuff slip out of money belt while adjusting it in my hotel room, so stuff falling out is something to watch out for at all times. I do not wear a money belt each day as I do not carry all my stuff around, that would make me too nervous.

You were very very lucky.

Not only does it not make you look fat as Frank said you may very well find after wearing it for a while and getting used to it you probably won't find it uncomfortable and will not even realize you are wearing it. At least that has been my experience with wearing a money belt. Others may never feel comfortable with it but there are other alternatives. Glad it worked out for you.

So maybe the product that is needed is a combination money-belt and "control top" type waist-slimmer. Then not only will your essentials be safe but you will actually look slimmer.

All is vanity. LOL.

:)

Thanks for the tip, Brad, but I care even more about comfort than I do about my appearance. I have never bought a "control" garment in my life, and I'm not about to start now. Especially on vacation! :)

And thank you to the people who advised me not to carry everything in one place. I don't know why that never occurred to me.

I would suggest that you don't even need a purse but I always get beat up for that comment especially by Pat. I don't like carrying any valuables in anything that is detachable from the body.

Brad's onto something there, a waist girdle with a zippable pocket on the inside...

Would most likely need it after a week of eating French pastries anyhow... :)

Well, I have to disagree! I think it did make me look fat. But, my money belt was holding the majority of money, credit cards and passports for me and my daughter. It was just easier for me to carry more cash because I could get into it easier than my husband. I didn't mind, it was fairly comfortable, but I did look a bit wider than usual...unless of course it was the pasta!

If someone could pull their wallet out of their purse and drop it without noticing, it also seemss like they could pull money/credit cards/passports out of a money belt without noticing. Sometimes we drop stuff. A money belt wouldn't solve this problem.

I can understand using one of these for the real valuables, like a passport, but not for daily cash. It's so embarrasing pulling up your shirt to pay for a croissant, and if you are a women dressed nicely, there's no way. I used to use one but now that the trips to Europe have become almost annual, they just seem silly.

"I can understand using one of these for the real valuables, like a passport, but not for daily cash. It's so embarrasing pulling up your shirt to pay for a croissant, and if you are a women dressed nicely, there's no way."

Agreed. That's why I use the neck wallet. Can be pulled up if necessary. But regardless, my croissant money goes in a jacket pocket. Lose that, I'm out 10 euro. Oh well. Drop or lose my passport, credit card, debit card, etc. and I'd be in tears.

Re Christy's post: It doesn't make sense to keep your daily spending money in your money belt. The money belt is reserved for the things that you can't afford to let the pick-pockets get: deep cash reserve, credit card, ATM card, etc.

I'm a firm believer in money belts. Mine has my passport, DL, credit cards, debit cards,etc.

In my wallet is usually one credit card and the day's allotment of cash. No need to get to my moneybelt every time I need cash. That's not what it's really meant for.

My next trip I'm going to try a neck wallet instead of a regular wallet. My moneybelt will still firmly be attached to my belt.

This might be old hat to more experienced travellers. But I wear the money belt in a sort of diagonal configuration: strap over one shoulder and the pocket under the opposite arm -- all under my shirt. Then all I have to do to get at it is undo a couple of shirt buttons, without calling too much attention to what I am doing. It is also very comfortable. Does this work for anyone else?

Wider? Did someone say wider? I am so not interested in looking wider!

But I am also not interested in losing my cash and credit cards again, so I am going to get a money belt.

Hi Carroll,
Depending on how full my moneybelt was or how much sitting I was doing that day, I sometimes would wear my moneybelt backwards. Greater comfort when bending and no extra bulk in the tummy region!

Carroll, amazing story.

I don't even take a wallet with, everything stays in my money belt - credit cards, passport, large bills, and anything else I can't afford to lose.

I sometimes feel like a bit of a jerk, like I am being overly suspicious of pickpockets on the subways or something. But, the other side of that is that you have to consider how awful it would be to lose all of those important things so far from home!

Regarding comfort, I wore one every day on two separate trips (5 1/2 weeks and 2 1/2 weeks) and was never bothered.

Geoff

My husband thought I was being paranoid by wearing a money belt until he was pickpocketed in Prague. We were getting on a subway train there -- I got on first, then 4 men pushed between us and stood right in the doorway so he couldn't get in. When he started pushing to get in, they spun him around, took his wallet, and handed it to someone outside of the train before the doors closed. He had his wallet in his pocket which had a velcro closure over it, but that didn't matter. He was well aware that they took his wallet, but couldn't do anything about it.

The point I'm trying to make is that these pickpockets are professional. They know many more ways of getting our wallets then we know about keeping our wallets from them. The most you can do is cut your losses by only keeping your cash for the day in your purse or wallet. My husband had his debit card in his wallet, and he didn't have the phone number for his bank, so I sent him to the police to get a report while I ran to an internet cafe, got the international number for his bank, and called them to put a hold on his card. It killed the day.

My husband now wears a neck wallet when we travel. :)

In five trips to Europe, I used the money belt five times. First three trips were on organized tours. Last two were my own itinerary. However, I insisted that my travel partner wear a money belt. With the price of airfare, hotels, gasoline, food, I don't want to waste one single day (or hour) at the US Embassy while my travel mate tries to get a new passport. I tell them if it happens, they are on their own. I'll see them later that night. That usually does it. For everyone who is afraid of looking fat, put a money belt on, pack it with US dollars and your passport and itinerary and wear it around for a couple of days. See if anyone notices. I'll be they won't. MONEY BELT = PEACE OF MIND. Happy Travels.

I think wearing a moneybelt is a lot like wearing a seat belt in your auto.You travel day after day and never need the seat belt but when you have an accident and you arnt wearing the seatbelt bad things happen.You cant predict when you will have an accident and you cant predict when some one will pick your pocket.

Ouch, this kind of thing can really ruin your day. I've taken my money belt on every trip..I think now I'll actually start using it!

Hard to believe that, with all the information available, folks still don't use a money belt. I would be SO upset at having to spend any amount of precious trip time trying to cancel cards or replacing passports. Yes, the best laid plans and all that, but it's much better for plans to change for serendipitous reasons that can be remembered as great adventures. Trip time is just too valuable to have to learn the money belt lesson the hard way. Carroll, you were SO lucky.

Can I suggest that people also put together a dummy wallet. This involves finding an old wallet and basically making it look like your real wallet. You fill it with some money, some old cards, shopping lists, old receipts etc. NB: make sure you put a reasonable amount of money in or your potential mugger may smell a rat or get annoyed (I have about £50 in mine).

You then put it in your coat pocket or handbag and if someone picks your pocket or goes into your handbag that is what they will take. I also think it's good if someone tries to mug you. I know people who have been mugged who have said that there is a little part of your brain that is reluctant to hand over your belongings. If you know that the only thing you will be losing with your dummy wallet is some cash it might make you less inclined to do something silly.

I work in London and often have to travel home from work late in the evening so I keep my notes and cards in a slim wallet in an inside pocket of my suit jacket. I then put my dummy wallet in my handbag. I keep all my coins in it too so if I want to buy a newspaper I am not going to be paranoid about getting my wallet out.

To the person asking about the neck money belt. I wear is across my body. I make sure the strap is long enough so it slips past my waistband. It is easy to get to - only the strap is noticeable at the neck if you have a T-shirt on. I would never put a credit card in my coat or pant pocket. The credit cards and money are safe all day long in my money belt. Make sure you take two credit cards in case the magnetic strip stops working on one of them. That happened to my husband and me on one of our trips trying to get gas and now we carry two cards.

Buddy,

I imagine that I would get more than few odd looks if I started unbuttoning my shirt in public. Either that, or have money thrown at me to encourage me to go further. As one male friend says, I'm "talented." Naturally, too. ;-)

I don't care for the money belt myself or the one that hangs around the neck. They are uncomfortable to me. For more than 15 years I have used the hidden pocket, which clips on the side of my pants or skirt (if I wear a dress, I attach it to my slip). It doesn't show and is not uncomfortable. I've never had any problems.