We will be visiting Naxos in mid-June, and I'm wondering what people do with room keys, car keys, drivers license/ etc if you drive to a beach. Is it safe to leave them in a bag with our towels when we go into the water? At home I don't worry about it, but it would be much more complicated to deal with any issues when on vacation in Europe.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6985 posts
The eternal dilemma for beach/water lovers on holiday. How does one secure your car keys and/or wallet/money/credit card/passport/etc. when you squeeze into your Speed-o and hit the water?
I have grappled with this question for decades, have tried many a solution, and have not found a good one yet.
Nothing is safe left on the beach (unless you know and trust someone there who will watch it for you, and usually you don't). You could take turns with a trusted member of your party, but traveling as a couple that kills some of the experience if you can never be in the water together. Hidden in your car? Nope. "Hidden" among your unattended stuff? Nope.
I've tried all kinds of allegedly waterproof devices that you can put your minimalist stuff into and take it in the water with you. Most turn out to be not quite as waterproof as you had hoped. There are small-ish hard-plastic (actually) waterproof cases that will hold a key and a credit card, a few paper bills, maybe a driver's license too, but those fill quickly, won't hold much, and are bulky and an annoyance when swimming.
Best option is to leave all your actual valuables back in your hotel room, in the safe, and only bring the car and room key, ID and a credit card, maybe in a ziplock (get good at sealing it properly), and stuff that in a swim suit pocket. But that requires planning and other limitations.
I'd love to hear better options if anyone has found any that are workable.
Posted by
Vermont, USA
800 posts
What beaches are you going to on Naxos? Many of them are very uncrowded, even empty.
Plaka was the busiest beach we spent time on when we were there in July, 2023. We left everything in our tote bags on the beach and kept an eye on them when we were in the water. Did not feel even slightly worried.
Posted by
Bend, Oregon
2728 posts
I’ve used one of these waterproof fanny packs many times with no issues. They have multiple seals, and plenty of space for phones, wallets, keys, etc. We’ve used them while floating the river, snorkeling, and just hanging out in the ocean.
https://a.co/d/cuwLjY1
Posted by
OP
SF Bay Area
996 posts
I don't know yet what beaches we might go to. Possibly Plaka or Agia Anna. I do have a waterproof waist pouch I took to Hawaii a few years ago--but I never used it.
Posted by
300 posts
I spent a day at a beach on Mykonos by myself during a Mediterranean cruise and used a soft waterproof pouch called itFloats! by Travelon. I used it for my phone, ID, cc and some cash. It has a lanyard for around your neck. The only thing is, it does actually float so I ended up putting it down the front of my swimsuit when in the water. I didn’t care how that looked, I was in the ocean on a beautiful Greek beach. And it was definitely waterproof.
Posted by
Atlanta
5408 posts
If you don't want to use the waterproof waist pouch you have, consider a smaller neck pouch.
I used Man of Rubber waterproof bags for years canoeing (and sometimes swimming) in heavy white water and my stuff always stayed dry. Here's a link you might want to use to check them our.
Posted by
Philadelphia
80 posts
This is definitely an issue for me, as I travel solo and there's no one else to watch my stuff when I'm in the water. For me, personally, I don't feel comfortable leaving valuables in my room. Some hotels do not have safes but even so, it's a source of anxiety for me to leave my passport and credit card in a hotel room.
The hotel I stayed at in Paris required the room keys to be left at the hotel. So that's a possibility for a room key. But I don't think a robber would steal a room key anyway as they don't know what the key is for.
I was in Villefranche-sur-mer at the beach and had no car keys or driver's license to worry about as I didn't rent a car.
I kept one credit card in a hidden zippered pocket in my pants which I doubt that a robber would find during a hasty search.
The beach was very narrow and I put my belongings close to the water and watched them the entire time I was in the water.
I have to admit I wasn't able to relax and really enjoy the water due to worrying about my belongings. It's not ideal.
I did use a plastic waterproof pouch at the Blue Lagoon in Iceland once but it wasn't ideal. I worried about water getting into it. I held the pouch over the water most of the time.
Posted by
1237 posts
As Seinfeld said, put your stuff in the toe end of your shoes because thieves never look there.