Keep passports on you, or leave in hotel safe?

Has any of the posters that keep it at all times ever needed it in an unexpected situation?

I kept mine and my fiancees on me at all times but never needed them except at the airports and at the rental car booth.

for me, it depends... in switzerland, i just left it at my friend's house. in spain, i went everywhere with a backpack, and had it in there. i think i took it with me most of the time in paris, iirc. in italy, i might use a moneybelt and keep it in there, but only because it will be in the winter and it won't be so hot. plus it seems italy is the most notorious for fleet-fingered friends. i figure my driver's license is enough to prove who i am until i can get back to where my passport is. the way i look at it, my international friends made it with their driver's licenses/ID cards here just fine.

I leave it in the hotel unless I know I'll need it for some reason.

U.S. consulates and embassies deal with lost and stolen passports every day. I'll make you a bet that virtually none of these were lost or stolen from a hotel safe. I'll bet that 99% were being carried around by the individual at the time of the loss or theft.

I used a money belt, kept everything inside it and wore it at all times.

I always use the moneybelt and carry everything with me when travelling. Chances are I'll never get asked for the passport but I prefer to be safer than sorry. At home I tend to forget it sometimes.

This is one of those subject with endless discussion and had a done a little searching you would have found dozens of discussions. This is no absolute answer. Some have a paranoid fear of losing the passport so lock it in the hotel safe. And, of course, some forget that it is there when they leave the hotel causing a new set of problems. Others, self included, carry everything in the money belt all the time. Some countries require you to carry ID and a copy of a passport is not a substitute. Your passport is the ONLY thing that proves you are legally in the country. I follow the theory that it is better have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. Your call. You have to do what is comfortable you.

There are two ways to look at everything. I think some people have " a paranoid fear" of forgetting the PP in the hotel safe,,( never done that myself in last dozen or so trips) or of being detained for not having it on them. There are some of us who just do not like to wear a moneybelt all day every day and only use it while actually travelling from place to place.

Myriam, I ALWAYS carry my Passport with me. It's usually carried in my Moneybelt, although I make sure it's accessible when checking into Hotels. One important point to mention about carrying Passports in a Moneybelt - be sure to place it inside a zip-lok bag, to prevent it from becoming "damp" with perspiration. ¶ I've found that not all Hotels provide an in-room Safe, and I prefer to have a Passport on hand in case it's required. On occasion, I take day trips that cross into a neighboring country, so it's always a good idea to have the proper documentation on hand. Getting into the habit of carrying my Passport means I'm less likely to forget it when embarking on day trips.

Rule of thumb, keep your ID (Passport) with you at all times. It not only proves who you are and that you are in-country legally, it also helps to identify you as a U.S. Citizen and gets the help that you need from the U.S. Embassy if you should somehow become incapacitated and can't speak for yourself, or thrown in jail, etc...

Technically, you are legally REQUIRED to keep your passport on you at all times as a foreigner in Italy. In practice, of course, that's hardly ever necessary - it's not as if a policeman will stop a foreigner randomly and ask for their documents. When you will need a passport, however, is if you're caught on the bus without a validated ticket or some other kind of minor offense. They'll ask immediately to see your documents, and if you don't have them on you, it can be trouble! Of course, if you're not planning on committing any such minor infractions ;), you don't really need it. But I'd keep a copy on you just in case. www.revealedrome.com

Many people do not realize just how unsafe those hotel safes are and that one code or key usually gets into all of them. We had our passports and a small amount of money and one pair of earrings stolen from a hotel safe in Canada and ever since, we refuse to use hotel safes for anything not easily replaced and keep our passports with us. We spent a few days in Victoria before going on an Alaskan cruise. Had a heck of a time talking our way onto the ship in Vancouver. This was back in 2004. The hotel was very apologetic, but swore it couldn't be any of their staff, but they did provide us with a letter that our items were stolen from their safe to help us with our travels. They were able to print out the safe history and could see that somebody had used the bypass code after we had locked the safe.

...but I don't want to prove I'm a US citizen,,. LOL...and by the way,,your embassy isn't going to help you much in most cases,, so many people think they can "go to their embassy for help" ha,, its VERY limited help. Better to have good friends/family back home with money.

Nadine,, I am sorry that your safe got picked, and in my city of all places,, but sorry, safes are generally considered safe.. One occurance in years does not mean its a huge problem,, whereas thefts and losses occur daily in other ways.

I've traveled several times to Europe already. Next month I'm going to Italy and I plan to carry my passport with me at all times in my money belt (with the passport inside a plastic baggie). I'm also taking two credit cards and two ATM cards. I will carry one credit card and one ATM card in my money belt and leave the other CC and ATM card in my hotel room, not necessarily in the in-room safe...maybe just locked in my suitcase. I feel it's important not to "put all my eggs in one basket."

We happen to love Victoria and go back there often, we take our beagles with us. My point was merely that nothing is 100% safe, crud happens. We keep our passports on us now when traveling, usually in a money belt, wrapped in plastic if its warmish to keep perspiration and moisture off of them. We also each carry a photocopy of each other's passport, just in case...

Gwen,, a locked suitcase says "open me , or take me, I have something good inside" Use the hotel safe if you leave things in room. I have been to Europe more then several times and I would never leave my CC or ATM card in room any other way.

Here's a thought I have not seen expressed here. What about the Passport Card that Americans can use to go to Canada or Mexico? We just came back from Europe and most times I left our passports in the safe and carried the card with us. I even used it at a hotel when they asked for our passports, no complaints. It was a last minute thought when I brought it. And for the money belt issue, I used it one day in Venice, that was it. We were not usually in major tourist areas. I do use the safe at night and when we are out to hold all our electronics and and camera stuff in addition to passports and money.

Nobody has ansewered my question so I will ask it again =) has any of the posters that carry the passport with them all the time ever needed it in an unexpected situation? I have traveled to England, France and Spain and I have never carried my passport with me and I have never needed it so I'm just wondering if people just prepare for the worst worst worst case scenario or something has happened to them before.

I did need it when I showed up for my tour of the Vatican.

When we travel to Europe I always wear a vest. I keep my passport and any other important papers in an inside zipped pocket. My ATM and credit cards & cash go in the other inside zipped pocket. The only time that vest is off my body is when I get ready to go to bed. I do not trust any one with my passport and have even refused to surrender it to hotel clerks. My wife thinks I look dorky in my vest and doesn't like that it appears in hundreds of pictures after five trips to Europe, but it gives me a sense of security about my passport. My wife uses a neck bag for her passport. And by the way, in May of 2010 and for the first time I was asked to present my passport at a road block set up by the Italian police in Tuscany. I don't know what would have happened had I not had it with me.

Truthfully, Gaby, I thought it was a silly question. Yes, Gaby, two time out of about 300 days of travel. Once in Spain ten years ago, in a department store far from tourist areas a clerk demand a passport before accepting a credit card. Second in Paris during World Cup 98 (?) on an exist from the metro all ids were being checked by about a dozen police and couple people were handcuff in the corner. Have no idea what was happening but the police were not very polite [INVALID] he was very gruff - PASSPORT !!! I was glad I had it. In all of these discussion there is an element who want to prove that you don't have to carry a passport because they have never had to show it. Why ?? Maybe it is my engineering training but I like the idea of having it and not need it rather than needing it and not having it. Gaby please explain why you think it is important not to carry it or what you gain by not carrying it.

I too travel using a money belt and the passport is in there - just in case. What harm is it any way to carry it on your person. It identifies you.. YES, I was asked to show my passport when I bought a SIM card for my cellphone.

It would be interesting to hear from those who have actually lost their passport lost or had it stolen, as to whether they were carrying it on their person at the time of the loss or theft, or had left it in a hotel safe.

Mie is up above, stolen from a hotel room safe.

I don't think is important to carry it or not to carry it I think is a personal decision. This is a board to see other peoples experience and learn some tips from it. I wanted to see what has happened to others. I find your answer kind of agressive, but that's ok I guess you didn't like my question. The answers I got actually helped me, now I know that in my upcoming trip I have to, at least, carry it when I go to the Vatican.

Nadine,, IN CANADA,, in my city, and btw we have TONS of homeless , mentally ill and drug addicts in Victoria,, its a real issue, and I don't think we handle it well, I truly think Europe is safer as a rule. Property theft rates are pretty high here, its the only place I have ever had my ATM compromised, and I walked right into a guy trying to break in my car, in broad daylight in downtown Victoria, and when I went to Police they were just like " yep that pretty common"..so,, my point is,, why do we assume we have to be more careful in Europe, when in fact, it may be safer?? Robert,,. do you wear that vest at home? I do agree one should have all documents on you when travelling, but just to go sightseeing?? I guess its true each one must make their own choices based on their comfort level,, but really, other then Nadines incident that did not even happen in Europe,,has anyone here actually had their hotel safe broken into..??

My wife and I have developed a system whereby, the night before we fly out, we put all our important stuff, C-Cards, DLs, IDPs, Passport, etc, in our money belts and strap them on. I put my Passport in a small baggy. Sort of a rehearsal of being in-country. Then we wear these belts everyday and only part with the Passports briefly when checking-in to the hotels. We put the day's "walking money" in pockets. I don't even bring my wallet since everything is in the money belt. Sometimes Pickpockets have gotten five euros, no big deal. I have been asked to produce the Passport when renting motorcycles, and once, I naively drove into a security zone and had to produce it then. And once parked the bike where I should not have and produced it just to prove that I was a stupid American Tourist. The COP seemed to really appreciate the fact that I had the passport and IDP to show him and let us off with a STERN warning. For us, keeping everything on person follows the KISS principle. One less thing to have to think about. We get pretty giddy by the end of the trips with all the awesomeness that is Italy. So forgetting that we left the passports at the last hotel is a real possibility.

I know people who have been 1) Involved in an accident that requires emergency hospitalization; 2) suddendly become ill and required emergency hospitalization; 3) Had to leave the country immediately without going back to their hotel; and 4) been involved suddenly unexpected natural disasters (Italy has earthquakes). The odds of this happening to you - unlikely to very remote. The odds you'll wish you had your passport on you if one of these thing occurred - very high. The practical reality is you don't always want to carry it with you. As stated above - always carry at least a color photocopy. Also, before I leave for my trip I scan and E-mail myself a color copy of my passport that can be accessed on a web-based E-mail account.

We always choose a hotel with a safe in room and been lucky and never had any incident with our travels in Europe. We always leave our originals in the safe but I always carry a copy of the page with the pic and info in my purse all the time. There were some dept. stores where when using my card, they asked for more info so I just showed them a copy of my passport and it was fine. They will also accept your US drivers licence as the other identification.

Gaby, To answer your question on ever needing the passport while I'm out and about, the only place that comes to mind was in the banks in Austria and West Germany in the 1970s and '80s when cashing travelers' checks or at the American Express office for the same reason. That's no longer an issue since travelers don't use them. (In Wien, Berlin, and Paris you can still do that at the Amer.Ex). As far being stopped and questioned by any uniformed official on the street and asked to produce ID, ie., the US passport, the answer is no! After 16 trips since 1971 ranging from 3 to 12 weeks in Europe, I have never ever been stopped and asked but have seen the city police in Germany and the Grenzschultz stop and question people and in Paris. Not even in commie East Berlin and commie Prague was I questioned there in 1973. A few times relative to the numerous, numerous train rides, I was asked to show the passport along with the Eurail Pass... in this decade too. A lot of times in West Germany and Austria in 1970s I would even asked the controller if he (in those days they were all men ) wanted to see the Passport. When I am in a city, there are times I leave the passport in the hotel/Pension or at a residence. If I'm taking a day trip by train, the passport is on me, money belt or not, depends on where I'm going. I don't use the hotel room safe, basically don't want to be bothered by it. Also, in the past,( don't recall it recently,) when buying a point to point train ticket at the counter and paying with Visa, sometimes I was asked to produce the Passport, which isn't done anymore.

When traveling, I keep my passport and an extra credit card and other docs I will not need often in a silk, under my clothes money belt. I do not access it often so no one knows where it is. I keep my daily spending money and my frequently used cards in a separate, more accessible spot. If the accessible wallet gets snapped, I still have the passport and extra card safe. This is also helpful because you may need your passport during the day.

I always keep my passport with me, no matter which country I am in. This is officially recognized ID all over Europe. I keep it in my money belt, along with my debit card, credit card, and driver's license. The driver's license is carried because I sometimes will rent a car, along with an AAA International Driver's License. Now, when I am in the hotel for the day, I usually will keep the valuables in the safe in the room.

I worked in the American consulate in Florence replacing lost and stolen passports a few years ago and there are many, many different situations in which citizens became separated from their passports. From pickpockets to hotel room theft to cars bring broken into and all luggage stolen to just forgetting the passports at a hotel and not being able to recover them in time to return home. Whether you carry it with you or not is a personal decision. Also not all hotels offer safes and sometimes depending on the hotel itself, I would feel safer carrying it with me. Now I choose better hotels than I could afford as a student but I still think money belts hidden within your clothing are the safest bet with the day's worth of cash and a CC easier to access during the day in a purse or wallet. In Florence, I see too many tourists with the travel wallets hanging around their necks outside of their clothing and as they gaze admiringly up at the Duomo or Palazzo Vecchio make easy targets. Just stay alert and make your money and passport harder to get to, whether on your person or in a hotel safe. Getting passports replaced is a hassle AND really expensive!!

I keep it with me for the same reason I carry my driver's license in my wallet even when I'm not driving. It's my only valid ID when I'm in Europe. A photocopy of your passport, while useful at the consulate if you have to replace a stolen passport, is no more a valid piece of ID than a photocopy of your driver's license would be if your were pulled over.............Keeping the things I don't access often, but don't want to lose, in a money belt is the most secure way to travel. Is it overkill? Probably - until you consider the alternative of losing passports or credit cards while on vacation.

I have heard even money belts get stollen by unclipping them in a crowd, so i had a satchel made that hangs over my neck that is a soft quilted material with the little pockets lining the inside, and zips shut. It will hold my passport, id, credit & debit cards, Euros, and phone, with my audio earplugs to play Rick Steves free downloads to save me the cost of buying audios, or my music. This satchel will be worn under my zipped sweater or jacket, and will not ever be off my neck. Oh, i bought a second battery for the phone too. Good Luck, travel safe!

Once,while driving in rural Switzerland a few years ago, we stumbled upon the Swiss Army doing some type of military exercise. We just rounded the bend in the road and there they were, standing outside their vehicles with guns. They stopped our car and the car behind us and asked all of us for our passports. They spoke among themselves for a few minutes then told us to drive on. I have no idea what it was about, but it's always made an interesting story! We didn't feel threatened,just surprised.

I have never ever heard of a money belt being "unclipped" in public. That would be impossible if worn correctly. If wearing it outside your clothing where it is easily reached, then that is another story. Now with this increase security alert I would make sure I was carrying my passport.

We always keep our passports in our money belts and were asked for them every time we stopped at an internet cafe. This is a rule in Italy. We stopped every few days at an internet cafe to check e-mail & send updates home and we were always asked for our passports. I didn't find it to be that big of a deal to carry it on me; I found a style of money belt that I was comfortable in and after the first day, I got used to it & really didn't notice it for the rest of the trip. I also agree with Ken that you should put your passport in a plastic bag if you're keeping it on you in a money belt.