security

You don't. A moneybelt is not supposed to be accessed throughout the day. Your money belt should hold your reserve stash of cash, credit cards, passports, etc. and/or whatever other valuables you want to keep safe. You keep it there and do not touch it. Each day before you leave the hotel you should take out an amount of cash to spend that day (for meals, transportation, shopping, etc.) and put it in your pocket or other place on your person that is more easily accessable. That way, should you be hit by a pickpocket (not at all likely, but it does happen), you'll only lose one day's spending money.

I take a slightly different approach. I don't take out a full day's worth of money to keep in my pocket. Instead, I go into my neck wallet as needed throughout the day. If I'm in a restaurant, I don't hesitate to reach into my neck wallet at the table unless the position of the chair puts me on some sort of prominent display. If I'm in an area where I can't do that fairly discreetly, I'll go into a restroom or area where there is more privacy. Then I'll take out however much I want and fold it up and cram it to the bottom of my front pocket. Everyone including thieves knows that tourists carry money and credit cards. The odds of getting mugged in Italy are really low, so the purpose of the neck wallet/money belt is to make it harder for pickpockets to get at without your knowledge. Anyway, that's my philosophy and it's served us well on our three trips to Italy. Happy travels.

When we're traveling, I'm probably a mix of Bob and Michael's suggestions - just depends on where we are and what I'm wearing. Living in Rome, daily I did not wear a money belt. But when traveling to a "new" destination (especially when carrying my passport and credit cards) I would primarily use either a money belt or a neck pouch. As Michael notes, the frequency of a physical attack or mugging is quite low in Italy. Losing your cash to a pickpocket... much, much higher for the unprepared and unaware visitor! This year, after living overseas for a combined 20+ years, my wife and I suffered our first "loss" to a pickpocket. My wife was victimized in Granada, Spain at a Zara store. You can read more about that experience, and how we "successfully" handled it in this article: Pickpockets in Rome - Protect Your Vacation There are many things you can do to protect yourself before you come - like copying or scanning all your credit card info (which saved us)... You might read this posting for some helpful suggestions, particularly about handling money and credit cards: What Should You Do At Home Before Coming to Rome, Italy, and Europe. I'm a firm believer that you need some type of "personal security system" and there are many choices out there - you just have to find what works (or is comfortable) for you. I'd suggest "practicing" by wearing a few different options at home for a few days BEFORE you travel overseas. Better to know before you come that "money belt" just won't work for you...

Almost everyone here agrees that it is fine to carry some cash in a regular wallet that you can use throughout the day. If you are pick-pocketed, you lose very little. Where we disagree is accessing your moneybelt. In my view, the moneybelt is a place to keep ID, ATM/credit cards and large amounts of cash away from slight of hands. When you need a credit card, just take it out and then re-secure your money belt. If its some kind of neck pouch or tucked under your waistline, it's highly unlikely someone can slip it out even if they watch you put it back. The moneybelt is not a bank safe and mugging or physical violence is extremely rare. Having said that, you should be more alert and cautious when accessing your moneybelt as there have been rare instances where someone not paying attention gets robbed while their moneybelt is out. But those are extremely rare occurances. The other caveat is that for some people their moneybelt cannot be accessed with any level of modesty. If that is the case, then go someplace with a little privacy to get what you need.