Where keep passport vs. a copy of it?

Keep the actual passport in deep storage on your person except when you need it in airports move it up to semi secure so so don't need to go in and out of deep. Once you are past all that go to deep again. Keep a copy separate from the actual passport. I keep a paper copy in my suitcase, digital on my iPad and in my online dropbox.

I keep my passport in my moneybelt, a copy at home, and another copy in a file folder in my luggage.

I also ALWAYS keep my original passport in my money belt and a copy stashed in my stuff where I am staying. We also leave copies of our passports in our safe deposit box when we get out the originals.

Your passport is the ONLY thing that proves you are legally in the country. Some countries require you to carry official id and produce it. The probability of you needing to show it to anyone is very remote but if you need it, then you need it. A copy of the passport doesn't cut. Anyone can make a fake copy. The only purpose of the copy is to proven you had passport and to make it easier to get a replacement passport if you lose your passport.

Frank is right - technically you should always carry your passport. But some people insist on leaving it in their hotel and survive just fine.

I leave my passport in the hotel safe or locked up in my suitcase. Once I leave my hotel i try to carry as little as possible. I do carry a copy of my passport in case i make a purchase and want to get my VAT back. In addition since my son lives in Paris i leave a copy at his apartment home.

We always carry our passports with us during the day in our money belts and leave a copy at home and a copy in our luggage back at the hotel. On our last trip, we dropped into a few internet cafes to send e-mails home and keep in touch with family and at internet cafes you are required to relinquish your passport while using the computer. Other than that, we didn't need to show our passports (except for when checking into hotels) but it wasn't that big of a deal to carry them on us. It's probably not that critical if you leave it in the hotel safe but we stayed in a lot of B&B's and an apartment which did not have a safe. Have a great trip.