Carrying cell phone

Care to share where you purchased it?

There are many phone lanyards choices and similar on Amazon. I've been using a lanyard for a long time since it is a bit safer and keeps my hands free.

Be aware that putting your phone near your hotel key card can deactivate it.

I'm female, and carry a cross body bag. I use a luggage tag that clips to the inside top of my purse and insert one credit card I use for tap in and out transportation and also my room key to keep it handy.

I recently purchased a crossbody strap for my iPhone. It has a space to carry my hotel key card, credit card, my identification and a little cash. Great to be able to walk around hands free and my phone is always ready for a quick photo.

It sounds like you bought a strap plus a case, if you can add cards/etc to the setup.

I had my phone stolen in Rome last year, and since then have traveled with a lanyard attached to my phone (3 trips so far).

I bought several and pre-tested them at home before using on a trip.
This is one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C7K8QXL3?th=1
And this is another: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DH35XFKR?th=1
The first one has a 'fabric' attachment that slides inside the phone case; the second one has a metal plate attachment, which I feel is much more secure.

I do question, though, just how secure it would be if a thief on a bike grabbed my phone and really pulled hard on it - would the plate, and/or the lanyard, really hold up or would it snap/tear/break? Still, it does help protect against a casual 'grab'.

I also question the security of adding credit cards, cash, ID, etc to an already vulnerable phone/case. Again - are these things truly robust enough to withstand a hard 'snatch'?

I'm glad you found something that will work for you.

However, I'm uncomfortable with the idea of my id & cc being attached to the phone. If someone grabs your phone your left with nothing.

I carry my phone in my relatively small (88.75) crossbody bag that never leaves my person except during security checks. If someone grabs my phone from my hand on the street, I still have everything else.

Claudia, so many to choose from on Amazon.

Jules m, I have card protectors.

I met a RS forum person a few days ago. I made a call and then put the phone in my back pocket, under a fairly long coat. A dear sweet woman stopped me and warned me, in American English, that Europe was full of pick pockets. I thanked her and moved the phone to my coat pocket. She was quick to tell me to zip my pocket. I did.

But outside of my home town, it goes in a crossbody bag I got from Pacsafe at least 16 years ago. Just barely large enough for my 2 phones, small backup battery, money clip and passport, and 3 days of meds.

Claudia, so many to choose from on Amazon.

It's true that there are many to choose from; but some are better than others. Also, 'crossbody strap' is a bit vague. A 'strap' is just the part that goes over your shoulder; what does the strap attach to? How does it attach? Did you buy a strap + small bag into which the phone slides into, or did you buy a strap + phone case, that 'snaps' onto the phone?

There's currently an epidemic of phone thefts in Europe; London has become especially active. I had my phone stolen in Rome by a very sophisticated group; my good friend had his phone stolen out of his hand in London by a thief on a bike. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/mobile-phone-theft-london-met-police-b2693476.html

"my phone is always ready for a quick photo."

It's a good idea to be very vigilant any time your phone is visible as some areas have high levels of mobile phone theft, especially London and other large cities.

There's currently an epidemic of phone thefts in Europe

I don’t know about "Europe" as a whole, but in some places that’s what I have read; but even where the incidence is low the big determining factor of how much caution you need to practice is in asking yourself what do you do if you do lose it?

At home, like my quip above, losing a phone isn’t the end of the world so I am a bit more relaxed, but for an American on holiday in Bucharest it can be pretty devastating and that makes the most extreme precautions rational while traveling.

I have gotten to the point where I think a Plan B is makes a lot of sense and my Plan B is my US Phone (I have a European phone because I am on extended holiday here), if I were a more typical tourist I would bring a relatively new lower end phone with no SIM and just rely on WiFi if things got bad (you can always buy a SIM on the road).

At home, like my quip above, losing a phone isn’t the end of the world so I am a bit more relaxed, but for an American on holiday in Bucharest it can be pretty devastating and that makes the most extreme precautions rational while traveling.

I'm a pretty 'aware' and cautious guy, and the way they got my phone was - I have to credit them - pretty amazing. A group of three working together managed to distract me and one grabbed the phone from my pocket. I didn't even know it was gone until they were well on their way.

For me it was a perfect storm. We flew into Rome for just a couple of days, before joining a cruise. The phone was stolen on day 2, right before leaving for the cruise. We couldn't delay that, so getting a police report was impossible. I spent the night calling the US, cancelling accounts, etc (just in case, since the phone was set up to access my accounts). I'm a security-conscious IT guy, so I had several layers of protection on my phone (pin-locked, etc) but you never know. What boggles my mind is, some people turn off the 'pin lock' feature (or the face lock or print lock) as they can't be bothered to unlock their phones each use (or they set their 'timeout' to 10 minutes, or whatever - which means a thief grabbing your phone may still find it unlocked). An unlocked phone in today's world is a gold-mine of information.

It's easy to say 'just keep your phone safely buried in your bag' but in today's world, the phone is used for e-tickets for museums, train journeys, GPS navigation, etc in addition to - of course - a camera. My last hotel stay tried to get me to use my phone as the primary 'door unlock' method (rather than giving me a key-card) and I refused.

I got very used to always using the 'bungee-cord' style lanyard that attached to an adapter plate underneath the phone case (posted above), plus also holding onto it with two hands whenever I was 'fully exposed' outdoors.

My best advice to everyone travelling with their phone is - think about what would happen if you lost it; how would you log into your bank accounts, credit card accounts, etc etc given than 99% of websites want to send you a confirmation 'text' before authenticating you. It took me 3 weeks to re-gain access to one of my accounts, because I could not receive the authentication text they sent to my no-longer-existing phone. Upon return, I contacted every important account and found a way to add a second number, or if that wasn't possible, add the use of an 'authenticator' app, or some other method besides my primary phone.

Chris, I wasn't pointing fingers and you are 100% correct in how use of a phone makes it very vulnerable. Plan A would be to avoid those locations with a reputation but first that takes a lot of fun out of travel and second do you really know where to avoid. Thats why Plan B. I never woukd have considered it 5 years ago, but now, yes.

We took a spare, old phone with us on the subsequent trip as a backup, and bought a cheap SIM card to give it some data. However, the camera on my latest phone is really good, and I didn't want to compromise the image quality!

So Chris, may I ask, did you have your phone on its bungee cord attached to your body when it was stolen? I am one of those very phone dependent people when I travel and I have mine on a cord either cross body or around my neck. And it’s either in my hand or in a pocket. I use it a lot. So it would still be ‘grabbable’ but there would have to be someone with a cutting tool to do it. It seems like somewhat of a deterrent. Or so I thought….

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=keebos+crossbody+iphone+case&crid=12828GTSZ1BOF&sprefix=Keebos%2Caps%2C207&ref=nb_sb_ss_p13n-expert-pd-ops-ranker_ci_vs-vc-pi-left_2_6

I apologize for the above description. I don’t know the correct way to share this information.

For those interested. I bought mine on Amazon. Brand name is keebos. I bought a new case with the strap. You need to make sure it fits your size phone. I feel confident that it will not get stolen, if I keep it as a crossbody. I keep my cards in a protective covering and they will not fall out.
It’s not something I use all the time. I don’t like carrying all cards attached to my phone. I only want to use this when I want my camera ready to use.
Interesting that steeling phones is a thing now.

Have you used the phone with the strap yet?

I've seen a few people with this arrangement in various European cities with the phone on the strap hanging low by their side.

This forum does not allow photos to be embedded in posts, but it looks something like this

It looks like an easy target for a grab and run by a thief.

Just curious - are the straps for the bandolier slash resistant?

I have the same question about "slash resistance". There have been cases mentioned on travel forums describing motorcycle thieves who don't hesitate to grab the strap and drag the owners along the street until they get the electronic device. I would not use something like that!

So Chris, may I ask, did you have your phone on its bungee cord attached to your body when it was stolen? I am one of those very phone dependent people when I travel and I have mine on a cord either cross body or around my neck. And it’s either in my hand or in a pocket. I use it a lot. So it would still be ‘grabbable’ but there would have to be someone with a cutting tool to do it. It seems like somewhat of a deterrent. Or so I thought….

I did not have the bungee cord attachment at the time of the theft; the phone was slid inside a pocket, 'loose'. It was because of the theft that I started looking for better ways to manage the situation.

Now, as I've mentioned above, and as other recent posters have noted, just how safe and effective a strap / lanyard / bungee cord type of thing is, is certainly debatable. I absolutely would NOT carry the phone loosely dangling on a strap, like this:

https://dutchies.com/cdn/shop/files/BlackiPhoneLeatherCaseCrossbodyLanyardMen87.png?v=1737115883

Because, as others have mentioned, you are advertising the phone, and inviting someone to grab it. At the very least, put it inside a pocket or bag when not in use. If a bike thief were to grab it, one of two things is going to happen - the attachment or case will break, and the thief will get the phone, or, you will be pulled over and potentially dragged along the ground. The thief may give up but not before they potentially hurt you.

What I do is not 100% safe but I believe 'better than nothing'. I have the stretch cord attachment that looks something like this:

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61MVYJ49qhL._AC_SL1500_.jpg

I attach one end to the phone (obviously), and the other end to the strap of my cross-body bag, then I put the phone inside the cross-body bag for safe-keeping until I need it. When I need it, I remove the phone from the bag (which is still tethered to the bag by the cord), but still remain alert / aware of my surroundings, and hold the phone securely with two hands. The cross-body bag itself was chosen because it sits squarely in front of my body and I can hold onto it in crowded situations (like on crowded subway trains in Rome!). The bag itself would be somewhat difficult to try to grab by a passing bike thief.
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71S2eMqmG3L._AC_SX679_.jpg

I've used this setup now on two long trips and it's pretty convenient. I'm no safety expert, but my gut feeling is, if a thief were to try to really grab the phone hard, either the stretchy cord would snap, or the little attachment ring that attaches it to the phone/case would break, or the phone case would break or deform to the point where the plate attachment would pull through it. What I really should do is buy a second set, and test it by really pulling on it!

Some days, when I don't feel like carrying the cross-body bag, I have a 'wrist strap' variant of the setup like this:

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61359sr1bEL._AC_SL1500_.jpg

This lets me maintain a safe grip on the phone.

Spain, Italy, and now London are becoming notorious for phone thefts. I feel less vulnerable in Switzerland and Germany, but who knows. Having my phone stolen at the very start of my European vacation last year was such a source of trouble that I'm now super cautious and never want to go through it again.

This article suggests London is the worst - https://dailytelegraph.co.nz/world/britain-leads-europe-in-mobile-phone-pickpocketing-data/ . However, I'd wager that Rome is the worst, but - no one ever reports the theft in Rome because the police are totally unhelpful. I went to the local police station in Rome after my theft, and when I explained my situation to the three police guys who were sitting around chatting, they just shrugged. After some pressing, they suggested I should go to another station 'where they had the forms' but I was due onboard my ship so had to leave.

Moss, yes I have used it. I feel it is safe used as a crossbody. While walking I can keep my hand on it. This way I’m never laying it on a table or counter. Also, great for walking the dog.

I have done as Chris outlined - tethered phone attached to cross body bag. Sometimes I think I am over thinking but generally in Europe I think most pick pockets assess the situation and move on to someone else. Again, generally, a pick pocket is looking for an easy target.

Glad you shared which one you purchased from Amazon so other posters can consider it.