Handling cash and wallets on travel day

I use a very small wallet when traveling, but even my slightly larger regular wallet is attached to the inside of whichever crossbody by a leash or cord long enough to use without detaching.
This is my travel wallet, because I'm not generally using much cash.
https://www.quince.com/women/italian-leather-wristlet-card-case?color=black&gender=women&tracker=collection_page__%2Fwomen%2Fbags-%26-leather-goods__Small%20Accessories__8

I do similar to Liz. I have a small wallet attached inside my purse. I also have and ID holder attached inside my purchase that typically has a room key card, and one credit card (for tap in and out public transportation) My passport is in a separate case with some other credit cards and is at the bottom of my bag.

I'm assuming you contacted the airport for lost and found, and perhaps the airline?

I use a very small wallet with one credit card, driver’s licence, some local currency, and emergency contact info and passport photocopies. It stays in an inner zipped pocket of my crossbody purse. When it is a travel day by train or plane, I use a neck wallet for my passport, other credit card and bank card.

I am so sorry you lost your wallet. No fun.

I too keep valuables in a "deep freeze" pocket in my purse, separate from cash/cards needed for travel day. The travel day stuff stays in a wallet which is attached to my purse - I use Baggallini. Passport goes back in deep-freeze pocket as soon as it's work is done. My usual travel requires me to carry 3 different currencies usually; so this is the best way I have found of keeping everything safe.

So sorry this happened- hope it is found- and the good news is you all made it safely home.
Could you consider this:
https://www.stashbandz.com/
I really like it for travel days, as well as if the day will have public transport, crowds, etc. it can hold my tiny travel wallet (front part) and passport and I put extra credit cards, currency in the back.
It's not visible with a t shirt untucked and easy to just step out of it when finished.
I do use a crossbody "pocket" as well, with my phone on a lanyard. The trick for me is sticking to a consistent routine and keeping everything in the same place.
Seems like for Germany-specific cards you could use a small mesh/clear pouch kept, as you said, separately in your backpack.
Good luck!!

Thanks all. Yeah I wish someone would hand it in somehow….Jules I did contact the airline and the airport. We will see….

And thanks for all the wonderful ideas, I must switch things around w this. Somehow I am currently stuck on the diapers on me while I’m traveling - which are much more easily replaced ugh. Than a whole wallet….but I didn’t think of it when I did what I did :(

I’m going to check out all these lovely recommendations. I also wonder if an AirTag would have helped — tho whoever finds it can just toss that out too.

Thanks so much again!!!

Using a wallet for the items you’ve described makes sense. I store all other credentials and cards securely elsewhere. I’ve maintained an old junky “empty” wallet in my pocket on a couple of occasions looking to determine how secure it might be. Verdict - I was pickpocketed and it was interestingly while boarding a bus. A friend of mine had valuables taken as we relaxed enjoying coffee. I’ve also seen one in action as well as heard someone interrupting a pickpocket thief while boarding a train. This is not to infer that this happened to you. Rather to encourage you to not be hard on yourself. No one knows what happened. Hopefully it will find its way back to you.

Ilona, I thought I lost my wallet once at the airport, when I forgot my bag after going through the TSA checkpoint and had to come back and get it, and found the wallet missing. It turns out I just forgot the wallet at home but at the time, I talked to one of the security people at the airport and they were able to look at cameras to see if my bag had been interfered with. They didn't find anything and it looked secure the whole time.

I don't know which airport you lost it at, and it might be too late now, but in the future if that happens, I would suggest checking with security as there are cameras all over that they can review quickly to see if anyone picked it up.

With regards to the wallet, I keep mine in my crossbody bag, but rarely use it since I use Apple Wallet on my phone to pay for just about everything. In fact, that saved me on the trip where I lost my wallet, because I still had my phone with the digital credit cards.

Do you have Apple or Google Wallet? If so, it can digitally store not only credit cards but many reward cards on your phone. I have quite a few in there. And as far as prescriptions go, I would keep them in a secure place until you are ready to head to the pharmacy.

I'm sorry you lost your wallet. I agree with the others. Contact both Frankfort airport lost and found and your airline's. Someone hopefully turned it in.

I get anxious every time I see someone using a backpack as their purse/handbag. I understand wanting to keep your hands free, but they seem so unsecure.

For travel, I wear a very small crossbody bag that holds cards, cash, phone, passport and a few personal items like lip balm, comb, aspirin... It never leaves my body except for going through security and when I'm in my hotel room. I even wear it on the plane. It's about 5" x 8" and less than an inch thick.

If I need to carry anything else, I'll use my tote bag or a tiny foldable shopping bag. If those items are lost or stolen, the worst would be the inconvenience.

Good luck!

I get anxious every time I see someone using a backpack as their purse/handbag. I understand wanting to keep your hands free, but they seem so unsecure.

Agree with this 100 percent.

Before I go through security at the airport, I bury my valuables (wallet, iPhone, CCs, etc) in my carry-on. I do not use or wear backpacks anymore, I have a small wheeled bag for carry-on. I of course I have my boarding pass and passport in hand to get through security...but once I do that, I again stop, find a bench or seat, and again bury those items in my carry-on.

Trouble is I go to Germany often, have some reward cards for stores, prescriptions and other needed receipts in my overall wallet.

Ilona, I wonder if the reward cards, etc, could be used in the form of an app on your phone? That has lightened my wallet at home in the US, but not sure about German stores. Or would a picture on your phone suffice for any of the other receipts, etc?

I do as Liz and Jules do--small travel wallet attached by a cord to the inside bottom of my purse--it's long enough to be able to pull up and access, but attached securely so it's not leaving my purse without me knowing about it.

Gosh, that's really too bad! WHAT a drag. I've just started carrying a separate Swedish smaller wallet, (ID, debit card, bits of cash, library card, etc) so my US stuff never comes out of my bag.

Anything you can store on Wallet (Apple, dunno about android) saves you carrying stuff.

May I ask a follow up question - What are people using for their cord / tether to attach to inside of bag? GREAT idea.

When I leave the hotel room, I usually have a very small wallet with ID, one card and some cash. Everything else stays behind. When in transit, I have stuff divided between 2-3 different places.

Sandancisco, Pacsafe for one, makes several versions of wallets with straps or chains on them for this purpose.

Sandancisco, I use the Baggallini everywhere bag...it comes with a wallet that clips on to the inside of the purse. I recently got another Baggallini - Anyday tote - and it has the same system.

I use a Tom Bihn purse and that company is big on O rings in the interior of their bags and sell what they call key straps of differing lengths. I use a couple of them, one to attach a small wallet and one for clear card holder that I keep my most used credit card in. I just started this a couple of years ago and I really feel more secure now. You can always sew an O ring into a bag you already own. Getting distracted when you’re jet lagged juggling 2 kids and their stuff is easy to understand. Don’t beat yourself, ok? Next trip will be great.

there is a chance it fell out of my backpack

Unless I am hiking in rural or sylvan (forest) areas I will NEVER carry my wallet in a backpack. My wife still does this; even after her wallet was stolen from her backpack - in a crowded bus, in Copenhagen, which is pactically our back yard :-(

I need my wallet in front of me, where I have a better chance of seeing if anyone interferes.

What are people using for their cord / tether to attach to inside of bag?

I attach a metal key ring (you know, the ones that are impossible to open to put your keys on) to any loop inside my purse. Often it's intended for a pen.

Then I buy a souvenir wallet on a Keychain with a claw spring clip. That clip attaches to the key ring.

If necessary, I can lengthen the tether with any sturdy cord or ribbon.

If there isn't a tether in the bag (most Baggalinis have one), I use one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KXSP9B7?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_product_details

My travel day style is different. I use a silk neck wallet with 3 separate pockets. Passport, ID & credit cards, cash go in the pockets. Things like rewards cards that I won’t need on travel day go somewhere else that I can transfer on arrival. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a flight, a train or tour bus. My husband has an AirTag passport holder and one for his wallet. The neck wallet can fit under a zip jacket or travel shirt and I don’t care what it looks like because it’s easy to put stuff back in and then I don’t have to think about it.

Another way to "secure/hide" exposed zippers on a backpack is to use a backpack rain cover.

Thanks LIZinPA & CWSocial, will pick something up next time I'm in TJ Maxx. Funny, I totally understood the comment about those un-openable key rings. I think this is the way to go anywhere, adding it to my everyday purse at home..

Nite ize carbiners are easy to use and helpful for attaching things.
https://niteize.com/s-biner-microlock-stainless-steel
Looks like there is a new mini version:
https://niteize.com/microlink-carabiner

Liz, that micro link carabiner is a good idea, just added it to the list, thanks!

I keep my wallet and passport in the inside pocket of my rain or warm jacket on travel days. I only buy jackets with this feature as I like having those items on my body at all times. I don't travel in the hot, dry months so this may not work for you.

I have used either money belt or neck wallet in many of my past tours, but was never comfortable with either one of them. I started to use a small sling bag (1.5L) with inner zipped pocket for my last trip this year; and I find this option to work the best for me. On travel day (flight day, or transit between cities on bus/train) I wear my sling bag with my passport/main credit card/ATM card/cash in the inner zipped pocket; and use a small carabiner to secure the sling bag outside zippers. Separately I have a small wallet in my pants' pocket with my backup credit card, driver license and some cash.

On flight day I put both sling bag and wallet in my carry-on bag right before going through TSA security screening; after TSA these items go back to their usual places. During the long flight I like to transfer these items (passport etc.) into an inside pocket in my jacket as it's much more comfortable not have to wear the sling bag for ten hours. I stitched a small ring to the top end of the jacket pocket, which allows me to 'lock' the zipper pull to the ring with a small carabiner.

I always keep my expired passport, copy of current passport and a passport photo in my carry-on bag.

I've been using a Tucktop for travel, and my sister was so impressed she got one, too. I will put my boarding pass and phone in a pocket, and at the airport will put drivers license/passport in another pocket until I get through security. In the boarding area I will transfer my IDs back to my wallet so I don't panic on trying to find them and put things in the pocket that I'll want during the flight (hankie, sanitizer, lip balm, earbuds). The tops have two zippered pockets and a little card case attached by a clip. They're expensive, so I recommend waiting for a periodic sale (usually every four months or so).

Ilona, I am so sorry you lost your wallet. I can't imagine how stressful it is managing two kids, one a toddler. You certainly have your hands full. I am glad people made a bunch of different suggestions that could be helpful - I hope you find a style that works for you.

To Ualagirl - those Tucktops are fascinating! I had never heard of them. A very cool idea although I am too fat for one. But fun to discover they exist !

And LizinPA - that is a very attractive wallet from Quince!

For those of you who like overkill when it comes to gear, and small business, and American made, this guy has various clips and shackles and doodads that come in very handy:

I use these clips that look like large paperclips but have a weight capacity of over 400 lbs. Neato!

https://awesomeforsale.com/haken-paracord-webbing-clip/