passport on your person?

This question is a source of much debate on this helpline and it appears that people's preferences dictate what they do. Per law, you are to carry identification with you at all times, and in a foreign country, that would be your passport. I carry my passport with me at all times safely tucked away in a money belt. Will you have a money belt? If so, I say carry it with you everywhere in addition to your DL. If not, then please leave it in a safe in the hotel room. It will be much better protected that way.

Take a look at http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/68834/to-carry-or-not-to-carry.html With a little more searching on your part you will find dozens of threads on this subject. Not just a question for the To The West section.

It definitely is a personal preference. In my case, I always leave it in the hotel safe, carrying a photocopy in my haversack. I've been traveling regularly to Europe since 1995 and have NEVER, repeat NEVER, been asked to produce my passport beyond the Customs/Immigration people at the airport and occasionally when renting a car (not even for a hotel room!). Of course, now having said that, I'll be asked for it repeatedly when I go over next week! Bottom line, read through some of the message threads and do what is most comfortable to you. The most important thing to do is to make a copy and keep it in a separate, secure location.

You'll find that even if you ARE asked for ID, a photo-copy will do. If "they" get REALLY insistent, they can always go back to the hotel with you. It is much more important to have ID with you while driving, but if you forget, they worst that I have ever faced was a wagged finger!
Roger

Thanks everyone, and I apologize for asking questions that have already been addressed!

Based on personal preference, and my own experience, I always leave my passport , credit cards and ATM card in the hotel safe.( unless travelling of course)I only take my ATM card out on days I need to withdraw cash, I then return it to safe, along with bulk of withdrawn cash. I carry one days cash, my DL and a copy of pp with me. Never been asked for passport, except at the Louvre, where they want it as collateral when you rent an audio guide. I don't like leaving my pp there , so when I started taking my drivers licence I discovered they were just as happy to take that instead.

Lisa, If I am staying in the city or town in Germany and France, such as in Metz, Paris, Strasbourg, then the answer is no on ALWAYS carrying the passport on me. I leave it in the hotel room (there's no safe anyway), or when it's on me, it's in the "hidden pocket" or in a buttoned inside jacket pocket. But, it may be a good idea to have it with you in case you decide to make a purchase of several Euro at a store (Monoprix) and your passport is asked because you're using a credit card. That has happened to me in France but not in Germany. If I am making a day trip, r/t, Strasbourg to Colmar, or Berlin to Jena, then I definitely have the passport on me, even though I myself have never been stopped by the police or the Grenschutz for ID. But I have seen them stop others. So far, I haven't carried a copy.

I don't carry it on me, based on the premise that I am much more likely to lose it that way. I have never been asked to produce it - or any other id - but if so, I would have other id on me like a drivers licence. I also do not use safes in hotel rooms - partly as I infrequently stay in hotels but would always be worried about forgetting the items there. Some will not doubt find this foolhardy but there it is.

I go to Europe every summer and I put my passport into my money belt (you are using one I hope) after I go thru security here in the US and only take it out if asked to see it (like checking into some places to stay or sometimes at internet cafes). I do not leave it wherever I stay since most of the time I stay in B&Bs or Pensions (sp?) which do not have safes. When we do stay in a hotel I do not leave it in one of their safes. As long as my passport is in my money belt, I know where it is and I will not loose it. Hint: put it into a ziplock bag to keep it dry along with any other paper items.

My passport stays in the hotel safe or some other secure location where I am staying and I carry a photocopy around with me. Whatever hassles might be involved with not having to return to the hotel to fetch your passport they are nothing compared with having it stolen by some pickpocket!

Just to chime in on this subject as a person who has lived in Germany for over 24 years. I have yet to be asked for I.D. or my passport from the police. If you are not doing anything that is illegal, there is no reason in the world that you would randomly be asked to show your passport while out and about sightseeing. When I travel, then yes, I take it with me, but then it stays in my hotel room once I get to my destination. I do have some photo ID that I can use if using a credit card, or to leave as security at museums for various reasons. If you were driving a car rental though, then yes, you would want to have it on you. I am not going to carry my passport with me 365 days a year just because "Something might happen like an earthquake, terrorist attack, etc. and then I would be glad to have it" as I have read elsewhere on this forum.

Always on our person. We wear a money belt anyway.

Always on me, in a moneybelt. I keep a copy in my toiletries bag. My hotel rooms don't usually have safes, and besides, I might forget it. If I have it on me, I always know exactly where it is.

I also photocopy all of my documentation (passport, debit cards, tickets, itinerary, etc.) and email it to myself. Maybe I am crazy, but I can get to all of the info I need at any time, if heaven forfend I lose the passport AND the copy I put in my luggage. Dunno when that might happen - maybe a train wreck? Still, it makes me feel safer. And yes, I send a password protected PDF file. ;o)