Passport on me? or in hotel room...??

I carry mine in a neck wallet, along with a copy of my wife's if she's travelling too. She does the same. Some prefer to leave it in the hotel safe or their room. There are pros and cons either way.

You probably won't need it on you unless you're crossing a border or flying. But I've been asked for it as ID a few times.

I always carry my passport, debit card and backup credit cards in my money belt. If asked for my passport, I have it. (Never been asked except to check into a hotel). Copy and US driver’s license are not legal ID but may work as collateral at a museum for an audio guide.
Paraphrasing Frank II’s advice: with a passport and credit card you can go anywhere if you need to.

I carry mine at all times in my underclothing money belt.
If for some reason you can’t get back into your accommodation, you are good to go…..anywhere you need to.

You'll find many, many differing opinions on this forum. I almost always carry ours in my small cross body bag; but on occasion may lock it in our suitcase at the hotel. I leave a copy with our adult kids so if I needed an emergency replacement, I can get quick access to the current info. And outside of an airport, or in old times we had to show it at our hotel, we've never needed it.

However, on our most recent trip this past spring to France, Belgium and the Netherlands where I went to all the usual famous museums wearing my small cross body bag; we were in Bruges at a small museum and they wanted me to put my bag in a locker at the entrance. I said no, and that we would instead leave, but he said, he'd look the other way. I wasn't going to argue with their rules; but I wasn't going to leave my valuables in their rinky dink lockers where they are generally opened using the same key.

Like stated already, there are many opinions. . . I tend to leave it in my room and carry a copy. I'm more worried about carrying it around and losing it. However, for me it really depends on the country. I'm going to Turkey, and I'm going to carry it with me. I also tend to carry it in Italy. In Spain, France, Portugal, Austria, etc. I leave it in the room. Sometimes, you'll need to have it with you, for example a museum may want to see it to match with your ticket, or if using a Swiss Travel Pass, they may ask to see it on a train.

When we did the RS Rome tour, our guide suggested leaving it in a room safe.

If traveling independently then always carry my passport (I felt secure with money belt but now use heavy cross body slash proof travel purse with locked zipper compartments which I know is overkill!)
If on multi day guided tour then I will carry paper copy and leave passport in room safe or buried in locked luggage in room.
You can also send yourself (and your emergency contact) copies of your important documents by email, photo, and cloud storage. I use multiple methods for redundancy (overkill again :-D

It also depends on which country you are visiting. Some countries require you to have it on you even though you'll see many people on this forum suggest you ignore that.

Most of the time, I have mine on me in my money belt. If I don't. I have my Passport Card with me.

I never carry my passport with me - I just leave it, and backup credit cards in the hotel. Perhaps if I wa traveling somewhere which was politically unsettled I might, but if you're talking Europe, it seems safer to leave in the hotel than carry it round with me. In 40+ years of travel I have never been asked for one. France, for example, just requires photo ID. Italy is often given as an example of a country that requires you to carry a passport, but the UK Foreign Office notes " You must always be able to show some form of ID. In most cases a copy of the photo page of your passport should be enough."

I do have a national ID card in my wallet, but again, I've never had to show it.

Context is key. For most of Europe I’m leaving it in the hotel room. I think you’re more likely to lose it taking it with you all day than not.

If you put it in a safe, leave a shoe with it so you’re for sure not going to leave it when you depart.

It's the law in many countries to have your passport or a national ID card with you at all times-a driver's license is not national ID for most people on this Forum. For example is this statement from the French government website;

All foreign visitors, including European Union (EU) nationals, must
carry identification in the form of a passport or national identity
card. French police may require visitors to show identification at any
time, including when entering or leaving the country.

I've never been asked by police except once in the US to show my passport. It's the law in some states to be able to show national identity and legal status in the country if requested. Last year in Italy getting on and off some trains we frequently saw police standing at a train door doing ID checks, but we were never asked. Nevertheless I carry mine in a money belt. I just feel safer having it with me at all times. Many times on this Forum people have said the opposite; that they feel safer leaving it in their room.

I'm in the "leave in the room safe with extra cash and back-up cards" category. Usually, I have my US DL with me, and photos of my and my wife's passports are on my phone.

One recent trip to the Alhambra I used the photos on my phone for a security check verifying ticket names, and the person checking the tickets had zero problem with that.

The passport card is for crossing land and sea borders. It is not the same as a passport and not considered valid for international travel other than U.S. citizens traveling between the U.S. and Canada and the U.S. and Mexico. That said, if I had one, since I tend to leave my passport book in my hotel room, I would carry it with me as I do my driver's license (which is also not considered valid).

I have never been asked by authorities for a passport. I have, however, been pickpocketed once and had several attempts. I also know quite a few people that have been pickpocketed and needed to replace their passports.

The way we travel tending to stay in places between 3-5 days and not tending to use a "base", we often have the passports with us as we are changing locations.

This is one of those things that people won't agree on, nor does there need to be consensus. You have to decide for yourself what you consider to be the safest considering your own travel habits.

Passport in neck wallet for me, plus I carry CCs and excess cash in it, too.

Room safes are not nearly as secure as people assume. And while I have not looked up the law in each country, I spend most of my time in France, and carrying your passport is a legal requirement there, so I always carry it.

I do what the law requires. If I am uncertain what the law requires (most of the time), then I carry it. Usually a cross body pouch.

I have a friend that owns a couple of AurBnbs. He put hotel safes in each for the convenience of the guests. When I asked how often passports got left behind in the safe he said it's not a pleasant subject.

Thank you all for the responses and the details, very helpful. I am traveling to the Netherlands, Belgium, Copenhagen.
Such a responsive travel forum, thank you again!

Room safes are not nearly as secure as people assume.

I had read an article a few years ago about a family that was denied boarding on a cruise because their room had been broken into and among other things, their passports had been stolen. The article went on on how little travel insurance actually covered. Trip interruption insurance didn't kick in because it was a case of missing passports and not delays.

It's a good reminder that no matter if you choose to carry valuables with you or leave them in your room, read your insurance carefully to understand what coverage you have. It's been awhile since I went over my CC trip coverage but at last reading a few years ago is that I'm not covered for missed transport of any kind if my passport goes missing. Theft is capped at $2500 compensation for missing valuables. Cash is not covered. Hotel room theft is not covered unless there is visible evidence that the room is broken into, not just the safe.

I always leave my passport in my locked luggage in my locked hotel room. Never had any problems in any countries worldwide over many years.

That doesn't prove anything. It is really a Type I or Type II question. Would you rather have it and not need it or need it and not have it. Simple question. In our nearly 50 years of travel we have been stopped unexpected three times by police and/or military and asked, "Passport, please !!!" Often wonder what would have happened if we didn't have them? Our passports are always with us regardless where we are going.

Yes, I'd rather have my passport when I need it. Which is why, on occasion, I chose to leave it at my hotel. Again, depending on the country and my assessment of the situation, I may be more concerned about loss or theft than I would be about leaving it in the room. If I take my passport with me and its lost or stolen, and I need to get on a cruise ship or fly home the next day, I'm out of luck.

I'm very cautious when I travel, but I'm also doing the navigation, carrying the snacks, taking pictures, admiring views, handling any tickets, pulling out cash and/or credit cards, chapstick, and sunscreen, and looking at the guidebook and my notes, all in a place I've probably never been before.

I always carry my passport and a charge and debit card when in Europe. I might leave an extra credit or debit card in my room, but I always have some financial cards, phone and passport on me so I can go where ever I need to go, particularly, in an emergency, and immediately. My small crossbody purse is always attached to me when outside my room. I like to be very consistent in where my important items are kept. I'll only lose my bag if I get mugged, and then I would have greater problems anyway. A passport, in most places I travel, is pretty easy to replace. I also have a small sample of my prescription medicine with me as well when out and about, just incase I do have to change directions without going back to my hotel. I don't understand the great fear about losing one's passport in Europe. But we all have our fears that we must face. I'm more concerned with losing my phone...but I'm working on that. LOL.

I leave my passport in my room safe. I have a German ID card that is fine to use. Only time I carry my passport is on travel days.

Miss Jo, that is fine for you as a resident but you are not the typical tourists. When home I leave the passport in the filing cabinet but always have my driver's license.

If the weather calls for wearing my summer jacket, the passport goes in the zipped inside pocket of the jacket, ie, the inside right breast pocket. If not, then it's in my neck pouch, especially doing a day trip outside the city without the jacket as it's too hot.

I am not that concerned I could be picked, hasn't happened yet in over 50 years of European traveling. That won't happen.