Sorry if this is not the correct category....I could not find an appropriate category:)
How do you store or do you carry your passport on you always when traveling?
Always on your body in a money pouch or cross body bag? Or leave behind/store in hotel room?
I don't believe museums etc require it along w your entry ticket...??
Thanks so much!
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.
This is a really late reply…I’m happily bored on Boxing Day.
I hate carrying my passport and greatly prefer the hotel safe. However, I have a friend who was in Haiti for that huge earthquake. It was already a literal nightmare for all involved but his comparatively quick exit from the disaster zone was only possible because he had his passport on his person. Had it been at the hotel he could never had retrieved it and given the scope of the disaster who knows the impact.
Is this a once in a lifetime disaster that is extraordinarily unlikely to happen again? Yes. Is it enough that I now only not have my passport physically on me when outside the hotel but also keep it right by my bedside at night just in case? Also yes.
I often leave my passport in my hotel room, but always carry it when relocating to another town. Last time I renewed my passport (4 years ago?), I paid an additional fee and got a credit card-sized passport card. It has all the same info as on the real passport. I do always keep that card in my wallet. Perhaps it would be accepted in some situations if I didn't have the real passport on me? What do you all think?
the passport card is only valid on crossings to Canada and Mexico. Nobody in Europe will accept it officially, somebody may informally maybe for security for a audio guide or something.
additional:
from the State Department official webpage (bold mine):
Get a Passport Card The U.S. passport card is a wallet-sized, plastic
passport that has no visa pages. The card is proof of U.S. citizenship
and identity, and has the same length of validity as the passport
book.The card is for U.S. citizens who travel by land and sea from Canada,
Mexico, Bermuda, and some Caribbean countries.The card is not valid for international travel by air and is cheaper
than the passport book.You can apply for either the book or card, or both documents.
Kim, you understand. Imagine a Christmas Market evening gone bad, or finding yourself surrounded by 9000 protesters in Belgrade, or having a phone stolen and having to go back to the hotel instead direct to the police. Or, just being respectful enough to obey the law, no matter how inconvenient one may think that to be.
Someone on this forum once posted something along the lines of "As long as I have my passport and credit cards with me I can handle anything." Fires, earthquakes, terror attacks, and medical events happen that might preclude returing to the hotel. We've gotten caught up in demonstrations, and experienced an earthquake. Fortunately it didn't really have an impact on us, but ...... Once a member of our group suffered a severly broken leg and had to be taken straight to the hospital for a long stay. Life happens! It's better, in my opinion, to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. And besides, in many places it's required by law.
Good that the passport card is not accepted as official ID in Europe. True too that carrying the passport on your person in hot summer weather is a nuisance.
Post-pandemic trips, ie 2023 and 2024, I have that passport on me, period, nuisance or not, mandatory or not.
In the past I did both, leaving it in the hotel room but not in a safe even when it was available and also carrying it on me but certainly not in a day bag or anything like that.
BUT, many countries state an ID issued by the visitors' home country, not state, but country. So "technically," a passport card or even a Global Entry card meets the definition and might save you a fine. But it's really not in the spirit of those laws and since the local officials looking at it won't know what it is and might not appreciate having to deal with it, not really a good substitute. The hospital might downright refuse it. Passport people. Always the sure bet, and if the circumstance comes up when someone asks, it's probably not the right time to be splitting hairs. The RS Forum or the British government told me .... also not good.
How about a military I.D. card? That's issued by the U.S. Or an I.D. card from a branch of the Reserves, or the Coast Guard Auxiliary? They all have photos and identifying details.... In fact, when I was an active duty person overseas, I didn't even have a passport. Although, as was said, all that matters is the interpretation of whatever government person is asking you for your passport.
In fact, when I was an active duty person overseas, I didn't even have a passport.
That was very common when the U.S. had a large presence in Europe and the whole thing about passports and military IDs was covered by the Status of Forces Agreement. Never applied to civiliams; not even military dependents.
Posted by TC 12/27/24 12:32 PM
Someone on this forum once posted
something along the lines of "As long as I have my passport and credit
cards with me I can handle anything." Fires, earthquakes, terror
attacks, and medical events happen that might preclude returing to the
hotel.
This. Even for domestic travel.
khansen, this being a travel forum focused on Europe that may not have been the intent of the statement. However, sure, I would think the statement was just as valid in the US. A US Passport is pretty much universally accepted as legitmate ID in the US. I've used mine at the bank and as ID to get a new drivers license. But in the US, other forms of ID are accepted, which is not always the case when traveling outside of the US.
Mr É, I was thinking more along the lines of risk mitigation purposes than identification purposes.
In a past post that was more related to risk mitigation when travelling a poster related that either a son or friend had been on a domestic flight in the US on 9/11 when the order came to ground immediately. His plane landed in Canada. If he had been carrying his passport, he could have left the Canadian airport and found another way home. Doesn't have to be a national emergency. Mechanical or medical emergencies on a flight could require landing immediately. Carrying your passport gives you more choices.
Is it something I do? No. But it has made me think about the benefits of having it, just in case.
khansen, I think the odd are pretty low, but not nothing I would call silly. Sure, most of this is about what gives you the most comfort and confidence. For me, I get the most comfort and confidence by first obeying the law. The rest follows naturally.
Maybe interesting aside ..... when I was young we use to travel by car into Mexico frequently. All that was required was a drivers license. My last trip had been about 25 years ago, but I had the opportunity about 5 years ago to take a friend to one of my favorite border towns. Walked into Mexico then found out I needed a passport to get back. Ooooooops! Nice US border folks took by Global Entry Card as good enough. Even though that is exactly what it isnt good for.
I carry my passport and a few other things (credit cards, local currency, Medicare cards including supplemental) in a neck wallet, always wear it when I am out of the hotel. I am not overly concerned about needing the ID to show a cop - although that can happen - but simply for the peace of mind if something bad happens - say I fall and break a leg and need to go directly to an emergency room - I want to be prepared to show my passport, have it on me, if I can't get back to the hotel to retrieve it.
I carry my passport even on domestic US trips, and advise my adult children to do the same. You never know when you might need it...for example, my wife and I were in Europe the last few weeks, and one of my adult children was traveling during the same time in the US (Hawaii)...I reminded her to take her passport, in the unlikely event that she would need to hop on a plane to come to where we are for some emergency...rather than her having to fly home, retrieve it, and then fly to where I am...
Posted by Mr É
Maybe interesting aside ..... when I was young we use to travel by car
into Mexico frequently. All that was required was a drivers license.
My last trip had been about 25 years ago, but I had the opportunity
about 5 years ago to take a friend to one of my favorite border towns.
Walked into Mexico then found out I needed a passport to get back.
Ooooooops! Nice US border folks took by Global Entry Card as good
enough. Even though that is exactly what it isnt good for.
Yea. I remember those days, only we walked across.
Coming back was "Are you a US citizen?" and one time it was "Where were you born?"
And "How many bottles? Let me see that bottle of vanilla."
Haven't been across in years. My sister never liked going anyway and the cartels make even the little border towns feel unsafe.
khansen, I grew up in Central and South Texas. 30 years ago I worked on the border (building a new border station). Got marred at the center of the new bridge (not yet open at the time), celebrated that evening on the Mexican side of a different bridge. Then got to work on the border again about 5 years ago. Different world now. Crying shame. Oh the friend I took did have her passport. Coming from a country that since 1984 has been designated by the United States as a state sponsor of terrorism; she was always careful to have all her documents with her 24/7. Smart kid.
On domestic trips I do likewise, have the passport on me.
In CA there is now a final deadline date for the Real ID, which I procrastinated by never getting it. One sees that deadline on the SF
city bus system. Very clever way in disseminating that piece of general information. Now, I'll finally get this Real ID, using it and the passport as ID and for domestic travel, train or plane.
I find that between the pages in the passport is the ideal place to keep cash for tipping and cash for those shops and restaurants that dont take credit cards. On the last page i put a 3M stickynote with the phone number for the AirBnb and the Discount Airline Flight Code .... but only when I travel in July or August.
Another travel blogger recommends carrying a color copies of the information page of your passport in an easily accessible location while out and other copies in your suitcase, day-bag, whatever.
Lost your passport? The copy may make it faster to get a replacement.
The hotel needs your passport? The copy may be fine.
Traffic stop? The copy may be fine.
Museum? The copy may be fine.
Check-point in a country that may have corruption problems? If the stop is illegitimate, the copy may make them move on to an easier mark to shake-down for $$ to get your passport back.
The recommendation on whether or not to carry the real thing all the time is, some do and some don't.
Put the copy in a ziploc plastic bag in an easier to access location than your "deep storage" location or laminate it.
I take pictures of my passport, drivers' license, credit cards, and ATM cards and email them to myself and my children.
You will forgive me beating this one to death, but I am killing time until the Christmas party begins ......
My rules. And yes, this took a while, but once set up and editable it’s been easy to update and keep current.
On my body
Hidden in the Luggage in the Room
In a Cloud Folder (I use Microsoft One)
Link on my phone and a QR code on a dog tag around my neck. Link to the folder sent to family and a few trusted friends.
Re: the hotel accepting a copy of the passport at check-in. Maybe, depends on how stringent the hotel is on this matter.
I never have shown the hotel a passport copy, be it a big chain, (Motel One, etc) or a small family run hotel-Pension, since usually I don't have a copy. Now I do , not so in the past. The hotel always is presented with nothing else but the passport itself.
