Stressing about security!

[armzie]

Hi all

Just wanted some advice about keeping valuables safe. When we sleep in a hostel, should we sleep with our money belts on (with passports, flights, railpasses and seat reservations?)

Also, when we go out in the day do we keep these docs with us, or leave them at the hostel? We are also sleeping in a 4-berth couch compartment on an overnight train, what do we do with our luggage?

We have PacSafe combination locks with a cable that you can thread through all the zippers on a backpack - will these be sufficient? I am quite worried all of a sudden, how do we keep our things safe?

Please help a virgin backpacker!!

[me]

many hostels will have a safe, in an office or behind a counter, where they can keep these valuable docs. i often slept with mine tied to the drawstring of the scrubs i wore to bed.

regarding pac-safe - it's possible to overdo the security. too much will draw attention to your bag, make others think "hmm, there must be something extra valuable in there." being inconspicuous is very good security.

[MuvverRussia]

Yeah, Pacsafes are a waste of time generally. Best bet is to make sure that your valuables are secure; the theft risk posed by clothes and stuff is pretty low.

[Eagle]

armzie, the best advice I can offer on this is to be flexible and adapt to the circumstances. The security facilities will vary at each Hostel, so you'll have to tailor your security approach in each case.

Some Hostels have good robust Lockers, but you will have to supply your own Padlock. Make sure you take a GOOD quality Lock though. I posted a lengthy description somewhere on the Boards here on what to look for in a travel lock, but would have to look for the post. If good Lockers are provided in your room, secure all your valuables there for the night and keep the key with you when you sleep.

If the Hostel doesn't have Lockers in the room, you have a several choices. You can store your important documents, cash, etc. in your Money Belt and wear it while you're sleeping; you can secure all of these in your Backpack and lock the zippers (level of security is a bit lower though); OR, as David suggested you can leave your most important of your documents at the front desk (I wouldn't leave cash there however, as this could "disappear" too easily).

In some cases, a Cable and Padlock might be useful in preventing someone from grabbing your Pack and disappearing with it. Just to clarify, you weren't referring to the PacSafe "cage" that fits around the entire Backpack (as Muvver suggested, the PacSafe "cages" are a waste of money)? I usually Pack a small Cable and one of my security Padlocks along for "just in case" situations, but so far I haven't had to use them (they don't weigh much, so it's not a big deal).

It's preferable to store documents in a Locker when sleeping, as they tend to get a bit "crunched up" and damp if sleeping with them in a Money Belt. Putting documents into a zip-lok bag inside the Money Belt helps with the "damp" problem.

As a matter of habit, I usually lock the zippers on my Backpack with small combination locks when I'm sleeping. This doesn't provide a great deal of "security", but it's better than not locking them.

Good luck and happy travels!!!