Security Question

[carey99]

I'm leaving on my 3 month Euro adventure this friday the 1st of September and I was just wondering about a few things.

I have my money belt which all my important documents will go in as well as a wallet for my daily spending money. I've heard you shouldn't have all your cards and cash in the one spot so I was wondering what I should do with my spare credit card and dbit card.

Should I hide it in the bottom of a pack or should I carry it with me??

thanks in advance

[Eagle]

carey99, my preference would be to NEVER leave any financial items stored in my Pack, as it would be far to easy for someone to steal these while I'm out touring. I would perhaps leave some in the Pack if I had a secure Locker to store it in. The Padlocks I use are not easily compromised, so if the Locker was well constructed I'm sure everything would be safe.

I'm heading to Europe a few days after you (Sept. 5th, arriving Sept. 6th) and will probably carry my credit and debit cards with me, although in different locations. I haven't yet decided on which cards I'll be bringing with me, but will likely keep them in two or three locations.

Another option might be to leave some of the cards with the Hostel / Hotel room security staff, but that's not something I would do.

Hopefully the others will provide a few tips as well.

Good luck and happy travels!!

[carey99]

eagle said:

carey99,

I'm heading to Europe a few days after you (Sept. 5th, arriving Sept. 6th) and will probably carry my credit and debit cards with me, although in different locations. I haven't yet decided on which cards I'll be bringing with me, but will likely keep them in two or three locations.

What other locations are there besides the money belt and in a wallet which would be in a secured pocket

[Eagle]

Other secured locations that I've used in the past:

In my case, some of my clothing (Tilley) is provided with inside "security" pockets, which are secured by very robust Velcro. Also, most of my shirts have two pockets so I sometimes keep a small amount of cash in one of the pockets. These are either secured with a button or Velcro, and since they're right in front of me it's difficult for someone to get into the pocket without being noticed.

Another option would be to store one or two cards and a small amount of cash in a small Zip-Lok bag and pin this with a Safety Pin inside one Sock (having a large "bulge" is not desirable). If possible the Safety Pin should be placed on the inside. Some of my Socks are fairly thick, so the extra "accessory" isn't really noticeable. I've noticed that Magellan's is now offering a "security sock" in their catalogue, that has a zippered compartment, so this is along the same lines as my tactic. Of course, this works best when wearing long pants.

I realize these methods might not work for everyone, as they're somewhat dependent on the clothing which is used for a particular trip.

One other point regarding security. As you probably know, most Hostel Lockers require the user to supply their own Padlock. Often, the Hostel will offer Padlocks for sale for those that have forgotten to bring one. IMHO it's better to bring a good quality (small) Padlock from home, rather than using the cheaper models supplied by Hostels. I posted a rather lengthy description on locks in a previous post here, but if you need any further details on what to look for, post another note.

Cheers!!!

[commie]

just put the money you need for the day into your pocket and leave everything else in your hostel. if something happens (very unlikely if you dont look like a clueless tourist) you only loose 30,-E, or how much you need per day...