moneybelts

theinsomniac

namasté...

i'm finally getting to buying the equipment for my first india trip in july...it's a fun part of it i already got a decent backpack...now i wonder about a moneybelt...how do u use to handle this? do u wear them all the time really? or do you leave part of ur stash/documents in the backpack... and can u recommend any particular ones? how are ur experiences about wearing moneybelts? i just wonder if it might not be enerving after a while, especially when it's really hot, like in the south in july... the banana is cool...

Django

Moneybelts are a necessary evil in most cases, and for me, they still remain the best way to carry money and other valuables (tickets, passport, etc). They can be uncomfortable at times (especially after you change money and you have an enormous stack of rupee notes) but its worth it. Its always good to keep some extra money in a different place, along with copies of your passport and other important documents. Most companies that make moneybelts have good ones available, they're all pretty similar in design but I always look for one that has the best and most secure buckle clasp...the one I currently use is almost 10 years old because it has lasted this long and still does its job.

Also, you can get neck pouches, though the straps can be cut pretty easily if somebody wants to get at it, and there are other travel wallets out there but for me, they don't seem to provide enough security. If you're wearing a money belt, wear it under your clothes and keep it out of sight. Experienced thieves know you probably have one but as long as you keep it hidden and you're aware of your surroundings, you should have no problems.

I also find that an inside zippered pocket sewn into shirts, vests, or light jackets can be quite useful. And yes, as for moneybelts, it should be with you at all times...always on your person or in your sight...even when you're in the shower.

I hope this info has helped.

archits

I have often wondered ,why travellers do not use credit cards in India - they are accepted at most places and in the metros , mini metros , one can always withdraw cash , using them.

Maybe we need a list of cities,where credit cards, debit cards ,work.

I use a Visa Electron debit card and it works ,most places in India.

Midnite Toker

After a month of wearing my moneybelt practically 24 hours per day, I begin to feel undressed without it. If I'm not wearing it while sleeping, it's under the pillow.

One point if you are buying a belt. Don't get one with the "quick-release" type buckle, which a surprising number of them feature. This is a buckle like on a rucsac, the aim of which is to enable the buckle to be opened easily. Sounds mildly illogical on an anti-pilfering device. Or make your own money belt! If you can do some basic sewing on a machine you can make one in an hour or two by following my simple instructions

Archits, the credit card convenience has two downsides to it. I took my Visa card on my last trip, but with travellers' cheques and cash backup. Airport security can demagnetise the strip on the card (and with the new, high-energy scanners this could be an increasing problem) leaving you with a fairly useless piece of plastic. The other downside is dishonest charging (extra items being added to the bill, the c.c. number being used for other, unauthorised purchases), which is a problem everywhere, but is acknowledged to be widespread on the sub-continent. While one can dispute such bogus charges with the company, few travellers keep such a close view of their statements.

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theinsomniac

thx a lot for your great advice!

hey toker, i think i'll probably sew both of my hands together at the attempt to make my own belt your website is cool anyway...especially the music in the guest zone....

IVAN

India is hot and chances are that you will get real sweaty sometimes. If you have heavy luggage and have to hurry, or are a little sick, your waist area can become soaking wet.
So if your money belt is not waterproof (and even if it pretends to be water resistant) it is a good idea to put valuables into a small plastic bag before putting it in the money belt. Passport and documents are a priority.
As Toker said, the shitty little fragile quick release buckles found on most money belts these days are to be avoided. I use a sort of double pass trough buckle on a money belt I custom ordered in a shop in Kathmandu (Kathmandu is the place to order all kinds of custom items as they have shops who will make them very well and for peanuts).
How to wear it? I usually tuck it under my pants waist on the back. I keep the dollars in it, but not the rupees, which go in a waist pack on the front.
At night, it goes under the pillow, and never leave the room without it, even if you go out for two minutes.

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meraas

We had good ones made in Goa - black cotton with a plastic lining and an elasticated waist band - no buckles etc.
OK the elastic is now stretched but lasted for the whole of the trip and it is easy to sew on a new one.

Travelmore

Make ya own!
after all one ever sees them (except you)

You can make it your own size style colour etc ( and much cheaper)

cheers

Colin

My first moneybelt was a 'round the waist' with a buckle. I wore it for about ten minutes before I realised it was going to drive me crazy sitting under my belt buckle. I cut off the belt and got some wide elastic, put the money pouch under my left arm (just under my ribs) and measured the elastic to go from the front, over my right shoulder and down to the pouch again at the back. No buckle, sewn at both ends. This makes the pouch sit under my left arm in the hollow between my ribs and my hip. It lies flat and can't be seen under a shirt. I keep my passport, my credit cards and all my foreign cash in it along with all my local notes except my daily spending allowance. I consider Airline tickets easily replaceable if lost so it and all the other bits of paper one is obliged to carry live in the bottom of my travel bag.

The only problem is you have to remember to put the moneybelt on before your shirt of you have to get undressed again to put it on!

Travelmore

Just made my own!

I just made my own money belt, it couldn't beeasier!

I used a fannel (for comfort) folded in half (the size here is exactly the size of a Passport and Travellers Cheques with a little extra room) then sown up with a zip and thick elastic band (so it can't be taken off quickly)
I made it for about $1.70 US and its strong, comfortable and very small!
You don't need a fancy one (No one ever sees it!) its always hinden under your clothes

try it!

chuff nuts

for comfort i wear my (buckled) money belt under high waisted trousers. to reduce sweating dont wear it tight but you will still need to put the contents in a plastic bag. after a week you will forget it's there.

theinsomniac

ur advice has been well heeded...thank you...the plastic clasps are as useless as u said...so i just added a (safer) extra button to my moneybelt and it was fine for all of my trip....already looking forward to the next one cheers

-m2-

Just to throw in a belated contrary opinion

The weak points of a moneybelt have already been well discussed -- they are obvious, sweaty, inconvenient, etc. No one has stood up for the neck pouch and that is a shame because, in my opinion, it is the safest, most convenient, and comfortable way to carry a *few* vital essentials. i.e. passport, plane ticket, travellers' checks, and a bit of emergency cash.

1. In 30 odd years of winter travelling, I've never had the strap cut on one. I have travelled in busses and trains all over the world, crashed in airports, fallen asleep in train stations, etc.

2. A slim, simple one is best -- not the overly gadgeted ones you often see in some travel/recreation stores. A good one will hang unobtrusively under a loose shirt, yet can easily be pulled out and hung in front when you need to get at something (like your passport info for checking in, or your checks while you are in a bank line-up).

3. The best money belt IMO is made from a simple nylon web belt -- approx 1 1/4 inches wide, with a zippered compartment on the back. There is room for a hundred dollar bill (or so) and a careful listing of all of the important numbers in my life -- passport details, tc numbers, birth certificate details, air ticket number and any simple info needed in case of loss of main pouch. Totally inconspicuous and comfortable as it serves as a normal belt, it is a perfect backup and one that has enabled me to survive financially and speedily get a new passport issued in Sumatra after my main gear was stolen from a room while I was sleeping (my neckbag was in a locked daypack beside me on the bed!) I purchased my first one at Recreation Equipment Inc (REI) in the States many years ago, and have subsequently bought another at Mt. Equipment Co-op in Canada -- the first one didn't fail me, just wanted a different colour belt after 10 or so years

4. The absolute worst place to put valuables, apart from a day pack, (again IMHO) are the external waist packs --designed as a hiker's 'fanny pack', I see so many people with these things, pulled to the front, bus-conducter style. Ususally in garish colours, multi-compartmented, etc it seems to shout 'Steal Me'

5. What to do with whatever you have when you are swimming etc. Basically, you always want your important stuff next to your skin, but this is not always possible. Do you trust the management of your hotel/guesthouse to look after it? This is often the best method. Personally, I have a small, lockable ballistic nylon bag, reinforced with steel mesh, which I can either loop the wire around something solid like a pipe or bed-stead and leave in the room (if I think the room is ok), or leave with manager. The one I have is made by Pac-Safe, the people who make the mesh devices that enclose a whole pack (which I feel is waay overkill, unless you have high priced electronics or whatever aboard).

just my jaded opinions, your milage may vary.

mike

maree

I hate money belts too - bulky, sweaty things. What I did last year was sew some secret pockets on the inside of a pair of trousers. They are the cargo pant variety with zip off lower legs. I cut a man's handkerchief in half... folded it over, sewed it up with a zip at one end. Then sewed the whole pouch on the inside of my trousers right behind the side cargo pocket with the zip at the bottom. All I had to do to access t/cheques etc was unzip the lower leg attachment a bit to get to the pocket - easy peasy. Wore these whenever I was on the move. Also had a backup pair of trousers with a secret internal back pocket but that was more of a hassle to access. Had a little cash purse which I carried in hip pocket - sometimes I safety-pinned it to the fabric.

Have to admit that I was pretty slack in terms of always having important documents etc with me....quite often left them locked in my pack in my room but probably only if I could use my own padlock on the door and if I had a good feel about the place. Anyway, had nothing stolen from my room. I did either lose (or have stolen)a small money purse somewhere between leaving Rishikesh and trying to buy a chai at the Dehra Dun train station.

rachelandmike

I reckon those moneyblets which go around your waist are so uncomfortable, so I am going to try one which straps on to my leg. I'll strap it on just below my knee on the inside of my leg and it's invisible under pants, and I can walk around with it quite comfortably. I intend to keep my passport and credit card there along with some travellers cheques and some cash. I think I'll just carry a daily amount of local currency in a normal shoulder bag so I can get to it easily and won't loose much if it's stolen. Has anyone else tried the leg strap kind of moneybelt?