what to carry money and important things in

Aliceadventure

Hello this might have been asked before im not sure....

In terms of carrying money, passports, cameras, documents etc. what is the best way of wearing them safely and hidden. Ive heard of travel pouches that go under clothes and ones that go around your neck and ive also seen programes with people who wear front rucksacks.

If anyone could tell me which one is best and any shops/websites that I can get them from in the UK.

alice xx x

Hal

I keep my wallet and passport in a front pocket. (I dump all but the necessary cards from my wallet before leaving) I keep a few loose small bills in a buttoned shirt pocket to pay for drinks or food or fares without flashing the whole wallet.

alouise

Hal's front pocket plan is wise, ditto carrying small change rather than opening the wallet. But when not using the card (eg. at an ATM) where to put it when leaving your room? Brabank. That's right, in the bra. First make a cotton or muslin pouch to snugly fit the card(s), sewn on three sides, leaving one short end open for folding over and pinning to the cup seam - lower half of cup, underarm side works well, as it tends not to show through clothing and is the most comfortable area for brittle plastic.... D cup best, but B cup will work too. Brabank's even comfortable enough in humid heat and, besides, when it reaches 45 C you'll be sweating so much everywhere else you'll hardly notice.

wabat

Use under clothes money belt for money passport and cards not required . thus carrying only a small amount of cash in pocket

alouise

I use underclothing moneybelt as well, although only put one card in it just in case the belt is taken ... That way there's still a debit card "close to the heart" for that emergency ATM trip afterwards.

Hal

That`s a great idea. I`ve got to bulk up a bit to get those man boobs going.

alouise

Triple servings of marsala dosa for you!

jmf1002

I agree that Hal's loose change in the pocket works well. Its actually what I do in most of my travels.
Also, i think that jeans pockets are really a good idea too; because of the materials durability and thickness, and the fact that the pockets are very snug in most cases (hip hop baggies not included). i think the left pocket big notes and right pocket small notes works well in this instance. The cards I guess could go in those hidden body pouches strapped around the neck, though it can prove uncomfortable for some...

Cayle

Wow! The above posters are cautious.

I live here, so leaving all my cards and whatnot at home all the time would be a monumental hassle. I have one of those zip up nylon wallets with a chain that I usually attach to my belt buckle. This and my usual preference for using the knee pocket of cargo pants is my security system.

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alouise

Maybe you haven't had a money belt stolen in India, and lost everything?

jmf1002

Yeah, you have a point. Sometimes I think we can all get a little too cautious than necessary when traveling. But better safe than sorry is the usual and inevitable credo for most travelers.

Cayle

You can have money stolen anywhere. The real question is that needs to be asked is "is it more likely here"? For that matter, I never trust the hotel room when I'm out of station. Now bear in mind that I don't much frequent the "tourist" places, I'm not a crowd person and I have a car (so no busses); all of which make me less susceptible to theft.

But I also practice situational awareness and take care to do little things like tilt my wallet so that its contents can't be observed. If you are in a crowd dense enough for the usual "bump" trick, a pair of "casually" places hands on your hip with strategically placed fingers go a long way to ensuring security.

Nevermind that they don't need to pickpocket me. I have sucker painted on my forehead. I even fell for the old 3000 bucks to go from the international airport in Mumbai to the domestic one.

zoltan

The best ever money pouch I had was a zippered wallet that had a strong press-stud clip on a small loop.

Once you had your money, you zip it into the unit and then tuck the wallet into the inside of your pants. It was held in place by the loop. Because the loop colour matched my pants & belt and, it was almost always covered by the shirt, it was never obvious.

I used this for holding the bulk of my money and when travelling on trains /buses, where the chance of theft is slightly higher than in the streets.

I also concur that the idea of having money in 2 different locations (ie. large bills in one area and smaller in another) is a great idea.

But by the same token, don't get paranoid about carrying money with you. Not everyone is going to target you as a potential victim for theft and I do think that many people get overly worried about this.

Anyway, as to where to purchase such an item, have a look at your local travel stores for suggestions.

Cheers
Zoltan

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Aliceadventure

arhhh thanku all i have a better idea of what to shop 4!! xxx

willj

Also don't forget to tell your banks/card people you are leaving the country and the dates.
It has been known that when a card is suddenly used in India it is closed down.
Embarassing as well as awkward.