What do you do with your important documents, such as a passport, when traveling abroad? One of my fears is that I will lose my passport or have it stolen, and then have a huge problem getting back home on time. For warm weather areas, I usually keep it in the hotel safe. In cold weather areas, I keep it in an inside pocket in my coat. Both have their issues. Can you really trust a hotel room safe 100%? Can you trust yourself not to forget your coat, or not have the coat lost or stolen? Or you can be like my friend, who “hides” it in his dirty laundry.
I do what you do. hotel safe or on my person. I make a copy before I go and leave it with my secretary. If I every lose mine, I’ll have her fax me the copy and I’m off to the US Consulate.
It’s never been a problem, thankfully.
I scanned mine and emailed it to myself at my Gmail address. I figure that wherever I am, I can borrow a computer long enough to print out the scanned document.
And yes, I don’t generally walk around carrying the passport (although there may be places where you’re supposed to).
If I’m out and about for the day my passport is left with my stuff at the hotel (unless I am in a country that requires you to have it on you, then it is in my money belt). If I am moving myself and my stuff between cities and have my suitcase with me, my passport is in my money belt where I can’t lose it.
Hotel safe - which I generally trust because I stay in relatively safe places - or in a document belt. I’ve lost a passport while traveling, and it sucks, but fortunately for me it was in Frankfurt and US Homeland Security person is on staff there to help wayward passengers like me.
I don’t have any security procedures. I’m just careful not to put it into any clothes pockets as I have destroyed a passport and several phones from doing that. It mainly stays in whatever minor luggage bag I’m taking with me.
In the safe if I’m in an hotel, or a money belt if I’m in more creative sleeping arrangements. In some cases the front desk safe of the hotel feels safer. Sometimes I’ll leave it in a hidden pocket of a locked, chained up backpack. In extreme cases (unsafe hotel, unsafe city) I’ll hide it by taping it under a chair or behind a picture.
It’s something to be smart about, but not something to keep your from traveling.
Front right pants pocket.
I take a picture of our passports and send it to my email. I also make photocopies of it and keep the copies in our luggage along with phone numbers and addresses of the local U.S. embassy or consulate.
But I always keep the physical passport on me in my front pants pocket. It’s not that much of a pain. I always have a note in our passports typed out in English and the local language identifying ourselves, any medical conditions one of us might have, necessary medications, and numbers of people to call in case we’re in some kind of emergency or medical situation.
Depends on the country and also on whether I’m in the city or the countryside. Mostly I carry a daypack and keep it there. The pack never leaves my shoulder if I’m walking around or my side if I’m sitting. If I’m going some place a bit dicey then in a pouch hanging from my neck inside my shirt. If I feel the hotel is safe I may leave it hidden in my luggage in the room if I go out for dinner.
I usually keep a photocopy of the main page of my passport in my wallet. The last time I got my passport renewed I also got a Passport Card. This is only good for entering or leaving the US at land borders but it’s very convenient to carry in a wallet for proof of identity and citizenship. (I also carry it when I’m in the US in case I want to buy a beer at a “we card everyone” place since my other ID besides my passport doesn’t include my date-of-birth.)
In my front pocket along with my ATM card and my toothbrush.
I mostly do what everyone else here has recommended. The passport stays in the hotel safe, and I carry my passport card with me. I put a scan of my passport in Evernote, and also on a thumb drive that I keep in a separate place from my actual passport (often on me). I can’t imagine things going so sideways that one or more of these options wouldn’t be a viable first step toward resolving whatever the issue is.
If we’re going overseas for any length of time, I also register our trip with the US State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, and I’ll usually e-mail copies of our detailed itinerary to family members (along with keeping a hard copy for myself, and a digital copy on the aforementioned thumb drive and Evernote). Sounds like a lot of work, but I’ve got a system down and it’s not as hard to do as it might seem. TripIt.com helps a lot with keeping the itinerary organized and in transmittable form.
I generally carry it with me at all times. When I lived abroad for five years, that was my habit.
Believe it or not, my wife carries both passports in her purse, even when we are home. Never had a problem.
The actual passport stays with me. I have a photocopy in my case, and a copy electronically available.
I keep it in my pocket. But in my case, “traveling abroad” means day trips to Canada.
I’ve worked overseas quite a bit. I keep it in my front right hip pocket, where my wallet would usually be. It’s thin enough to be forgotten quickly.
Aren’t hip pockets in the back?
All the cool kids wear their pants backwards.
But anyway, the pocket at the front. Thigh pocket! :smack:
Left front pocket for me and I also carry a scanned copy, if I’m asked for my papers by the police or whatever at a roadblock, I give them the copy. I always have the original with me in case I have to travel quickly.