How do YOU carry your travel documents?

[Baked Alaska]

Hello all! So, most of us savvy travelers agree that carrying a passport is the smart way to go as far as our identification papers go. With that in mind, how do YOU carry your travel docs? Do you carry a passport wallet? RFID sleeve in your travel backpack? I've been stashing our docs in an RFID sleeve in my travel backpack, but am wondering if there is an easier way to go with this. So, how do you carry your docs?

 

[RickinSTL]

My attaché (wife) carries all of them.. im not to be trusted with anything important lol  

[ellcee]

49 minutes ago, Baked Alaska said:

So, how do you carry your docs?

RFID sleeve in a passport holder. I also make copies and store somewhere completely different. just in case.

[Pima1988]

1 hour ago, RickinSTL said:

My attaché (wife) carries all of them.. im not to be trusted with anything important lol  

LMAO.  My personal assistant (husband) carries all of mine...I am too lazy to carry them....this woman here doesn't ever take a purse if hubby is with me. 

 

[WAAAYTOOO]

We split the duties.  Dan always carries them in his sports coat pocket until we get on the plane and then I put them into a zippered section of my purse until we get to the boat, at which time Dan again assumes the coat pocket locale.  Then everything gets locked into the safety deposit box on the ship and is not moved again until we get ready to disembark.  They once again go into the coat pocket and then back into my purse and into the safe at home.  Lots of opportunities for things to get misplaced.  That's how we like it !

[mom2mybugs]

I have a hard time because I wear dresses most of the time. Money belt/passport holder don't work. Starting to panic about how bad everyone says Rome and Barcelona are with pick pockets.  I will likely wear a pick under my dress or a cross body that zips and has the cut prevent straps.  In the Caribbean I usually carry them in my waterproof passport carrier in my tote bag.  Jane

[packercruising]

We make copies of all our documents and put one in each of our bags. My wife carries the originals in her purse so they are readily accessible. 

[spiralqueen]

I put my passport in a hidden pocket of my backpack that lays flat against my lower back. It’s the perfect size for it. 

[hayley_bopp]

We're just stuff them at the bottom of whatever bag we're taking

[Baked Alaska]

This is what we use (we have two larger ones, also Pacsafe and this one):

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B017BPN0ZS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I put the passports in an RFID sleeve and put them into the RFID pocket in these backpacks. Overkill, I'm sure. It also holds my chromebook and accessories, plus my change of clothes for embarkation day.

 

[spursfreak21]

I’m a pretty tech savvy guy but what’s the RFID sleeve for?

[SpeedNoodles]

Just now, spursfreak21 said:

I’m a pretty tech savvy guy but what’s the RFID sleeve for?

It blocks anyone who is nearby who has a scanner that can read the RFID chip without your permission.  Tin foil works also, but it's so unattractive.

[KristiZ]

17 hours ago, mom2mybugs said:

I have a hard time because I wear dresses most of the time. Money belt/passport holder don't work. Starting to panic about how bad everyone says Rome and Barcelona are with pick pockets.  I will likely wear a pick under my dress or a cross body that zips and has the cut prevent straps.  In the Caribbean I usually carry them in my waterproof passport carrier in my tote bag.  Jane

Honestly I wouldn’t even take them off the boat in Rome or Barcelona. Just carry a copy. Unless that’s where you’re boarding...

[Ray]

once i get to destination ie hotel or ship they are left in safe until we are leaving....i never carry proper documents about with me, doesn't matter where i am, you lose them and you are screwed, i have photograph copies of passport in secure folder on mobile just in case

[Ray]

18 hours ago, mom2mybugs said:

 Starting to panic about how bad everyone says Rome and Barcelona are with pick pockets.  

No different to anywhere else in the world, you just have to be more alert and streetwise. 

[FManke]

22 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

We split the duties.  Dan always carries them in his sports coat pocket until we get on the plane and then I put them into a zippered section of my purse until we get to the boat, at which time Dan again assumes the coat pocket locale.  Then everything gets locked into the safety deposit box on the ship and is not moved again until we get ready to disembark.  They once again go into the coat pocket and then back into my purse and into the safe at home.  Lots of opportunities for things to get misplaced.  That's how we like it !

What a system. It seems like you guys have done this a couple of times before! 

[FManke]

23 hours ago, ellcee said:

RFID sleeve in a passport holder. I also make copies and store somewhere completely different. just in case.

I do the same. It's a carry over from my over planning and cruise planner stalking for the previous year plus!

[RestingBird]

I tuck mine in my socks for safe keeping.

 

My wife keeps track of them, she's the organized one.  She usually has them all in a manila folder.

[Pima1988]

26 minutes ago, RestingBird said:

My wife keeps track of them, she's the organized one.  She usually has them all in a manila folder.

LMAO

My husband and I have nicknames for each other.  You can see my moniker is PIMA.  He gave me that nickname 25 yrs ago during a fight.  I called him anal, he responded if I am, than you are a Pain in My A...  

Not only does my husband have blue folders for everything in our life, but different blue folders for each aspect.  1 for our monthly bills due, 1 for paid, 1 for tax deductions, 1 for our DDs wedding, 1 for our cruise (planner to be left with our son while we are away), 1 for cruise docs (excursions pd., etc).  I blame this addiction on the Air Force 

[711Dave]

What we use when we were traveling internationally was  Across the Body bags especially designed for travelers. They have steel reinforced shoulder straps, RFID pockets, room enough for a point and shoot camera, and most have a water bottle holder. 

Wife has a BeSafeBag by Daymakers and I have a Travelon Anti Thief Classic Bag. Both on Amazon. Mine is a bit larger than hers and can hold a 10" tablet to her 8".

 

[FManke]

17 minutes ago, Pima1988 said:

LMAO

My husband and I have nicknames for each other.  You can see my moniker is PIMA.  He gave me that nickname 25 yrs ago during a fight.  I called him anal, he responded if I am, than you are a Pain in My A...  

Not only does my husband have blue folders for everything in our life, but different blue folders for each aspect.  1 for our monthly bills due, 1 for paid, 1 for tax deductions, 1 for our DDs wedding, 1 for our cruise (planner to be left with our son while we are away), 1 for cruise docs (excursions pd., etc).  I blame this addiction on the Air Force 

A place for everything and everything in it's place. Sounds reasonable to someone who once told their family during a Disney trip there was no time for pictures! What? We were on a schedule! 

They will not let me forget it.

[SuZQ329]

So can you use copies of your passport to get back on the ship??

[Ray]

59 minutes ago, SuZQ329 said:

So can you use copies of your passport to get back on the ship??

You use your RC seapass card which to get off and back on ship

[Phillo]

Unless we are going to/from an airport, I never carry my passport when in a destination.

In our room I lock our passports, any currency we dont need immediately and we leave my wife's credit cards and my "spare" debit card as well.  Therefore if we lose our stuff out and about, we have immediate access to funds and ID at the hotel/ship.

I also keep a copy of all documents and itinerary on dropbox AND cloud email.

The only time I would take a passport with me is if I have specifically been told to do so and thats never happened.

I should add, I have a travel wallet specifically for passports that also has my Frequent Flyer cards, sim cards (if travelling overseas) and hidden pockets for cash.

[Michael Vitale]

I have a nifty RC over the shoulder bag w zipper. It’s kinda geeky, and I’d never be caught dead with it outside the actual travel scenario. But for safety & convenience, it works.

[joshvc]

19 hours ago, Ray said:

You use your RC seapass card which to get off and back on ship

We had to show ID at Nassau security before we got to the ship. We had our passports, but would they have accepted copies or American driver licenses?

[tiny260]

23 minutes ago, joshvc said:

We had to show ID at Nassau security before we got to the ship. We had our passports, but would they have accepted copies or American driver licenses?

I don't know about Nassau, but in San Juan recently (January) we had to show photo ID and we used our drivers license.

[spiralqueen]

58 minutes ago, joshvc said:

We had to show ID at Nassau security before we got to the ship. We had our passports, but would they have accepted copies or American driver licenses?

Again, not sure about Nassau, but to give an example that isn’t a US territory, I saw a sign in St Kitt’s that specifically named US (and I would assume other countries’) licenses and state IDs as valid forms of photo ID to get through security and back onto the ship. 

[Pima1988]

I recall stopping in Nassau a few yrs back (2016).  The day prior we all had to go down to a specific area and have our passports stamped by customs control.   The next day at port there were signs everywhere and every 15 mins over the PA that no passports were needed, just take your DL and sea pass card.  It was also posted in the Compass.

 

[Matt]

1 hour ago, joshvc said:

We had our passports, but would they have accepted copies or American driver licenses?

Just a friendly reminder photocopies of a passport are as useful as photocopies of cash. 

FWIW, I always bring my passport and show it in that building at the port prior to walking down the pier to return to the ship.

[JennyB]

Like @Matt, we always bring our passport also.  that is all. amen.

[spursfreak21]

I'm a bit confused...what's the consensus/best guidance - Should you carry your passport with you at ports? Or is it just needed for disembarking at the end of the cruise? 

[JennyB]

On 5/18/2019 at 9:26 AM, Baked Alaska said:

Hello all! So, most of us savvy travelers agree that carrying a passport is the smart way to go as far as our identification papers go. With that in mind, how do YOU carry your travel docs? Do you carry a passport wallet? RFID sleeve in your travel backpack? I've been stashing our docs in an RFID sleeve in my travel backpack, but am wondering if there is an easier way to go with this. So, how do you carry your docs?

 

we're high tech.  we put them in a zip lock baggie and stuff it in our backpack. 

[Phillo]

7 hours ago, spursfreak21 said:

I'm a bit confused...what's the consensus/best guidance - Should you carry your passport with you at ports? Or is it just needed for disembarking at the end of the cruise? 

From the experiences here, it seems that it will depend on the port. 

In my very limited cruise experience, the only time I have needed my passport was for checking into the cruise on Day 1.   Any other port it wasnt required.

That said, this was through Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, so the USA experience is likely to be very very different.

[rtread]

This site is amazing. I'd never heard of an "RFID Sleeve" until I read this thread. Thanks to that and Mr. Google I now am up to speed and the proud owner of 2. Thanks!

[Mljstr]

We were just in Barcelona and Rome in November in November so you would think I would remember; but not so much. It seems the compass tells you what to take off and what you need to get back on the ship.@SuZQ329  If we are not required to take the passport we take a copy and leave the original in the safe. If you are on a Mediterranean cruise that stops in several countries, some ports may require the passport.  I carried an RFID cross body bag and my husband (nickname "the mule") carried an RFID fanny pack.

Re pickpockets in Barcelona and Rome: I personally know two different persons who were pickpocketed -one in each city. So it is very prevalent there and the streets and tourist areas are very very crowded so it is easy to do.

[kadmgs]

Just remember that if something happens like you miss the ship or you get sick/hurt while in port and you don't have your passport because it's back on the ship, getting out of the country will be difficult and will require getting to your country's embassy/consulate. That is easier said than done in many ports. 

[joshvc]

Yeah, our approach on our first cruise, and one we'll probably stick with, is that we're on foreign soil, so we should just have our passports. I also carry secondary ID, and if that's enough to get back on the ship, then all the better if the passport gets lost. 

[JennyB]

1 minute ago, joshvc said:

we're on foreign soil, so we should just have our passports. I also carry secondary ID, and if that's enough to get back on the ship, then all the better if the passport gets lost. 

that's the way we look at it also...with all the travels we've done...not just cruises...

[JLMoran]

So after seeing how others here have RFID blocking sleeves / bags, and having seen them offered for a while now, I decided to do a bit of research on this. Found this article from 2017 written buy a guy who's a computer security expert and, per his bio linked from the article, has been in the security industry since the late 80s. His key point is that, yes, it's very easy to "sweep" for RFID info from credit cards and passports, but the reality is that there have been zero recorded instances of actual RFID crime, either credit card or passport, in all the time since the exploit was first described.

His other key point is that while it's relatively easy to do from a technology standpoint, it's expensive and criminals have much easier / better / cheaper ways of getting your credit card or passport info if they really want it. In addition, second-generation credit cards with RFID now do encrypt the information, where the older gen did not, so it's that much harder to actually get useful data out of anything picked up in a "sweep".

It was definitely an interesting read, and worthwhile. I'd personally say that if you've already invested in one of these, by all means go ahead and keep using it; an ounce of prevention and all that. For myself, since I don't yet own one I think I'll pass on buying any backpack or wallet that costs more simply because it has that as a feature, and carry my passport and any credit cards like I always have, in an inside pocket of my backpack.