Passport and Travel Documents - how do you carry them?

[UP4014]

I usually just jam everything in my jeans pockets, Passport one side and wallet the other. However when in say South America I tend to wear my passport and some cash and card under my shirt in a custom made pocket, if I do have to hand over my wallet to a not so friendly local there isn't much there.

 

[awilcockson]

DFAT standard issue cover.
Passport on oneside.

This is what I do as well, with the boarding pass and my medical travel insurance card on the other side. It goes in my pocket during the boarding process, then straight into a particular pocket in my carry on bag at all other times.

 

[BVT]

When I became top level Qantas Frequent Flyer Gold in 1996 they sen me a gift of a leather version styled like the Victorianox one mentioned.

I did little international travel back then, but these day use this all the time. It holds Card, BP's, passports and other paraphernalia.

It is very similar to this:

+1

I have several of these all old school QF gifts, although the quality of the leather varies alarmingly. Perhaps it was just "enhanced"!

Very useful and fits in most hotel safes. It serves as storage of receipts etc.

Passport in my pocket until I reach the hotel, then into the wallet it goes and lives in the safe.

I carry a hyperlinked itinerary on my iPad as well as a 2 page max (double sided max pages printed on one side) printed itinerary with all the usual hotel info etc.

 

[Philosiphier]

Wow - thanks everyone for all the awsome hints and tips.. I'm starting to think that the $120 I was going to spend on a travel wallet may be better spent on a cheaper one - that Oroton leather one is an absolute STEAL!

Any other tips or ideas are more than welcome :mrgreen:

 

[Philosiphier]

Gosh - who would've thought you could still buy all that Ansett merchandise.. how retro

 

[RogerRoo]

First post from a closet AFFer who has been an avid reader over many years and who has just come out of the "Cyber closet".

I always button up my old style Passport in my back pocket and it never leaves me while overseas. Pouches are too bulky for me and are easily misplaced, but everyone to their own solutions. Guess I will need to rethink the pocket location when I eventually renew it with a chip passport.

Experience has taught me over the years to be extra cautious and keep it on me at all times, because you never know when you may need it. For example, my wife and I were holidaying in Paris a few years ago and we were close to the Eiffel Tower, I took a photo of that tourist icon (as we all do), problem was as I found out after taking the photo, there were some anti-terrorist police that were in the photo and became camera shy and put me through the third degree. If I didnt have my passport I would have been detained. In Europe, all citizens are required to have EEC ID in them at all times.

Whatever your preference, I recommend that your Passport stays on you at all times. PS, don't forget to take it out of your pocket before you wash your pants (that's another embarrassing story).

Roger

 

[NM]

When I became top level Qantas Frequent Flyer Gold in 1996 they sen me a gift of a leather version styled like the Victorianox one mentioned.

I received the same thing many years back and still use it now. I find it very good.

 

[ozimax]

My passport stays in a shirt/jeans pocket at all times, end of story.

As for other stuff eg cash/cc's etc, it depends on the risk level of the country being visited. In the Thai markets/Rome buses etc, I usually wear an around-the-neck passport/cash holder. It does get slightly uncomfortable at times, but it's out of sight.

My brother had his PP nicked in a Turkish bath (in Turkey of all places). It took 4 solid days to get it replaced, which put a massive hole in their holiday plans.

My two bob's worth...

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I would recommend always when travelling to always put in back in the same place after use each time eg an internal zippy pocket in a handbag.

I was on an AS flight SFO/SEA & had to put carry on bag under seat in front (didn't board early enough to get overhead locker space) so handbag was under my legs. Grabbed camera out of handbag to take a snap of Golden Gate Bridge on takeoff whereby the strap on the camera case flicked my passport onto the floor underneath my seat.

Got to Sheraton Seattle & could not find passport to show front desk as ID so they accepted my NT Drivers Licence. Rang up AS baggage dep at SEA but nothing handed in. I asked them where the plane went after that which was DFW & eventually got through to someone who said they found my passport when the plane arrived there.

The next six days were like a game on cat and mouse where passport worked it's way back to SEA by which time we were in LAS when I got a call saying could I come & pick it up today. I told them I was in LAS but was going to re-route to go back & collect in on the way to NYC the next day but they said if not collected that day all unclaimed items would be sent to the warehouse. I could seem dramas with that one! :shock:

In the end I got them to FedEx it o the hotel in NYC. I'd given them my credit card number was wasn't ever charged for it.

Lesson learned. Best thing I ever did was get a US sim card for my phone when we first arrived in the US as I couldn't have got passport back without a cell phone. :!:

 

[snug_gles]

Can anyone recommend a passport wallet which can fit 4~5 passports?

Would also like it to be available in Australia or at least shipping to Australia.

Most zippered passport wallets only take one or two passports at the most... I'm after something that will help me to keep the family's passports together.

Thanks heaps.

 

[tipsy.skipsy]

Can anyone recommend a passport wallet which can fit 4~5 passports?

Would also like it to be available in Australia or at least shipping to Australia.

Most zippered passport wallets only take one or two passports at the most... I'm after something that will help me to keep the family's passports together.

Thanks heaps.

IMHO it is a very bad idea , if you lose the wallet you lose all the passports.

If you buy 5 different wallets , and every family member carries their own passport then that way you don't risk losing them all.

 

[NM]

If you buy 5 different wallets , and every family member carries their own passport then that way you don't risk losing them all.

But you increase the risk of losing one!

When travelling with my family, I carry the passports as I don't want to rely on the kids not losing their own.

I can fit all six my family's passports into my Qantas Frequent Flyer leather zipper wallet.

 

[simongr]

But you increase the risk of losing one!

When travelling with my family, I carry the passports as I don't want to rely on the kids not losing their own.

I can fit all six my family's passports into my Qantas Frequent Flyer leather zipper wallet.

+1

We have six passports for three people so one container (I think a CX amenity kit) is used.

 

[Princess Fiona]

In a blast-from-the-past, I use one of these:

Which I purchased from here:

Office & Desk : Flarose - Ansett Australia Merchandise

(last item on the page).

It's Oroton leather, that was originally given to J PAX on the 744 AN services. The one I bought came wrapped in AN Wrapping Paper, and had a little card stuck on it thanking me for choosing to fly AN J.

It's actually a really good travel wallet. It's a very solid zip, the 'leash' it has is just clip-on so it's easily removable, and inside it has a small zip-pouch which easily holds most foreign currencies.

I use it to hold my collection of Express inwards/outbound cards (getting quite the collection now!) as well as my backup/supplemental credit cards (in case I lose the ones in my wallet whilst travelling) and my other "frequent xx_xx_'er" cards.

$25 for an Oroton Leather travel wallet is a bargain IMHO. The AN embossed logo just makes it plane-geek-retro-cool

Thankyou just bought this it's an absolute bargain and also the matching $12 shoe kit

 

[snug_gles]

Thanks for the tip... but when the kids are 5 and 3 years old... I'd better hang on to everything of value. Also, my wife doesn't want to hang on to the passports and prefers that they all rest with me... so she knows who to shout at when I lose them.

IMHO it is a very bad idea , if you lose the wallet you lose all the passports.

If you buy 5 different wallets , and every family member carries their own passport then that way you don't risk losing them all.

 

[tipsy.skipsy]

Thanks for the tip... but when the kids are 5 and 3 years old... I'd better hang on to everything of value. Also, my wife doesn't want to hang on to the passports and prefers that they all rest with me... so she knows who to shout at when I lose them.

Yup .... I was a kid once .. I remember losing my passport and to add to the fun I managed to drop my brothers passport in the swimming pool on the same day

 

[snug_gles]

If possible, the travel wallet could also be waterproof when closed.

Yup .... I was a kid once .. I remember losing my passport and to add to the fun I managed to drop my brothers passport in the swimming pool on the same day

 

[Boof1]

So after this thread popped up it dawned on me that the stupid travel wallet I have was a pain in the backside last trip. So I went ahead and got the Victorinox one that munitalP is using and showed us the pics of it in this thread.

It is a beauty and I'm pleased that I got it... Thanks to munitalP for the heads up on this product.

Can anyone recommend a passport wallet which can fit 4~5 passports?

Would also like it to be available in Australia or at least shipping to Australia.

Most zippered passport wallets only take one or two passports at the most... I'm after something that will help me to keep the family's passports together.

Thanks heaps.

Which leads me to say that this Victorinox product would work for you especially if you travel on your own/with partner more than with the kids as its a great investment for sole travel but able to do the family as well.

If you refer to the photos posted in reply #3 you can put yours and partners passports in the two slots on the right hand side (the top two slots) and put the 3 kids passports in the zippered area on the left. I've done a little test for you with our passports and you can get 3 in the right side no worries as well as the other two in the left and with my travel cards etc it still didn't bulge it out that much (I did take my pen out!).

Now I got mine for a touch over $50 delivered, which is 40% off retail. If you want the name of the place I got it PM me as I would recommend the company. I'm not affiliated with them but I wont advertise either!

Cheers,

Boof

 

[Fantic125]

I also use the Victorinox and would highly recommend it!
I usually travel on my own for business, and agree wholeheartedly with what ozbeachbabe said earlier about having a routine and standard placement for passports, cards, etc.

Right hand side has my passport, APEC card & Qantas card (and business cards in the mesh section) & in the sections behind I keep spare outgoing and incoming passenger cards, as well as any surplus inwards Express Cards.

The left hand side has my commonly used Hotel, Car & other Airline cards, as well as two 'emergency use' credit cards. The two zippered sections I normally use for holding coins and notes for wherever I'm travelling to so I can easly swap them in and out of my wallet.

The pouch in front usually holds my boarding pass for the current and next sector.

Maybe a bit cough, but with over 150 flights and 400,000 miles in the last 2 years it has served me well....

 

[Katie]

I have an Oroton fabric wallet, and it fits our three passports OK, depending on how much other stuff is in there. One of my key criteria whe purchasing it was that it had to hold folded A4 paper (itineraries, etc) not just paper tickets. I carry all passports and boarding passes, tough I can see Little Miss will want to carry her own boarding pass on our future trips. I should be able to only give it to her at the gate. It was a bit of fun seeing her try to juggle her on-board wheelie bag, oarding pass, and collect headsets in SYD the other week.
I've found the wallet quite handy, and it has an outer pocket I put passport, boarding pass + travel docs in after checking in. QP card gets slipped in there after going through security.