Tour of a Money Belt
 |
| Protect your travel fortune with a Rick Steves' moneybelt |
Your portable safe
By Rick Steves
Money belts are your key to peace of mind. I never travel without one. A money belt is a small, nylon-zippered pouch that fastens around the waist under your pants or skirt. You wear it completely hidden from sight, tucked in like a shirttail — over your shirt and under your pants. (If you find it uncomfortable to wear a money belt in front — as many women do — slide it around and wear it in the small of your back.)
With a money belt, all your essential documents are on you as securely and thoughtlessly as your underpants. Have you ever thought about that? Every morning you put on your underpants. You don't even think about them all day long. And every night when you undress, sure enough, there they are, exactly where you put them. When I travel, my valuables are just as securely out of sight and out of mind, around my waist in a money belt. It's luxurious peace of mind. I'm uncomfortable only when I'm not wearing it.
Operate with a day's spending money in your pocket. You don't need to get at your money belt for every euro. Your money belt is your deep storage — for select deposits and withdrawals. Lately, I haven't even carried a wallet. A few bills in my shirt pocket — no keys, no wallet — I'm on vacation!
Precautions: Never leave a money belt "hidden" on the beach while you swim. It's safer left in your hotel room. In hostel or dorm situations where your money belt shouldn't be left alone in your room, you can shower with it (hang it — maybe in a plastic bag — from the nozzle). Keep your money-belt contents dry (sweat-free) with a plastic sheath or baggie.
Packing light applies to your money belt as well as your luggage. Here's what to pack in your money belt:
- Passport: You're legally supposed to have it with you at all times.
- Plane ticket: If you have a paper ticket, keep it in your money belt. If it's an e-ticket, keep a print-out in your luggage — and, if you like, carry a copy in your money belt for safekeeping.
- Railpass: This is as valuable as cash.
- Driver's license: This works just about anywhere in Europe and is necessary if you want to rent a car on the spur of the moment.
- Credit card: It's required for car rental and handy to have if your cash runs low.
- Debit card: A Visa debit card is the most versatile for ATM withdrawals. (I no longer use traveler's checks.)
- Cash: Keep only major bills in your money belt.
- Plastic sheath: Money belts easily get slimy and sweaty. Damp plane tickets and railpasses can be disgusting and sometimes worthless. Even a plain old baggie helps keep things dry.
- Contact list: Print small, and include every phone number or email address of importance in your life.
- Trip calendar page: Include your hotel list and all necessary details from your itinerary
Updated for 2009. For lots more tips, check out our best-selling Europe Through the Back Door travel skills guidebook. Buy your essential moneybelt at our Travel Store.