Are travel wallets a joke?

Question

You know these neck wallets, hip/waist and belt money pouches. Do people use them or are they an expensive luxury you learn to leave behind? A simple yes or no will suffice as to whether you use them, whether they are effective. Thanks.

Answer 1

Worth it!  You can't leave your passport and money in the hotel room, they all don't have safes.  Pickpockets are a way of life in tourist destinations, it's unfortunate but true and they'll take the opportunity to steal from you if they can.  For me, the money belt is for my own piece-of-mind.  I enjoy the city and it'd surroundings knowing my stuff is safe and with me all the time.

Answer 2

No joke. The money belts that you wear around your waist are a great thing when you are travelling to your holiday destination. You can safely stash all you holiday money in them and be confident that there is no chance of being pickpocketed, especially if you wear it inside your trousers/jeans.

Answer 3

totally worth it. they can hold your passport etc. or larger amounts of money and you will feel comfortable .. good for Europe.

the money belts are better they can go anywhere from $12-24.

Answer 4

I always use a money belt when travelling and I'm a large, very muscular, intimidating man.

Whenever you travel and arrive at your destination you are tired and not always as alert as you would usually be.  The last thing you want to be worrying about is the contents of your wallet.

I usually only wear my money belt for a couple of days until i become familiar with the lay of the land.  After this I spread my money around in several different places.  You can always carry a fake wallet for thieves to take and keep your money wrapped up in tinfoil (like a sandwich) or some other disguise.

After a few days you can keep the bulk of your money with your dirty underwear or use one of these:

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/01/24/ski...

When not using a money belt, ALWAYS keep your passport and that day's spending money in a front pocket.

Spend as much money as you can afford when buying a money belt - the better ones are water resistant and last longer in the washing machine.

Answer 5

I have known so many who have lost passport, I.D., money, purse, backpack...better for me to have mine in bag around my neck  and tucked in.

Answer 6

i think they are a waste of money