1. The sneaky way to hide your passport
Since we often stay in places with no safe, we hid our passport in the bottom of a kleenex box – in plain sight!
Rebecca Rose
2. How to get a back-up copy of your passport
Always bring a color copy of your passport with you when traveling abroad. Keep it separate from your original passport so that if you lose one, you will always have the other.
The copy is easy to keep with your carry on things so you can use it as Wendy suggests…to fill out immigration forms for the country you are visiting. If you lose your original passport, some places will accept a color copy until you can get a replacement.
And having a copy of the original will ease the pain of getting a replacement because all the necessary information is on your copy.
Robin Smith
3. A safer way than email to store your passport copy
It’s probably not a good idea to send yourself an e-mail copy of these important numbers and documents. E-mail isn’t very secure… this information could easily be compromised and intercepted.
I always carry one of those little USB flash drives that can be password protected, and for an added layer of security the information can be encrypted. The idea is the same. Go to an internet café etc and pop in the USB flash drive.
By the way, I use one of the U3 USB flash drives that enables me to access my own browser with all my familiar bookmarks/favorites etc. It’s like signing on to my home computer and makes my use of time in an internet café far more efficient.
Thanks,
Bud Shuler
4. Why you need to be careful when you see “luggage sale”
Beware of luggage sales. Many luggage vendors are looking to unload heavy luggage as people are opting for much lighter luggage due to the new weight restrictions on almost all airlines.
Ask “how much does it weigh” before you lay out the cash.
Remember, US flights have a maximum weight for checked bags of 50 lbs. Anything over will cost you.
Shelly
5. Why you should check in as early as possible
Checkin on line if you can & choose a seat as close to the front of the plane as possible.
This means that you’ll be one of the first off at the other end. Once off the plane, walk fast to immigration.
Hopefully, you’ll get there near the front of the queue, saving ages of waiting time.
Al Scott
Peter Press
1. You do not need to carry your passport around any city. A color copy is fine. You do need your passport to check into any foreign hotel. A safe in the room or at the front desk is the only place to store your passport. Be sure to check the date on your passport since it is not valid within 6 months of the expiration date upon your reentry into the USA.
daryl
Always carry your passport with you! Most countries require it of foreigners.Dont leave it in your hotel. I keep important info in my PDA phone under password protection. I dont see a problem with sending it to yourself as an email. The encryption for email is practically bulletproof. The problem with the email is to make sure that you dont compromise your security using a public internet connection or internet cafe. Make sure to use the extra security option and check to make sure you dont leave your logon and password in the machine.
Allison Moore
Am I missing something or are you actually leaving your passport in your hotel room? Why would you do something so risky! Leaving it at the front desk or in a safe isn’t much better since dishonest hotel employees can access it. I always keep it in my travel pouch around my neck under my clothes.
Tyler Burgess
I always choose a seat as far back in the plane as I can get. My brother-in-law works for the FAA and he says that in an crash, the impact of the plane usually comes from the back to the front, crushing the first seats first. So I’d rather be where there is less impact. And yes, I am in the back of the customs line, but happy.
Donald Newcomb
You can sit at the front of the plane if you like. In the event of a hijacking the passengers at the front are the first ones picked to be hostages.
Mark Heffron
Regarding a copy of your passport on a USB flash drive — the security protocol at many Internet cafes will not allow you to run the executable program required to enter your password. Thus you can’t get at the information on your flash drive. I’ve run into this pretty consistently.
Yvonne Kendley
Regarding the tip of leaving your passport in the bottom of a Kleenex box shocked me. Never leave your passport in a hotel room, whether it’s hidden or not, unless it is in a safe. That’s one of the first rules of travel.
R Holm
Aren’t you supposed to have your passport on your person when out-and-about?
Lee Jones
I make color copies and put one in each of my bags. On the back, I write my addresses and telephone numbers for my itinerary on them – serves as an “inside identification” that the airlines like as well as giving them the contact information they can use to forward a lost bag. Also, of course, it means I have that all important color copy in both carry ons as well.
Kay Carswell
Except when I’m in the shower or in bed for the night, my passport is always on my body in a secure hidden pocket or in a secure, hidden passport case. This way, I feel my passport is secure and at the same time I have I.D. if needed. I only hope that if I am ever in a serious accident, the EMT’s can find my hidden I.D. LOL
Deborah Thompson
RE: Passport copies
Not only should you carry copies of all important documents, give a set to a trusted friend/family member back home. They can fax them to you in case of emergency (most hotels/hostels have a fax).
Also give and get a set from at least one of your traveling partners. When our rental car was stolen (never leave your information in the car!), I had a copy of my friend’s important papers. That made it much easier to replace the passports.
Rick Tait
you know it’s funny….I used to do the get close to the front of the plane so i could be first in line thing…but i realized that wherever i was in line…I always have to wait for my luggage..so i don’t sweat where i sit anymore….
Betty Sheldon
Rebecca Rose was lucky to find a box of tissues. (Many overseas hotels do not supply tissues at all, let alone a box of them.) And the tip doesn’t sound very safe to me, for this primary reason: room attendents do check the tissue supply during the average stay, and they’re likely to find that little treasure of a passport at the bottom of the box. Most attendants are honest and would leave anything they find hidden, but by the same token, why take a chance. Most overseas hotels have a safe in the room or at the front desk. I always use that. It’s less risky.
saul freedman
The Kleenx box is a BAD idea for hiding the passport. Maids have a way of replacing them when they think it is low in tissues. Good bye passport!