How do you guys carry your passport when you travel?I usually keep it in my front pants pocket when I’m in the airport along with any other important IDs, permits, boarding passes, etc. for easy access, but recently I had an incident where I was in a rush to catch a bus and dropped a very important ID card at some point between passport control and customs and would’ve been fucked had an airport security guard not tracked me down to return it. This made me think that it’s time to get a passport holder. My only concern is that holders are rather bulky and an obvious target for pickpockets when outside the airport. I had a pretty scary incident once when I was stopped by local police in a foreign country when I wasn’t carrying my passport and I almost ended up going to jail, so since then I always make sure it’s on me when I’m outside the hotel. What about you anons, any suggestions?
>>2657113I don’t have great suggestions, sadly; if the climate permits it, my first choice is always an inside jacket pocket. I had a passport wallet for a little while, but like you suspect, I found it inconveniently bulky. And front trouser pockets aren’t roomy enough to carry a passport comfortably, in my opinion, plus I would worry about bending it—I carried around a passport constantly for a year or two, when I had no other legal ID, and it got really beat up. A slim protective case might help with that, I suppose, but it’s an imperfect solution.The risk when carrying a passport on your person nowadays isn’t really that thieves will look to steal it specifically. Stolen passports are of very limited value except as one potential piece of a more elaborate identity theft scheme, as it’s practically impossible to modify them for use by another person now that the data is repeated on a chip and there’s no glued-in photograph to easily swap out. Anybody with the technical tools to pull it off could just manufacture completely forged passports that wouldn’t risk being reported stolen. The problem is that they get stolen with the assumption that they’re attached to other valuables. And a passport wallet or bulky case only makes that kind of mistake more likely.So I would first be sure to confirm that the country I’m visiting actually requires people to carry their passports with them at all times (I have also been hassled by police for not having mine on me, twice, once in a country where it isn’t actually mandatory), and if so, perhaps consider putting it in a concealed money belt (don’t use one of those silly travel wallets that go around your neck—pickpockets know and laugh about those). Otherwise, it’s almost always sufficient just to carry a photocopy of it and leave it locked up or stashed in your hotel.
>>2657113Cargo pants with big pockets and zippers or buttons.
>>2657113I don'tKeep your drivers license with you, the app on your phone showing where your airbnb is, a screenshot or email of the flights you are on, and maybe a picture of your passport. Unless you meet the most asshole of asshole people no one will care though some dick head cop *might* yell at you that's about it.If someone asks why I don't have it on me "Oh I am concerned about losing it so it's hidden locked up in my hotel bedroom, here is my ID and where it is located I can take you to it". NO cop wants to deal with explaining to his boss he has to go to a hotel room with some foreigner to look for a passport.
>>2657209>NO cop wants to deal with explaining to his boss he has to go to a hotel room with some foreigner to look for a passport.Probably true in all normal countries, but cops in any of the small number of African and post-Soviet countries I’ve been to that officially require foreigners to carry their passports at all times don’t bother asking/telling their bosses anything, they just start threatening you to shake you down for cash. If their boss found out, he’d just come and shake you down for even more cash.And although I have no personal experience of this, I’ve heard multiple reports from people living or staying in Japan (where the cops are very unlikely to shake you down for bribes) that police there are more than happy to follow you to your home or hotel and wait for you to produce your documents.
>>2657237>cops in any of the small number of African and post-Soviet countriesIf you're going to these countries you probably know well enough already to book extra papers and documentation if not extra photocopies of all important things.
>>2657247>If you're going to these countries you probably know well enough already to book extra papers and documentation if not extra photocopies of all important things.Indeed. But I also know that cops hoping for a handout won’t settle for looking at a picture of your passport on your phone. Having the real thing on you (as the law requires) reduces your chances of getting extorted at least a little.
>>2657113I carry it in a ziplock bag and in my fanny pack with my sunglasses, phone charger, wallet, etc.
>>2657269"here is my passport card sir"done. Why you wouldn't get the card and book at the same time is silly
>>2657113>putting your lifeblood in a pocket where it can easily slip out and ruin your entire vacationno.Put it in a satchel with all the valuables. Hide an airtag in it and keep it in buttoned/zipped pockets.This is 2024 don't be a goober
>>2657234what's this?
>>2657287>"here is my passport card sir"done. Why you wouldn't get the card and book at the same time is sillyThat’s sort of an interesting hypothetical—passport cards are officially valid, as you probably know, only for land or sea travel between the US, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. They can’t legally be used for air travel, or for travel anywhere outside that very limited range of countries. But I imagine that authorities in a lot of places don’t know this, and perhaps it would be good enough in most cases. I mean, it probably won’t be good enough to satisfy a crooked Moldovan cop, but it could work in a clean country.I mention Moldova because that’s one of two places I was shaken down on the street for not having my passport with me. At the time, it wasn’t even mandatory in MD to carry a passport at all times (not sure about nowadays). But my shakedown was almost cute—it was the middle of a pleasant, sunny summer day on a busy street in central Chisinau, and after I told them that my passport was in my hotel, they almost apologetically told me that I would have to give them something “for some champagne,” and cheerfully settled for the equivalent of about $6 in Moldovan lei (coincidentally about what a midrange bottle of local sparkling wine cost in a supermarket). Would have been scarier in the dark, but it kind of made me chuckle at the time.
>>2657234>>2657478>look online for "passport cases">most results are for Western Digital external hard drives, which are branded as "My Passport">other results are really shitty passport cases for actual passports>can't find a good solid passport case
>>2657478Just found it. It's called the "Passport Shell 2.0" by a company called Dash Wallets. It's not out yet, and they're using kikestarter to fund its development, so I'm no longer interested.
>>2658141>kikestarter to fund its developmentDEVELOPMENT OF WHAT ITS JUST A HARD PASSPORT CASE LMAO YOU CAN BUY THESE OFF AMAZON FOR LIKE $20 FUGGEN KEK
I usually have a shoulder bag under my jacket where I keep my valuables, especially for when I'm in the city and don't want to get pickpocketed.
Do third worlders not have these yet?
>>2658141https://dashwallets.com/products/passport-shell-2-0-travel-walletIt does have an XL version for 2 passports (you+partner, or dual citizens)Kinda shitty it's preorder/kickstarter, but the company has existing products at least so they're not some random company trying to do their first-ever product.
Small zipper pocket on pants or backpack. Done.
>>2657113Ziploc bag
I do have a water-tight hard case that I use for storage. It's absolutely overkill for everyday use, but it's perfect for static use. My passport won't get wet if I were to accidentally spill something on the table, and it won't get crushed if I were to stuff it in my bag. If I'm actively traveling, I typically leave my passport in my hotel room; it seems a bit foolhardy, but I have yet to encounter a situation where I would require my passport outside of airport/hotel check-ins.
>>2658816Getting into clubs/barsNeed a photo ID and since you don't have a local ID that the bar would recognize, your passport is your best bet in most cases as it's a standardized international proof of identification. They're not gonna give a shit about your NYU student ID or New York driver's license.
>>2658817unless you're literally a day after 18 or 21 and look young as fuck DOB works well enough on a drivers license to any place that would have an age limit. I would NEVER take my passport to a bar or club that's like 'how to get it lost 101'.
>>2659205The UK for example doesn't have a national ID system. They have drivers licenses but if you don't drive, the only government issued ID you can get is a passport.No I'm not kidding, and yes people use their passports to get into bars/clubs all the time.
>>2659517>The UK for example doesn't have a national ID system. They have drivers licenses but if you don't drive, the only government issued ID you can get is a passport.There’s no national health card? That does surprise me. The US doesn’t really have national ID, either, or course, just state driver’s licenses, or IDs non-drivers can also get from the DMV. But the only people I’ve ever known in the US to get non-driver IDs were literal refugees.
>>2659517>people use their passports to get into bars/clubs all the time.i'm from the uk and i have never seen anyone do this in my entire life, even when i was much more sociable than i am nowi am sure it does very occasionally happen. but there have always been other ways of proving you are over 18an example is the PASS card (proof of age standards scheme) which is not exactly government issued but is backed by the police etcit is used for exactly the kind of situation you describe, if you need to get into pubs etc but you don't have a driving licence etc.
>>2659521>There’s no national health card?the nhs does issue cards for recording allergies etc but they are not really used as id and they don't have a photo on themwe also get a card with our national insurance number (=social security number or similar) when we are 16 but that is also not a photo id and it doesn't even have a date of birth. most people lose them at some point
>>2659523>PASS cardI've had clubs not accept PASS cardsPassports are common to see being used at clubs in London. Not just by tourists.
>>2659517>No I'm not kidding, and yes people use their passports to get into bars/clubs all the time.Echo'ing what you replied to. Unless you look 16, the guy is looking for any excuse to not let you in (e.g. you're already drunk as fuck) or someshit, most no one is going to turn you away with a drivers license with a DOB clearly listed especially if you are a burger. I'm sure people use their passport to get into clubs but it's generally not smart
>>2659596No i'm talking about UK citizens living in the UK who don't drive or have a license. also while US and Euro IDs are usually fine, there is nothing that says they HAVE to accept that as valid ID and the only valid internationally valid ID you'll have is your passport.I am a British citizen and don't drive, my only photo ID is my passport.
>>2659602>No i'm talking about UK citizens living in the UK who don't drive or have a license.Great anon, OP clearly isn't talking about local citizens walking around you retard. People are saying it's fucking retarded when traveling to bring your passport out, especially to a club.
>>2660036I mean, I obviously do it when travelling internationally too since my only photo ID is a passport.
>>2660048Congrats, that's retarded as hell if you have the ability to get any other form of ID but you do (you) anon.
I put it in my man purse
>>2660050What other photo ID is there? PASS cards barely work in the UK, let alone internationally. I don't own a car and don't plan to, so why would I get my drivers license?
>>2660200>PASS cards barely workAnon, if they aren't letting you into the club because they don't like your PASS it's (YOU) are the problem not your card.
