Pickpockets money belts and pouches · Money belts and pouches in Pickpockets
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Money belts and pouches in Pickpockets
Money belts and pouches in Pickpockets
There are many ways to stash your money and passport where it will be quite a bit more difficult to grab it.
Separate your money. Carry a small-change purse or keep a small amount of money in a pants pocket, for small transactions like buying a bus-ticket or an ice cream. Put larger bills somewhere else. Many travellers have 3 to 5 wallets with their money split so that if one or two get stolen, it does not cause too much trouble.
Many urban outfitter or mountaineering type shops sell a money belt that you wear under your pants. These are typically nylon and have many pockets, so you can have cash, travellers cheques and passport separated. This is probably your most secure option since it is hard for a thief to reach and is in a sensitive area of the body; you are quite likely to notice someone touching you there. The only disadvantage is that some people find them inconvenient to access. The luxury versions of money belts have straps with sewn in wires (or the whole belt is made of this material) and all connections are made of steel and are not easy to open. So it's not possible to cut these straps or snatch away the belt. However, you may want to avoid models that contain metal parts, since they will cause problems at security checkpoints.
Another type of money belt is just a zipper sewn onto the inside surface of an ordinary belt.
These are OK for money, but not passports. They can be bought in some travel-oriented shops or are easily made. Use a nylon zipper; metal will cause problems at airport security.
Many travellers use a passport pouch hanging under their shirt. Again, this is a sensitive area of the body; you will likely notice activity there. Make sure it has a secure strap and be careful not to wear it on the outside of your clothing, where it would be an easy snatch-and-run target. Some pouches have a second strap that goes around your chest; with these it's not possible for the thief to snatch-and-run. Some travelers find the presence of anything around their neck to be a danger in itself, however. Others use a leg pouch worn under the pants or sometimes on the upper arm under a shirt.
A company called Stashitware offers mens underwear with pockets for sale via the net. The Clever Travel Companion sells men's underwear as well as women's underwear with secret, zipper closed pockets.
In Africa it is quite common for women to store money and even cell phones in their bras. Again, you will certainly notice someone touching you in this area, and it's directly in your line of sight as well.
Some travellers use a drawstring shoe bag. These are cheap and are difficult for a thief to get into if the string is drawn tight. Also, the drawstring can be tied around your wrist when at a table to protect against snatch-and-run theives. Some contain inner pockets, so even if the bag is slashed, your valuables will be protected.
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Pickpockets Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.