Keep passports and credit cards secure when travelling

[Leisured]

Mustachians do a fair bit of travel, and I have read on this forum occasional concern about keeping passports and credit cards secure.
I decided long ago that good security includes keeping passport and credit cards out of sight. Walking down a street in a poor country with a fat wallet dangling from your wrist by a cord is a way of advertising your wealth.

I had an old nylon shirt, which is cool in hot weather. I cut off the collar and sleeves and reduced the length. I had a tailor cut the offcuts into breast pockets large enough for my passport, with a tab and button to keep contents inside each pocket. I wear this special shirt under my normal shirt, so there is no hint of my passport and credit cards.

I put my passport, credit cards, and cash in large denominations in plastic sandwich bags to keep them free of my perspiration. Many years ago, my brother travelled SE Asia with a combined belt and wallet under his shirt. We are Australian, and our passports at the time had some sort of logo in gold on the back. SE Asia has a steam bath climate, and his perspiration stripped off the logo. Sandwich bags after that.

[deborah]

Good idea. I recently made trousers with pockets with internal zips for travelling. Wearing a long shirt which covers the pockets also masks the silhouette of these items, but I also like your idea.

One problem these days (especially with our passport which has a microchip in it), is identification stealing with FMID reading devices. You probably need something that will be a faraday cage, rather than just a ziplock bag.

[tardis]

My father always travels with these button shirts with a hidden velcro pocket running next to the button placket.  Pretty much invisible and he can fit a ridiculous amount in there and there is no way anyone can get to it without you noticing.

[Dexterous]

I've seen pick pockets in Naples using sharp blades to cut a persons jacket and still get the wallet.  I think the best defense is being wary of people around you, particularly on metros, at bus stops, etc.  There are some good videos online about pick pockets... I'll have to research the name of the one I watched that was very useful.

An idea I've had is to carry a second wallet with junk cards and a few dollars, that way if you get robbed/mugged then they can think they got your stuff... and you can hopefully escape unharmed without worrying about a fight.  :P

[sistastache]

Women's clothing has a tendency to be more fitted which can be a challenge when trying to hide a money belt or other form of under garment concealment.  So, for my last trip to England, I made an infinity scarf (basically a large loop) and sewed a hidden pocket inside to carry my passport and extra funds. Works perfectly in cooler weather!

[latinlover77]

What about keeping your passport at your hotel room/place of lodging? Most hotels have safes where you can store your passport.

[socalteacher]

One problem that you may run into when at the beach etc. is where to put your valuables when you get in the water. Depending on where we were we would just stash it in our beach bag or we would use a small dry/wet bag to put stuff in and take it with us in the water.

Recently I have been using an iPhone waterproof case that is on a lanyard. It fits the phone and some extras and just goes for a swim with us.

In terms of other ways to keep stuff safe I always used a money belt that tucks away or a bag that hangs around your neck. The best defense is to be vigilant of the people around you and where you go. When traveling SEA we did have some issues with pick pockets and most of them were actually children. We never had anything lost in all of our travels. We always had our things planned out when we went shopping etc. I would never whip out my money bag in a shop etc. I always had a pre-determined amount of money in a zip pocket that was used in public. It was always a small amount that met the needs for the day.

Finally I would never put anything in your travel luggage. I always kept our important valuables with us. We had friends that had hidden stashes in their bags and they lost all their stuff while their luggage was being stowed under a cross country bus. We figured that during the trip there must have been someone down there that went through the bags??

[iamlindoro]

I strongly recommend not carrying your passport with you on a daily basis when traveling.  There is little to no reason to do so.  In developed nations, you will not be asked to "show papers" except for entry to and exit from the country.  In developing countries, you *may* have to show your identification if challenged by police or military, but in almost every case, it is usually allowed to show a photocopy of the passport.  If pressed, it's highly unlikely even in the developing world that having to go to a hotel room to get the original would cause you any sort of problem.

If you need to leave credit cards/etc. on a beach (don't!), suggest bringing a baby diaper and sealing it around your wallet "dirty diaper style," and leaving it under your towel.  Nobody steals dirty diapers.

[JLR]

The dirty diaper trick is a good one.

[forummm]

I strongly recommend not carrying your passport with you on a daily basis when traveling.  There is little to no reason to do so.  In developed nations, you will not be asked to "show papers" except for entry to and exit from the country.  In developing countries, you *may* have to show your identification if challenged by police or military, but in almost every case, it is usually allowed to show a photocopy of the passport.  If pressed, it's highly unlikely even in the developing world that having to go to a hotel room to get the original would cause you any sort of problem.

I was frequently asked to provide my passport to make credit card purchases in Peru last year, and asked at check-in for every place we stayed. But I was never asked in Canada last month to make purchases, but was asked a few times for it when checking in at hotels. YMMV.

I personally have a greater trust in the safety of my passport in my travel wallet held underneath my belted pants than I do in leaving it in my hotel room. Even hotel room safes have master keys or passcodes. And locks can be picked easily on lockers.

[Clean Shaven]

I bring with a thumb drive with a password locked ms word file that includes my passport number, address and phone number for the local US embassy, list of all credit card numbers (for the cards I am bringing with - last 4 digits only) and phone number for each credit card company. I know the file password isn't that secure, but the contents won't help anyone but me.  I also have a PDF scan of my passport photo and info page (that first page in a US passport) on the drive. 

[LibrarIan]

The dirty diaper trick is a good one.

Please explain.

[forummm]

The dirty diaper trick is a good one.

Please explain.

From the post immediately above it:

If you need to leave credit cards/etc. on a beach (don't!), suggest bringing a baby diaper and sealing it around your wallet "dirty diaper style," and leaving it under your towel.  Nobody steals dirty diapers.

[LibrarIan]

Reading comprehension is hard.

[GizmoTX]

I use a travel vest with inside zipped pockets (Scottevest) rather than a purse or bag. This also works well to carry gear that doesn't count in baggage weight when boarding a plane.

There are foil lined passport sleeves to prevent RFID reading available on Amazon, 5 for $15. We've used these & they last for years.

[Irishtache]

When we travel, I discard my usual 5x4 inch leather wallet for a small card wallet. This holds way more cards than I need and has a small, tight slip inside the cover which will hold a couple hundred euro, in large notes. This wallet I slip into a zipped pocket behind the front pocket of my cragghopper cargo pants with zip off lower legs for warmer climes. I also carry a small amount of paper currency in my back, zipped pocket, about €30-40 for instant access for purchases. If I have to carry passports, they fit into the thigh pocket of same pants, which I always wear travelling. At destination I always lock the passports in the safe, never carry them about town. I have travelled through and around many European cities this way. Key thing, though, is vigilance. Watch out for 'bumps', strangers finsding a ring or watch on the ground and insisting it's yours, sudden soiling of your clothes by an invisible bird and accompanied by enthusiatic cleaning from stranger - this is always pickpockets at work. Be careful on buses, metro etc.

I can't imagine wearing a money belt or hidden wallet. I find it sweaty enough without such accoutrements.

[JoJo]

I travel with a money belt (emergency cash, ATM, CC & passport) but I carry a photocopy of the passport and a day to day wallet/coin purse for the spending money of the day.

When I backpacked for a year, and to some places without ATMs, I stashed an emergency $100 bill in my large backpack (rolled it up, wrapped in plastic wrap, and duct taped in a corner of my bag).  I figured if someone nicked my money belt, this would at least be enough to get to the embassy.

[forummm]

I travel with a money belt (emergency cash, ATM, CC & passport) but I carry a photocopy of the passport and a day to day wallet/coin purse for the spending money of the day.

When I backpacked for a year, and to some places without ATMs, I stashed an emergency $100 bill in my large backpack (rolled it up, wrapped in plastic wrap, and duct taped in a corner of my bag).  I figured if someone nicked my money belt, this would at least be enough to get to the embassy.

It's a good idea. Something to keep in mind is that a lot of developing countries wouldn't know what to do with a $100 bill, unless you were able to find a money changing service. A lot of vendors (like restaurants) in South America don't even have change for the equivalent of $1.50 or so. Having a few small bills can be helpful too.

[Us2bCool]

Good idea. I recently made trousers with pockets with internal zips for travelling. Wearing a long shirt which covers the pockets also masks the silhouette of these items, but I also like your idea.

One problem these days (especially with our passport which has a microchip in it), is identification stealing with FMID reading devices. You probably need something that will be a faraday cage, rather than just a ziplock bag.

3M makes these for passports, credit cards and other items.

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/CardMaterials/Home/ProductsServices/DataProtectionSleeve/

[iamlindoro]

Just to clarify-- RFID readers can only be used to read "contactless" cards (ie, ones where you wave the card over a readers).  Not traditional magnetic strip cards, and not chip-equipped cards.  An RFID reader could potentially be used to read the unique identifier from the passport, but that is a single number which can only be used with access to the government biometric database.  The passport chip contains no personal ID whatsoever.

Travel companies are scaring people into buying these ridiculous sleeves when most people's cards couldn't be read remotely anyway, and reading a passport chip remotely gives the attacker nothing of value.

[deborah]

From when I worked in a bank, I know that the US tends to be a bit behind Australia in technology on cards. Our cards are just about all "contactless" and over the last few months shops have been surprised that one of my cards still needs contact. That will change very soon.

[Paul der Krake]

Just to clarify-- RFID readers can only be used to read "contactless" cards (ie, ones where you wave the card over a readers).  Not traditional magnetic strip cards, and not chip-equipped cards.  An RFID reader could potentially be used to read the unique identifier from the passport, but that is a single number which can only be used with access to the government biometric database.  The passport chip contains no personal ID whatsoever.

Travel companies are scaring people into buying these ridiculous sleeves when most people's cards couldn't be read remotely anyway, and reading a passport chip remotely gives the attacker nothing of value.

Agreed, the real reason to have a passport sleeve is to protect it from wear and tear, not hackers. After years of frequent travel mine is in a pitiful state. I'll get a nice leather cover at the next renewal to appear all worldly.

[Nothlit]

I recently traveled to Europe (UK, Belgium, Netherlands) and left my passport behind (locked) in my room or storage locker while out and about (using my own padlock). I had no concerns about this, but I recognize that others might feel differently. I can't stand the feeling of a money belt or neck wallet under my clothes, so when I was in transit between cities, my passport remained in a zippered pouch which was clipped to a D-ring inside an inner compartment of my shoulder/day bag. I was never asked to show my passport anywhere except at non-Schengen border crossings, and when checking into the hostels.

I didn't have any contactless/RFID-based credit cards so I wasn't worried about them. I do have an iPhone with Apple Pay, which I used quite a bit especially in the UK, but that's not vulnerable to the same skimming attacks since it requires user interaction to complete a transaction (thumbprint verification).

I kept one credit card, one debit card, and my daily cash in my regular wallet, but I moved it to my front pocket rather than the usual back pocket. I never felt particularly unsafe or vulnerable to pickpocketing in any of the cities I visited, certainly no more so than I would in any major U.S. city.

[Blonde Lawyer]

The dirty diaper trick is a good one.

Until someone throws out that dirty diaper for you.

[Cathy]

...An RFID reader could potentially be used to read the unique identifier from the passport, but that is a single number which can only be used with access to the government biometric database.  The passport chip contains no personal ID whatsoever.

Travel companies are scaring people into buying these ridiculous sleeves when most people's cards couldn't be read remotely anyway, and reading a passport chip remotely gives the attacker nothing of value.

This is not accurate. So-called "ePassports" contain the biographical information in plaintext, and also contain a cryptographic signature computed over said plaintext. The asymmetric key pair is specific to the country that issued the passport. The world's various countries store their public keys in a global Public Key Directory ("PKD"). When a passport is scanned for admission to a country, the border authorities electronically contact the PKD, obtain the key for the country that issued the passport of the prospective entrant, and then verify that the signature contained in the chip is valid over the data based on the public key obtained from the PKD. In fact, according to a page 8 of a leaked CIA document, there are already cases in the wild of passports where people have modified the plaintext on the chip for fraud, but failed to change the signature (because they did not have the private key).

However, just because the chips contain the biographical information in plaintext, doesn't mean the information is sent over the air in plaintext. The over-the-air protocol is designed to allow only an authentic reader to communicate with the chip, but the various iterations have historically had flaws that render the information available to an attacker. A description of some of the past protocols and the flaws in them is found in this 2009 paper. According to that paper, the latest over-the-air protocol is relatively secure, but it's still very inaccurate to suggest that the chips have only an identifier into a government database. That would actually be very disturbing if true, because it would mean that all the countries in the world have a shared database of biographical data on everybody who has ever applied for a passport in any country. Such a database is fortunately not known to exist. The public key system avoids the need for such a database by exposing your information to only those countries you actually visit, making it your election whether to share the biographical information.

[2lazy2retire]

When we travel, I discard my usual 5x4 inch leather wallet for a small card wallet. This holds way more cards than I need and has a small, tight slip inside the cover which will hold a couple hundred euro, in large notes. This wallet I slip into a zipped pocket behind the front pocket of my cragghopper cargo pants with zip off lower legs for warmer climes. I also carry a small amount of paper currency in my back, zipped pocket, about €30-40 for instant access for purchases. If I have to carry passports, they fit into the thigh pocket of same pants, which I always wear travelling. At destination I always lock the passports in the safe, never carry them about town. I have travelled through and around many European cities this way. Key thing, though, is vigilance. Watch out for 'bumps', strangers finsding a ring or watch on the ground and insisting it's yours, sudden soiling of your clothes by an invisible bird and accompanied by enthusiatic cleaning from stranger - this is always pickpockets at work. Be careful on buses, metro etc.

I can't imagine wearing a money belt or hidden wallet. I find it sweaty enough without such accoutrements.

"This wallet I slip into a zipped pocket behind the front pocket of my cragghopper cargo pants with zip off lower legs for warmer climes"

Ah Jaysus - I'd rather be robbed than wear these