As Amazing Journeys gets set to embark on a journey throughout Europe next week we strike a pose like we always do for our clients to provide some important travel tips. One in particular pertains to keeping your use of valuables (cash, passports, credit cards, etc) handy…but safe. Money belts are your key to peace of mind. A money belt is a small, zippered fabric pouch that fastens around the waist under your pants or skirt. You wear it completely hidden from sight, tucked in like a shirttail — over your shirt and under your pants. (If you find it uncomfortable to wear a money belt in front you can slide it around and wear it in the small of your back.)
With a money belt, all your essential documents are on you as securely and thoughtlessly as your underpants. Have you ever thought about that? Every morning you put on your underpants. You don’t even think about them all day long, but every night when you undress, sure enough, there they are, exactly where you put them.
Packing light applies to your money belt as well as your luggage. Here’s what to pack in your money belt:
- Passport: Carry with you when necessary, but best to keep in your hotel safe when settled in one locale.
- Railpass: This is as valuable as cash.
- Driver’s license: This works just about anywhere in Europe and is necessary if you want to rent a car on the spur of the moment.
- Credit card: It’s required for car rental and handy to have if your cash runs low.
- Debit card: A Visa debit card is the most versatile for ATM withdrawals. (Traveler’s checks are no longer useful travel tools.)
- Cash: Keep a combination of large and small bills in your money belt. You never know when you’ll want a postcard from a street vendor and need just a few pence, shekels or pesos. No need to carry a large amount of cash, especially if you are carrying the aformentioned debit or credit card.
- Plastic sheath: Money belts easily get sweaty and slimy. Damp plane tickets and railpasses can be disgusting and sometimes worthless. Even a plain old baggie helps keep things dry.
- Contact list: Print small, and include every phone number or email address of importance in your life.
- Trip calendar page: Include your hotel list and all necessary details from your itinerary
