Re: Wikipedia-free Wednesday
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:10 pm
Dee: One can buy the cloth document holders on a string. I cut the strings off, and pin the holder on the inside of my waist band. Into that, I carry a laminated copy of my passport or my passport (on a ship they often take your passports to make clearing immigration faster) and a credit card and/or bank card. I have two of these so don't have to move them as much (one goes into my pants, the other moves from skirt to skirt, except one of my skirts has a pickpocket safe passport pocket already.)
This is what I do when I go ashore or am land touring; the change would be to do it all the time on the ship since it would stick with me if I had to swim. On an airplane, I have a special pocket in my blazer for my passport (it seals shut to stop the passport from falling out.)
When ashore the hidden pocket means reaching down under my waistband to pull out anything but is pick-pocket proof so I carry only cash in my purse and my room key, passport (if not on a ship) and credit card goes into the hidden pocket. That really cuts down on impulse purchases since I can't easily reach my credit card!
The downside with this arrangement is that it doesn't work with evening wear (too slinky, the pocket shows) and as I got heavier, there wasn't enough give in the waist bands to reach things. If it is only used to in emergency, this is fine, but for everyday touring, it is less convenient.
When I think of pickpockets, I think of Rome. Everything was secured in my hidden travel pockets and my subway pass and a bit of cash was in my front pocket. Each time I got on the subway, I had a map in my blazer pocket. Each time I got off, my map was missing! Luckily, I learned to carry a second map in my purse for the trip home! (My purse had some cash, comb, tissues, etc. but nothing of value.)
I was probably picked in Prague; started out at the top of the escalator with my change purse in my hand (along with my map, gloves, a bag with a sweet roll and a drink) and when I got to the bottom of the escalator and went to put my map, gloves and change purse away in my backpack, the change purse was gone. I went back up, watching along the way, thinking I had lost it. But I hadn't and later on someone told me I was likely picked.
This is what I do when I go ashore or am land touring; the change would be to do it all the time on the ship since it would stick with me if I had to swim. On an airplane, I have a special pocket in my blazer for my passport (it seals shut to stop the passport from falling out.)
When ashore the hidden pocket means reaching down under my waistband to pull out anything but is pick-pocket proof so I carry only cash in my purse and my room key, passport (if not on a ship) and credit card goes into the hidden pocket. That really cuts down on impulse purchases since I can't easily reach my credit card!
The downside with this arrangement is that it doesn't work with evening wear (too slinky, the pocket shows) and as I got heavier, there wasn't enough give in the waist bands to reach things. If it is only used to in emergency, this is fine, but for everyday touring, it is less convenient.
When I think of pickpockets, I think of Rome. Everything was secured in my hidden travel pockets and my subway pass and a bit of cash was in my front pocket. Each time I got on the subway, I had a map in my blazer pocket. Each time I got off, my map was missing! Luckily, I learned to carry a second map in my purse for the trip home! (My purse had some cash, comb, tissues, etc. but nothing of value.)
I was probably picked in Prague; started out at the top of the escalator with my change purse in my hand (along with my map, gloves, a bag with a sweet roll and a drink) and when I got to the bottom of the escalator and went to put my map, gloves and change purse away in my backpack, the change purse was gone. I went back up, watching along the way, thinking I had lost it. But I hadn't and later on someone told me I was likely picked.