Where is the safest place to store your passport while traveling? Experts have their say.
getty
The best place to put your passport isn’t in the seatback pocket on your overnight flight from Orlando to Paris. That’s exactly where my young son left me.
He was so insistent on carrying his passport that I thought, “Why not? That would teach him responsibility.”
But my timing was off. My son, who was 11 years old at the time, forgot his passport on an Air France flight. And of course, once the family deplaned, they couldn’t get us back on the plane.
How do I pass through customs?
Losing your passport is a big problem for Americans
According to the US Department of State, more than 300,000 US passports are lost or stolen each year.
“Passport security is of the utmost importance,” said Raymond York, a spokesman for travel insurance company Redpoint Resolutions.
This is because you cannot cross the border without a passport. The best place to store an important document like a passport is in your home safe, but that defeats the purpose of the passport. It must go with you and must be kept safe. But how?
What to do with your passport when traveling
Here are some tips to keep your passport safe.
Don’t put your passport in your back pocket
“It’s one of the worst places to be,” said Jeremy Marchland, president of Seven Corners Travel Insurance. He said many Americans feel they have to carry their passports with them at all times, but doing so increases the risk of pickpocketing. Marchland recommends leaving your passport in the hotel safe.
Please hide your passport when carrying it
You may have to carry it with you. So what then? “My luggage has a hidden zipper pocket built into the lining,” says Adam St. John, CEO of Sitata. “I keep valuables like my passport and extra cash in there.” Other common places to keep your passport include your money belt or the inside pocket of your backpack.
There’s a third way to keep your passport safe
If you are shopping and requesting a VAT refund, you may need to show your passport. But luxury travel advisor Julie Ann Hargett says it’s possible to leave your passport in a hotel safe. Just take a passport photo,” she says. In many cases, simply showing a photo of the document is sufficient. And if you don’t, bring your passport with you and keep it in a safe place like your money belt, but keep a copy of your passport and have a photo with you so you don’t lose it or have it stolen. This will make it easier to reissue if the issue occurs.
What happens if my passport is lost or stolen while abroad?
If you have an American passport, you will need to visit your nearest embassy or consulate in person to apply for a passport replacement. Most passports issued by the State Department are valid for 10 years for adults and 5 years for minors. However, emergency passports may only be valid for one year. Also, my complete guide to passports on my advocacy website Elliott.org includes some advanced strategies for working with passports.
Passport safety strategies you need to know
When you check into a hotel while abroad, your accommodation may ask you to make a copy. Please be careful. Do not leave it anywhere, such as on the table when you are in a cafe. “It’s going to be stolen in the blink of an eye, right under your nose,” said Sangeeta Sadarangani, CEO of Crossing Travel. Instead, tread carefully and keep an eye on your passport outside.
If you keep your passport in your hotel safe, don’t forget it when you leave. How do you do that? Betsy Ball, a partner at Euro Travel Coach, always keeps one of her shoes in the safe. “That way, when you’re packing, you’ll realize you’re missing one shoe,” she says. “This will remind you to remove your shoes, passport and valuables from the safe and pack them with your other belongings before proceeding with your trip.”
If your passport is lost or stolen, appropriate insurance will cover the cost of replacing it. Miami attorney David Weisselberger says he’ll never forget the terrifying experience of having his passport stolen while traveling abroad.
“I thought my travel insurance would cover the cost,” he says. “However, I was surprised to learn that only a portion of the cost would be reimbursed.The fine print of the policy states that it only covers theft from hotel safes, not personal bags. It was there.”
He said he would constantly review his travel insurance policy to ensure it covered lost or stolen passports in all circumstances.
Have we ever entered France?
So what happened to my son’s passport? Well, after gathering my wits, I asked the gate agent for help. She arranged for the plane to be searched while it was being cleaned. And sure enough, the passport was exactly where my son had left it. I was able to pass through customs without any problems.
But it was a close call. Also, an important lesson. Since then, my son has traveled all over the world and now always knows where his passport is. He never misplaced it.
Losing your passport can be just one moment of misfortune in your life. But as I stood in the terminal at Charles de Gaulle Airport, staring down the possibility of deportation, I couldn’t help but smile at the irony. We crossed the sea, but were stuck between the gate and the French customs. Fortunately, we arrived in France, our son grew up to be a wise traveler, and we learned that sometimes the best moments of parenting come wrapped in gifts with near-disaster packaging.
