So you’ve got your passport photos printed off and sent off for your new passport ahead of your travelling adventure abroad, but have you thought about ways to keep your passport safe while you’re off travelling the world?
Whether you’re backpacking, off to a music festival or about to embark on a peaceful and relaxing family holiday, these tips should help you keep your passport safe.
1. Plan passport storage
While travelling, it might seem easy to store your passport in your suitcase or in hold luggage. Not only is this inconvenient when you land (you’ll need your passport to get through border control!) if your bag gets lost or gets stolen off the luggage belt, you’ll have no way of getting through security. Make sure you keep your passport on you at all times when you’re not storing it safely.
2. Find your nearest locker/safe
It’s almost impossible to not find a locker or a safe – regardless of your accommodation. If you’re staying in a hotel, you may have a safe in your room. If not, there will definitely be one at reception. If you’re backpacking, the majority of main city train stations will have lockers and, if you’re at a festival, they should have lockers situated in the marketplace area.
3. Bring labels or plain stickers for your passport
Should you lose your passport it’s always handy to have noted down where you are staying on it. You can do this easily by bringing plain label stickers with you and writing “If found, please return to [accommodation name] by [approx. date you are leaving]. While this may not be as simple if you’re not staying in the same place, it’s worth thinking about.
4. Bring a concealed money belt
While a bum bag might seem like a good idea, these are more likely to be stolen as they are visible. If you need to carry your passport on your person, try and find a concealed money belt large enough to house a passport and this will be kept out of sight. Don’t dip in to this throughout the day, as thieves may spot this, which defeats the point of concealing it.
Just in case you do lose your passport, don’t forget to find out where your nearest Embassy office is beforehand!
