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Informative Articles

Health Information for Travelers to Central America
This article will detail some of the health concerns that travelers to Central America and Argentina should be aware of, and prepared for in advance. Vaccines Depending on your age, sex, health history, and exactly where you plan on going, your...

Staying healthy while traveling
Your good health is paramount while traveling and taking simple precautions can drastically reduce your chances of falling ill. Health Insurance An insurance package that covers your health, possessions and cancellations is imperative. ...

Travel To Russia - Baikal Lake
One of the most spectacular and unspoiled places on earth, which attracts tourists worldwide, is lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world. This lake is considered to have the purest and most tasteful water known to man. The water in the lake is...

Travel to Turkey for the 2006 Total Solar Eclipse
Wednesday March 29th 2006 will be a very special day in Turkey. Shortly before two o'clock in the afternoon local time an eerie darkness will descend across the land. Birds will begin to roost and streetlights will flicker on as the sun slips behind...

Travel Wallet Checklist
A travel wallet can be pretty handy when you´re on the move, especially on international trips. It keeps all your travel documents and currency in one place for easy access. Following is a checklist of items you may want to keep in your travel...

 
Travel Money Belts - Travel Security

Travel money belts are still a good way to carry cash. They're common, and thieves know of them, but it isn't easy to tell if your belt has a hidden compartment, and it isn't easy for a robber to get at it quickly. It is a good way to carry SOME of your cash when you travel. Here are some more ways.

Losing Money In An Ecuadorian Disco

Travel gets me thinking of ways to hide money. I had the idea that a hundred dollars, wrapped up in an ace bandage on my leg, would be safer than in money belts. It worked for ten days on our trip to Ecuador, until we went dancing. The cash danced to its own tune, which I didn't even notice until morning. The lesson is to wrap it up tight, or don't go dancing.

Hiding Money And Documents

There are travel options other than money belts for hiding cash and important papers. Use several of them, rather than putting everything in one place. Don't carry too much cash. It's easy now, almost everywhere, to access your money using an ATM, so carry enough for a few days, or a week at most.

There are pouches that hang under your shirt to carry your passport and other papers. They're obvious if you're wearing a light shirt, but then it is always hard to thoroughly hide a passport on your body. In any case, it isn't easily accessible to pickpockets.

I cut a pocket from some old pants and used a safety pin to attach it inside my travel pants. This has worked well on several trips. It's not noticible, and would be difficult for a thief to get at without taking off my pants. However, it is inconvenient when I'm asked for my passport,


since I have to reach into my pants.

Hiding Money In Shoes

If the inner soles of your shoes are removable, put twenty dollars under each one for emergencies. This works well for me, but then I don't have expensive shoes that could themselves be a target. It is just another place to hide cash, and you should always have several different ones when traveling.

Think creatively. Roll up a bill and put it in the handle of a disposable razor. Just don't throw it away by accident. Find or make other hiding places. If your money is in several hard-to-find places, it will take a persistent thief to find all of your cash. Make robbers truly work for their living.

Hiding money in your hotel room requires some thought. There are many good places. Ask any thief, and he'll tell you the best ones. Just choose a safe hotel and be careful. Of course, hiding things will at least reduce the temptation for bad employees and lazy thieves.

I once had a wallet stolen from a zippered back pocket. It was a decoy wallet, so the pickpocket's skill earned him a few pieces of paper. Another time I had to drag a robber off a bus and wait for police, but his accomplice escaped with our money. Travel is about adventure, but fortunately we can avoid this kind most of the time.


About the Author

Steve Gillman hit the road at sixteen, and traveled the U.S. and Mexico alone at 17. Now 40, he travels with his wife Ana, whom he met in Ecuador. To read their stories, tips and travel information, visit: http://www.EverythingAboutTravel.com