Your passport is of course your most valuable travel document. Most people understand that.
It's important that you take care of your passport not only when you are travelling, but when you are at home too. Here are a few points to think about with your passport.
Forget those fancy passport covers. You'll find them everywhere from Disneyland to the street markets of Thailand. In every country you enter, you'll be asked to remove the passport cover before you present it to immigration. This can be awkward and sometimes cumbersome especially if you have a few children with you and carry on bags. Just leave it in the original clear plastic sleeve the passport was issued in. We purchased leather stamped covers in Thailand and they looked cool, but we quickly worked out they weren't practical and almost tripled the thickness of the passport. They were a tight fit so clearing immigration meant squeezing the pages in and out of the covers. They might look good, but they are not practical.
The big question. "To carry your passport with you or use the hotel safe"? Firstly, it really depends on your destination and how many times you'll need identification. There will be those who say carrying the passport with you increases your chance of losing it. I have always been in favour of carrying your passport with you at all times. Hotels safes do offer good security, but there will be times when you are caught off guard and require identification. Sometimes it's the things you most likely do not suspect. For example, attending a football game in Rome, we were required to show our identification twice through security on our way into the stadium, even though we had pre-purchased tickets weeks in advance. Fortunately, I always carry our passports on me personally in a zip pocket. Young people may also need identification entering bars and clubs. I think, if you were going out for dinner, then fine lock it safely in the hotel safe or hidden in your luggage. If you were going on a full-day trip, then I'd take it with you just in case.
As a family of 4, I've always kept our passports together. Either in the hotel safe during the evening or on my body in zipped pockets during the day. There is nothing worse than having 4 passports in 4 different locations, especially with kids. Fact is, it only takes one lost passport and nobody is going anywhere until it's resolved.
Good practice in the past has always been to take a photocopy of your passport in case you lose it. Usually, the idea would be to keep this copy in your luggage separate from your carry-on or handbag. I no longer keep paper copies of any of our documents for security. Now, I upload a copy of our passports and driver's licences to a cloud service that Ive set up specifically for travelling. It's a shared cloud account with my wife and can be accessed from any computer if required at an embassy or authorities. You can read more about using a cloud service as a travel tool HERE.
Avoid the fake and novelty passport stamps. This can make your passport invalid and cost you thousands in fines. Unfortunately, most people only find this out when they are refused to board your next flight, not a great time. These 'tourist' or novelty stamps can be found in places such as Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, Machu Picchu in Peru, and Hiroshima in Japan just to name a few. In some countries, they deem this type of thing as passport tampering and could get you into huge trouble. Just avoid them completely, it's not worth it.
About the Author
The author of this blog, unless otherwise noted has no affiliation with any property or business linked in this blog. Unless otherwise noted, there is no free accommodation or payment from any businesses mentioned in this blog. The information contained in this blog is strictly the views of the author and not professional advice. The author of this BookDirect blog is a travel and tourism professional with over 30 years of experience in international hotel management, global travel, short-term rental management and a tourism awards judge specialising in accommodation and attractions.
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