When you’re traveling you won’t be familiar with your surroundings. You may be in a strange, or even foreign place. Unfortunately, it’s a fact of life that people don’t always have the best intentions. If you’re a clueless tourist there are many that might see you and want to take advantage. The least confrontational of these criminals is the pick-pocket. They look like anyone else on the street and can come from anywhere. If they’re any good you won’t even know you’ve been picked until they’re far away. You don’t want to find yourself stranded money-less in a foreign place. The travel accessories for hiding money on this list are your best bet for avoiding that!
Money-Pocket Belts
The first money-hiding spot on this list is the money belt. There are quite a few belts out there that are canvas or some other material, and they hide an inner pocket. This pocket is big enough for some cards and some money and it’ll keep them close at hand. While it’s possible that a very skilled pickpocket could still get it, that’s very unlikely.
Even more than that, no one is going to expect you to have a secret money belt. Any pickpocket is just looking for a quick wallet grab or maybe even your watch. But they’re not going to be on the lookout for a money belt.
Here’s an example of a money-belt.
Hidden-Pocket Infinity Scarves
Money hiding belts are useful, but they’re not the most stylish travel accessories to hide money. If you’re looking for a stylish way to hide things, you need an infinity scarf. This is a relatively new invention but a much needed one. And it works a lot like a money-hiding belt. It’s just a stylish infinity scarf, but with a secret pocket. This pocket is even easier to access than the belt because it’s hanging around your neck.
This is basically as useful as a fanny pack. And let’s not kid ourselves, fanny packs are incredibly useful. They’re just not that fashionable these days. The security infinity scarf gives you the perfect blend of form and function with very easy access.
Here’s an example of a security scarf.
Using Decoy Wallets
This is a trick that I always use when I travel to major cities or anywhere else with a high crime risk. Just pick up a couple cheap wallets from your local dollar store. Put a couple dollars and a spent gift card or two in it and carry it with you. I’ll usually put my real wallet somewhere safe like in a drawstring bag or in my inner jacket pocket. Then I’ll keep my decoy wallet in my side or back pocket.
This way, you’ll have an early warning system for if there’s a pickpocket risk. And it’ll keep your real stuff safe if something does happen. This is even useful for if you’re mugged as you can throw the fake wallet and get away!
Don’t Keep All Your Money In One Place!
This comes to another good rule of thumb when you’re traveling. Don’t keep all your money in one place. Whether it’s decoy wallets, a money belt, or even just spreading it out in your bag. Don’t put yourself in a situation where someone can get all of your money at once. By spreading it out, even if you get picked, you’ll still have some spread around.
If you have backups, you can’t get caught without money. As long as you’ve got some cash, you’ll be able to collect yourself. You can get to a phone or back to your hotel and you can figure out where to go from there. You especially shouldn’t keep your cash with anything you can’t live without like your passport. Money can be replaced, passports are a lot harder!