I thought I was being a terribly paranoid, ugly American kind of first-time traveler. You know, overly cautious and distrustful of other cultures. When we arrived in Madrid and checked into the bed and breakfast we were staying at, we were confronted by two college girls who’d just come from Amsterdam and were trying to communicate with the elderly owner of the establishment.

My wife spoke excellent Spanish at the time and offered to translate. Turns out they’d arrived at the airport and had their luggage stolen right out from under their noses. An woman distracted them with some innocent questions in broken English while her accomplice took both their packs, including their passports, credit cards and most of their money.

Instead of enjoying the Spanish leg of their European trip, they spent the first few days obtaining new passports, filing police reports and getting money wired from their parents to pay for their room.

Needless to say, I stopped feeling like I was being overly cautious! just as I did, you can easily protect your valuables and travel documents with a good money belt and/or neck pouch. Below are a few recommendations based on my travel experiences.

Victorinox Neck Pouch

Victorinox Deluxe Concealed Neck Pouch

The Victorinox neck pouch is made of nylon, comes in tan or black, and has a soft lanyard that allows the whole thing to hang unobtrusively underneath your clothing. It has a large compartment and another “stash” pocket for storing money, tickets, passport, traveler’s checks, etc. There are also two zippered pockets for holding coins, ticket stubs, or other small items.

I prefer these neck pouches because they keep your valuables hidden from view and are virtually impossible for pickpockets to get to. My wife wasn’t keen on having one of these hanging down the inside front of her shirt. If you’re like her, you could also try an over-the-shoulder version. It still goes under your shirt, but lays off to the side, under your arm, like a hidden purse.

Victorinox Deluxe Concealed Security Belt

Victorinox Money Belt

If that’s just not your style, you could also try a money belt. the nylon Victorinox security belt fits around your waist, under your clothing, has two large zippered compartments that will hold most sizes of currency, tickets, passports, traveler’s checks, etc., and has an elastic strap that will adjust to your size and secures with a locking clip.

There are also a variety of money belts that are actual belts! These are really only good for concealing cash and are pretty difficult to get to quickly or out in the open. I’d only recommend them for keeping some emergency backup cash handy, in the event you lose everything else.

If you don’t want something around your waist or neck, there is also the leg-style money belt. As the name implies, this money belt fits around your leg, under your pants. For obvious reasons, these aren’t good if you’re wearing shorts, and my experience is that they can be uncomfortable if you’re walking or hiking a lot, and tend to reveal themselves when you’re sitting, or if your clothes aren’t particularly baggy. Still, they may be an option for you.

There are lots of options, styles and brand names. The most important thing is to get one that’s comfortable and suits your style of travel. If it’s not comfortable you’ll just end up not using it, and that would defeat the purpose!

Feel free to share other tips and products that you might have for securing your valuables by adding a comment to this post below. Safe traveling!

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Vibram FiveFingers Classic

As a kid, I can remember many a day running around outside during the summer, shirtless and barefoot. We would run over concrete, asphalt, grass, gravel, you name it!

I’m too old to pull off the shirtless gig anymore and frankly, I don’t think I could walk across more than my home’s hardwood floors in my bare feet. How the mighty have fallen…

Enter Vibram Fivefingers. As you can see by the image to the right, these are some pretty unique shoes.

What’s so cool about these shoes is that they let you experience the feeling of going barefoot again, with all the benefits that entails, without sacrificing your tender, delicate sole. According to Vibram’s website, “FiveFingers enhance your sense of touch and feel, while improving foot strength, balance, agility, and range of motion.”

Because FiveFingers fit the natural contour of your foot, you naturally shift your weight off your heels and more forward to the ball of your foot, lessening the stress on your knees. As I’m in the process of recovering from knee surgery as I write this, I plan on picking up a pair of FiveFingers soon.

You can order Vibram FiveFingers online from Kayak Shed, Rock Creek or Amazon, or check the Vibram website for a store that carries them in your area.

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