Anytime you travel with your passport, you should take extra care to safeguard it. The simplest way to keep it safe, yet readily available, is with a pouch worn under your shirt. It doesn’t have to be elaborate with a bunch of compartments, just something lightweight to hold your passport, maybe some paper money, tickets or a credit/debit card.There are dozens of styles of pouches available and most are way over-designed. The best kind is a pouch that is made of soft cotton with a plastic zipper and a flat cloth strap that is adjustable and long enough to wear over your shoulder and around your neck Wearing it over your shoulder is much more comfortable than hanging from your neck and won’t show the strap in the collar area, so it’s better hidden. Ideally, the adjusting rings will also be plastic, to avoid setting off and metal detectors.
A pouch with a plastic zipper or a small button closure is preferable to Velcro. Nothing turns heads in a public area like the ripping sound of opening a Velcro flap. You want to be able to get in and out of your pouch as quickly and quietly as possible. A size of about six inches deep and ten inches wide, give or take and inch or two, should be adequate. If you can’t find one as described, it’s easy enough to make one yourself. A light color fabric will be less noticeable, even under light colored shirts.
You might also consider making a photocopy of your passport and other form of identification and using that to avoid having to take out your passport whenever possible. And, never let anyone take your passport out of your sight for even a minute. You should also make a copy of your passport to keep with your other important papers like your birth certificate, etc. A happy trip is one where you, your luggage and your passport all make it back home together. Bon voyage.
