International travel demands a bit of planning each time. The single most important thing that you carry with you on every international trip is your passport. The following tips are suggested ways to keep your passport (and other important documents) safe…just in case the unthinkable happens.

• Make paper copies of your passport and travel documents. Before departing on your trip, make paper copies of your passport, credit cards (front and back) and your itinerary. It’s best to make three copies of your passport and at least two copies of the others. Leave one set of copies in a safe, easy to find spot at home, leave another set with a family member at home or a trusted co-worker at your office. Finally, take the third set of copies along with you, but keep them stored in a separate non-checked bag from your original passport and other travel documents. By following these simple steps, should your passport or credit cards get stolen, you already have a backup passport copy available for when you head to the nearest consulate office. You will also be able to make calls to the necessary credit card companies to inform them of the loss of your cards too.
• Never pack your passport in your luggage. Always keep it with you on your person. There are many great passport carriers that allow you to easily conceal and protect your passport while you are carrying it.
• Keep your passport with you (concealed on your person) whenever you are taking tours or transferring between destination. Do not leave it in your hotel room.
• Do not leave your passport in a purse or an outside pocket. Don’t make it easy for a pick pocket to steal your passport or other valuables.
• Never surrender your passport to an unauthorized stranger.
• If you keep your passport in a suit jacket pocket, consider sewing an extra button or Velcro strip onto that pocket in order to keep it securely closed.
• Never lay your passport down anywhere. Passports placed on a counter, a phone booth, or a table may be easily forgotten or stolen. Always remember to immediately put your passport away after using it.
• If you travel as a family or as part of a group, it’s best not to let one person carry all of the passports. The odds are much greater for one person carrying all of the passports to lose them or have them stolen than for all of the passports to be stolen or lost if each individual owner carries them. Of course, if you are traveling with younger children, you absolutely should not have them carry their own.
• Never let anyone leave your presence with your passport. When you’re checking in at the airport, passing through customs, exchanging currency, or doing anything else that requires you to show your passport, never allow the person examining your passport to leave your presence. If the person starts to leave, respectfully get their attention and request to accompany them. Law enforcement records show that U.S. passports are sometimes used for unlawful entry into the United States or by criminals abroad seeking to establish another identity.
• Store your passport in a safe place upon your return home. If you have a safe in your home, store your passport in it. If you do not, consider a safety deposit box at your local bank.

We hope that you will find these tips for traveling with your passport to be helpful and insightful. As we find more helpful information on protecting your passport and other valuable travel documents, we will compile them and post them here in the blog for you.

We have some great passport wallets too.