Keeping your money and valuables safe on the road
Having money stolen from you is upsetting at anytime, but when you have spent months or even years saving for a big trip it can be devastating to have your hard earned cash nicked. Keeping your 
immediate valuables, normally cash and passport, safe when you are travelling is about striking a balance. You don’t want to be so paranoid that you spend everyday worried about getting robbed, but you also don’t to be needlessly careless. Here are some quick tips for looking after your cash on the road:
Separate it and stash it – If you are going to get money stolen it is better if it is a few dollars and not a wedge of notes leaving you with nothing. Separate your cash within reason. DO break it up into whatever you need for the day, place this is a secure but easy to access pocket / wallet, then place most of the remaining cash in a hidden (under your clothes) money belt that you are not pulling out all the time in the street. Finally keep a healthy amount locked in your bag back at your accommodation just in case the rest gets stolen. (about $100 US can get you out of a sticky situation in most places) DON’T separate up your cash and into lots of different piles distributed throughout your bags and pockets, because in all likelihood you will loos it.
The just in case stash – Along with the emergency cash stash locked away in your bag, it is worth also have a photo copy of your passport and all the emergency numbers you would need to contact home, make an insurance claim and cancel any credit or bank cards you have had taken. If you have a backpack, a day bag and a money belt, it is worth having these emergency contacts and passport copies in each.
Always know where you passport is – It is best to carry your passport on you in a secure and hidden money belt. If you have a safe in your room and your and room and the safe are secure and lockable, then you would be pretty unlucky for it to be stolen from there, but if in doubt keep it on you.
Lock your bag – Invest in a chain and lock so that in the many locations where you can not sufficiently lock your room, or you are sharing a room with people you do not know, you can lock your bag shut and to something immovable if possible.
Don’t flash your cash - Think ahead. If you know you are going to be collecting currency that is bulky (lots of notes) then think about how you are going to transport that back to your accommodation discreetly. It goes without saying that wondering out of the ATM booth or bank counting your wedge of cash is not the best line of defence against thieves.
Watch your bags – Be aware where your bags are particularly when on transport. Night busses or trains are an easy place for an opportunist to grab your bag off the rack at the end of the carriage and leave you with next to nothing. Keep as much on your person as you can. Have your money belt on and hidden, and if possible your bags close to you or within eye site. When you know you are going to fall asleep it is a good idea to wrap a strap form your bag (if at your feet) around your ankle. This will make anyone eyeing up your belongings think twice about pulling them from under your nose.
If you don’t need it, don’t take it – Don’t give yourself more to worry about by bringing your brand new electronics or fancy watch. Take cheap and functional things and then if they do get nicked or just lost, they are easily replaced. Leave them at home.
Back to on the road
