Hi there, it's Ernest from Trip Astute Today, we'll be talking about how to carry money while traveling

(light chiming music) One of the questions I often get asked is, "how do I carry money while traveling?" Now there's no right or wrong answer to this question, but it's certainly a lot of options From money belts to wallets, there's a whole slew of ways to carry money while traveling When I first traveled on my own in the late 90s, I wore one of these things — a money belt At the time it seemed like the most logical thing to wear I read about them in travel books and online, and many people were talking about how it was the most discreet way to carry money and to use money while traveling abroad

Of course, because I never traveled before, I was worried about pickpockets and having my money stolen and my passport stolen while traveling Though when I look back, I have to say that I think it was a pretty uncomfortable experience to wear a money belt I remember it being hot and humid, and just really uncomfortable to have this money belt in between my waistband What I didn't realize at the time was that I didn't actually know how to use a money belt correctly At the time I was using the money belt like a normal wallet

What I was doing was I'd walk into a store, I'd go to pay for something, and I would actually pull money from the money belt from the inside of my waistband That is definitely not the best way to use your money belt A better way is to keep it hidden at all times I've always treated my money belt like a personal safe It's basically a place where I keep my passport and cash when I don't want to leave it in the hotel room

Rather than using it like a wallet, I basically will pull money from it ahead of time and leave it in my front pocket or in another wallet That way, the money belt is always kind of discreet and hidden I don't like to show that I have it I just worry that someone might come up and try to steal it or mug me Now I'll add a disclaimer that this is just how I use it

A friend of mine uses her money belt every time she travels, and she seems to have a lot of success with it She argues that it's harder for women when they don't have pockets or other ways of carrying things For me, I much prefer to keep my passport and the bulk of my cash in a hotel safe I prefer to just load up my front pocket wallet with the cash that I need for that day And while we're on the topic, never keep your wallet in your back pocket when traveling

That just begs to get pick-pocketed Generally speaking, if I'm going to a country where electronic payments are pretty prevalent, then I'll use my normal wallet which is a Bellroy Card Pocket Wallet This is a great wallet, especially for folks like me who tend to carry a lot of credit cards As you know, I like to maximize every purchase with my points, so I tend to carry a lot more credit cards than the normal person The wallet is super small, high-quality, durable

I really love it In fact, I'm a huge fan of Bellroy products in general I'll include some links below in case you're interested When I travel to countries where cash is more prevalent, I actually carry a more traditional wallet The one I carry is the Mitchell Money Clip Wallet

What makes this wallet really special is that there's actually a money clip built into the wallet itself So it kind of has the benefits of both a money clip and a more traditional wallet I used to carry this wallet as my normal daily wallet, but since I've started to use less cash in my daily life, I decided to use the wallet as a primary travel wallet What I love about this wallet is I can pull cash from anywhere in the note stack Like if I want to pull the second bill from the stack, I can do so without having to pull out the entire wad

In this case its function is even better than a normal money clip It's an awesome wallet for cash as it makes everything so accessible while also keeping a relatively slim profile It also helps that it's made from premium leather which smells and feels amazing Lastly, I've read about people using binder clips as wallets when traveling It's definitely a minimalist idea and I like the concept behind it

But I have to say I much prefer to have a more traditional and formal wallet when traveling, especially my Money Clip Wallet I feel like it gives me the benefits of a normal money clip, but also is discreet like a normal wallet as well So in summary, if you plan to use a money belt, I highly suggest treating it like a personal safe If you do plan to use it like a actual wallet, then I suggest using a lot of discretion and just being careful of your surroundings You definitely don't want to advertise that you have one on you

I think a lot of thieves are known to target folks and tourists who use money belts and who show signs of wearing one And if you're looking for a really good travel wallet, I highly suggest these two wallets This again is the Mitchell Money Clip Wallet, available at Mitchell Leather, and I'll include a link below As well as the Bellroy Card Pocket Wallet Actually, I recommend all of Bellroy's products

They make a wide range of wallets and I think all of them are fantastic Lastly, and probably most importantly, always be careful and be aware of your surroundings when traveling Fortunately, I've never been pick-pocketed or mugged, but I have a lot of friends who have and it's absolutely no fun Losing your passport or your cash is a sure way to ruin your day when traveling That's it for this episode

Until next time, travel safe and travel smart

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