Protecting Your I.D.

Traveling through Europe can be an amazing experience. However, it's never amazing when things fall apart and suddenly you find yourself far away from home and stuck with little to no funds at your disposal. So, I've gathered some tips to help prevent that from happening!

While researching my destination, Pisa, it came to my attention that pickpockets were probably what tourists should be the most alert for. With that in mind these simple steps should help us keep our vacations on track.

1. Clean it out: Before leaving home take out any unnecessary cards from your wallet and/or handbag. It will minimize your loss and hassle in worst case scenarios. 

2. Carrying cash: Chances are we'll carry at least some euros with us. They come in handy for things like cabs and small street vendors. To minimize your losses it's a good idea to never carry all your cash in one location. Splitting it up among your wallet, zippered compartments in your handbag, and a zipper compartment in your carryon are all good options. It's always important for women to remember to keep their handbag closures closed. It's too easy for a pickpocket to grab a wallet out of an open handbag. There are some great tools for keeping your funds secure from places like goplanetgo.com

Security wallets are great options. There are even ones that can be hooked on to a belt loop:

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Leather money belts offer even more stealth power for carrying your money:

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The number of security products available to keep your money safe while traveling are abundant. Often, they don't cost very much and in the end they can save everyone a lot of unnecessary loss and aggravation.

3. Debit cards: Leaving the debit card at home is worth consideration. Not only is there a chance it can get lost or stolen but they're not guaranteed to work in every ATM abroad. I've even heard horror stories of people's cards being eaten by ATM machines abroad. Luckily there are some alternatives that can take it's place.

4. Prepaid EuroCards: There are tons of offers for prepaid EuroCards. The one I favor is offered by the Post Office here. Make sure to look around for the offer that fits your needs best. Look at commission fee's, cash advance fee's, and exchange rates so there are no surprises. These cards offer a safe, flexible, and limited way to pay for things while your abroad.

5. Credit Cards: I discovered a neat little credit card the Post Office offered as well. Credit cards offer a bit more protection against fraud or your purchases getting accidentally lost, stolen or damaged. If your card is lost or stolen, one phone call cancels the card and a new one is issued as quickly as possible. If necessary they can even give you an emergency cash advance.

I hope these money safety tips can help everyone feel more secure while traveling in the Eurozone! If you have any additional money safety tips that you feel I missed, I'd love to hear them!!