Do you carry your passport with you in a foreign country? (worst, trip)
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I carry it ONLY when there isn't an inroom safe. I'm not living it in a hotel room or Airbnb without locking it up.
I actually don’t trust in-room safes, as they reportedly can be broken into by hotel staff in some cases. The only time I don’t keep valuables on me is if there’s an individual safe deposit box behind the desk with two keys, one of which I take with me.
usually no, unless either a) I need it for something I am doing for the day which requires showing my passport or b) my hotel does not have a safe or I think for some reason it is insecure. I've never had an issue with a safe in a hotel so far and i've done a TON of traveling in the last 2 decades.
I lived overseas for several years working for the Department of Defense. I always had my "government" passport with me because I was there under their Status of Forces Agreement. My "tourist" passport I left at my residence.
But now when I travel overseas on personal travel, I always have my tourist passport on me.
countries which specify that travellers should carry their passports at all time , include russia, china, north korea, japan, most of the middle east ae well as third world countries or countries that are at war or not democracies, they may demand documentation..
I guess one has to weigh the risks in countries where it is required to have at all times, they come from two opposing sides:
1. Risk that an official will want to see it, will actually care that you only have a copy, and there is some sort of penalty or inconvenience (taken to station to sort things out)
2. Risk that it gets pickpocketed, lost, stolen in an assault, damaged etc. from being on your person 24/7
For me I usually decide to take risk option #1, although it is much for avoiding the inconvenience as anything as accepting the risk of getting caught with just a copy. We've spent a ton of time traveling all over China and I never carried it unless buying train tickets or traveling between locations, bottom line I can't imagine dire consequences. What are they going to do deport me? I doubt it. I think the risk there is some time at the 派出所 getting scolded, which is something I can accept given the extremely small odds of ever being asked for a passport.
Is that willfully breaking the law in a foreign country? Sure! I feel about as guilty as I do renting a scooter without whatever license is required locally, drinking a can of beer in a park that is technically alcohol free but all the locals are doing the same, etc.
I actually don’t trust in-room safes, as they reportedly can be broken into by hotel staff in some cases. The only time I don’t keep valuables on me is if there’s an individual safe deposit box behind the desk with two keys, one of which I take with me.
Thieves can also break into them quite easily. Especially if they are working with an insider. So I never use them either.
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