Where Do You Hide Your Valuables When Traveling?

From secret pockets in sneakers and flip flops to a canister you bury at the beach to an empty lip balm container, there are a lot of ingenious ways to hide your credit cards and cash when you travel. Of course there is the usual tuck-in-your-waistband pouches for guys and I found a pouch that tucks in a bra for women. The problem with those is getting to them easily. The waistband not so hard. The bra I would think would be a bit tricky but then I guess this is for hiding it away not using it on the go.

I love the lip balm idea for hiding a little extra cash. There is a video on the Smarter Travel website that shows you how to empty the gel and insert the money. Clever.

The flip flops were clever as well but I wonder if the credit cards might work their way out of the compartment as you walk. They have them for both men and women at the SlotFlops .com site, cost $29.99.

KangaRoos made a little more sense. There is a hidden pocket in the side of the shoe that can hold a couple of credit cards and some cash. They are available on Amazon and at Payless.

There is also underwear with secret compartments for cash/credit cards/passport. Do a search online and you'll be amazed at what you find.

One of the suggestions I found on several sites was to carry a dummy wallet. You get an old wallet and fill it with several expired gift cards or dummy credit cards like you get in the mail sometimes. Add a dollar or two and let the pickpocket find that or toss it at the mugger and run.

Some of the best advice is to be sure you don't carry all your valuables in one place. Leave most in the hotel safe and carry only what you need. Use smaller denominations rather than carrying larger bills. We always take two different credit cards. We've been on a couple of trips where our main card was compromised and the bank had to cancel it and send us another. That usually takes several days if you are out of the country (or in Hawaii as we were once). Having the other card saved us having to deal strictly in cash and searching for ATMs all the time.

The article reminded me of my creative mother who folded a $20 bill, pulled out a collar stay and inserted the bill into the collar of my brother's shirt instead. She was worried that his fraternity pledge class would be taken out to the middle of nowhere without any money. I think it came in handy.