My Ladies Travel Wallet
One thing I worry about, perhaps excessively, is how to keep my money and credit cards safe from pickpockets in Paris. I figured out a fantastic hidden travel wallet solution that works like a charm — for the ladies, that is.
A travel money belt works OK for vacationers staying at hotels and need to keep all their money and their passport on them at all times, but here’s why I think they don’t work for daily living in Paris.
1. You won’t need (or want) to walk around with all your cash, extra credit cards and a passport all the time. (Keep them locked up in your apartment with a Travel Safe)
2. Thieves are wise to money belts. They know that foreigners and visitors wear them.
3. You can’t wear money belts comfortably or inconspicuously with every outfit (with a dress, for instance)
4, Money belts are for mobile storage of valuables, not for daily use. They’re not supposed to be accessed while you’re out in public. (Once you’ve pulled out the belt to buy a cup of coffee, everyone knows about it and you’ve defeated the purpose.) So they don’t solve the problem keeping cash and credit cards easily accessible, yet secure from pickpockets.
I searched high and low for something I could keep on my body (not inside a bag), that I could access relatively easily, that would be hidden from view, and that I could wear with whatever I wanted. I looked at thigh holsters, conceal pouches, neck pouches — you name it. Then I stumbled upon some glowing reviews for The Rack Trap, and now I swear by it. Here’s my own glowing review (which I am not being compensated for in any way).
These babies are fantastic. I called the nice folks at the company to ask a couple questions, and few days later, had a multipack of black, white and gold-ish Rack Traps to take with me to Paris. They’re basically pouches that you tuck inside your bra cups. They’re perfect because they conceal your money and cards, you can get to them easily, and nobody else can get to them without you noticing.
Rack Traps work best with molded bra cups, but I still noticed that sometimes the outline of a filled up Rack Trap can show through a shirt made of clingy or thin material. To fix this, I just got some bra inserts for smoothing. Not that my girls need any extra padding, but the cups smooth things out just enough that you can’t see the Rack Trap outline anymore. The Rack Trap colors don’t really matter, because they don’t show through, but I got the three-pack just to have extras and also so I could wash a pair. (Rack Traps will keep your money protected from sweat, but the pouches themselves need a hand wash every once in a while after being worn every day).
I “Rack Trap” every morning. I put a Rack Trap in each bra cup, with 20 euros or so in each. I put my credit card and driver’s license in the Rack Trap on the left (for easy access with my right hand), and I put a trimmed, folded up copy of my passport in the right one. (Haven’t ever needed it, but you never know.)
I also keep a few 1 and 2 euro coins and small bills in a coin purse inside my purse for easy access — to buy a baguette or fruit at the market, or to make a planned purchase. (And also for so-called “robber’s money.” Always have something to give them if it comes to that.) My larger bills and daily credit card stay in the Rack Trap until they’re needed for grocery shopping or larger purchases that I don’t have the cash for in my coin purse. Only when necessary, I retrieve the Rack Trap, make my purchase, and put it back in my bra cup before I turn away from the cashier and face the store exit.
My only two minor quibbles about Rack Traps are that they don’t fasten and that they’re a little small for folded up euros, which are much bigger than U.S. dollars. But other than that, they work like a charm, and that’s what I use as a women’s travel wallet in Paris.
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Tags: Paris Money
