Few holiday makers will mind their pennies as well as those travelling on the smell of an oily rag, so these seven tips, six of which are from The Broke Backpacker will be about as ingenious as they get.
1. Share it around
Don’t keep all your cash in the one place. Split it up into three lots and store it separately. This is especially nifty in case you do happen to fall prey to street thieves. They will expect you to have all your money in the same location. Pop some of it into a travel belt and hide the rest elsewhere.
2. Keep it close
Rather than keeping your money tucked away in a bag that could be nicked, store it on your body. Travelling clothes with pockets, especially hidden ones, are ideal to thwart most street robbers … unless they plan to mug you.
3. Be creative
This cheeky method of hiding travel cash will cost you next to nothing but potentially save you heaps. It’s so simple and ingenious – one of the best travel tricks we’ve ever seen!
4. Stay modest
Try not to flash the cash or the card. Unless you are planning on making a big purchase, it’s best to travel with a few lots of smaller bills. You will draw less attention to yourself if you don’t advertise that you’re a walking bank or credit card.
5. Fake it
If your luck runs out and you happen to be mugged, keep a dummy wallet on hand. Pop some spare change, a few old receipts or tickets in it, but nothing that will identify you. When the thief demands your money, hand them the fake wallet.
6. Moolah among memories
Grab a small photo album and hide your cash between two pictures. Then seal each sleeve with a laminator. Display non-descript photos of ‘blah’ scenery and it is unlikely that a mugger is going to demand you hand the album over. But if they do grab it, you might just get away with having it returned by pleading ‘sentimental reasons’.
7. Accessorise
Finally, there are the umpteen accessories and gadgets that you can buy to hide your money. Some are more effective than others, and you can find varieties on Amazon.
Among the niftier is a trouser belt with hidden compartments on the inside called Active Roots Security Belt.
For the ladies, there is the Infinity Scarf with a zippered pocket that will hold a smartphone and keys as well as your cash. Also roomy are wrist wallets that slide over your arm and secret pockets that can be sewn into the underside of your garments. These come with Velcro openings to stop your belongings from falling out.
Do you have any clever ways of hiding money when you travel?
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Ultimate travel belt
Keep your passport safe
Gadgets to make travel safer
