I do not want to let go of my passport for any reason unless I am entering or leaving the country. When will I be required to do this and why?
I was amazed when I went to Notre Dame in Paris that people were handing over their passports just so they could rent the audio guide! Luckily I carry my Aussie drivers licence with me and use that whenever a hostel or other place asks me to leave photo ID. Just as well because one time I forgot to get it back. Imagine if that was my passport! In some hostels they won't accept that and there's simply no way around leaving your passport with them. For me it's not the end of the world because I have 2 passports so if anything happened to my Aussie one I could still travel with my British one but it is still a bit nerve wracking. I can't believe how few people carry their passports in money belts of some other kind of pouch. I kept my passports on me at all times throughout my 3 months backpacking. That way you don't have to trust someone else with it. I don't care if it's a safe, there are still people who know the combination so it's not secure enough!
Reply to this But what does a passport say about you? Name, DOB and has a photo. No address etc. Given that passport details are now electronically held by Governments, ID theft (changing the photo) is far more difficult than it used to be. In days gone by I'd have been a bit more wary but what happens when you get to a point of entry....up pops your photo on the monitor as they scan your passport. I wouldn't have left my driving licence. That has nigh on all the details to ID you, Name, DOB and your address.
Personally I'd rather a hotel takes care of my passport rather than keep it on my person, be it in a money belt etc. Just another thing to go missing if the pick pockets get you.
I'd also be more wary about photo copying credit cards details, especially the front and back, as some companies like to do in Vietnam. Def a big no no.
At the end of the day...it's what makes you comfortable.
Reply to this We had a "funny" story about it.
Last year we checked in a hotel late evening. Because we didn't need the passport back urgent we told them to deliver it to our room the following morning.
Guess what - the cleaver receptionist put it on our door in an open envelop... Anybody could get it from there while we were sleeping. Well would cost them a lot to get a new passport if the one would disappear... There were no embassies or consulates from my country
In the end we had fun about it, but to get into a situation to get a new passport in the middle of nowhere would have been a nightmare...
But as usuall Peter sorted out the whole situation and we did not regret it 😉
Reply to this Now we can get a passport card when we renew our passport. Would a passport card do the job in these cases? Thanks.
Reply to this It's basically the passport in a card form that you can order along with the regular book passport. It's available now when you renew passport online. I just wondering if anyone has used the card in those types of situation yet.
Reply to this You give up your passport at the start of a cruise you are joining, and won't have it back till the day you leave the boat.
In China, you surrender your passport to the hotel for "registration" with the nearest police precinct. It makes sense to always have a photocopy of your passport and the pages where the relevant visas are.
Reply to this If you are worried you'd also misplace the photocopy of a passport, have it emailed to you. That way, you can always retrieve it from your mailbox. I do that all the time.
Reply to this Is this passport card available to all nationalities? I just renewed my passport and didn't get anything extra.
Reply to this I thought the passport card was for Americans/Canadians that travel across the border on a daily basis (think border towns). I was led to believe that a passport is still needed for air travel between countries.
Reply to this I think you're right. I can get a passport card (as a US citizen) but it's only valid for land/sea re-entry to the U.S from Canada/Mexico/Caribbean. It's cheaper than a standard passport ($55 rather than $135) but not valid for international air travel.
I think they started issuing passport cards right around the time when it was no longer deemed acceptable to use a birth-certificate/drivers license combo returning by sea and passport agencies around the country became dead-locked with passport applications from cruisers.
Reply to this I'm an expat, planning on spending most of my life here in Vietnam
I want to get health insurance that isn't too expensive but will still cover me if I go traveling or whatever.
Right now, I've been recommended to go for global health Asia...do these packages look reasonable to you?
do these packages look reasonable to you? thoughts on globalhealth?
I'm looking to work on a temporary basis so I don't think I can get it through my employer.
So if anyone knows a good expat health insurance company that is somewhat comprehensive,
please send the information my way. I only have to cover myself and I have my own business.
Thanks 😊
Jessie
Reply to this We've got Liberty heathcare here in Vietnam. Try googling it.
Reply to this Hmm strange..Ive never been asked to leave my passport with anyone. Even in 1988 in China I showed officials my passport but kept it with me the whole time. 21 years later Ive still never had anyone take my passport. After a lot of solo travel Ive visited 15 countries in the last 18 months and never have either of us been asked to hand over our passports nor would we. When booking into hotels in Cambodia and Vietnam Ive had to let a photocopy be taken but its been instantly handed back within 2 minutes maximum. We always pay when we check out with a debit card not a credit card. Maybe its a perception thing.
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