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Travel Experts Share the Worst Places To Keep Your Cash While on Vacation

Why where you stash your vacation cash matters more than you think.

By Amanda Teague , Edited by Calista Headrick

Updated July 12, 2026

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Vacation spending is already stretched thin, but one overlooked risk can wipe out your cash before you even make it to the first attraction.

Pickpockets are getting more sophisticated, hotel theft is underreported, and even well-meaning habits like tucking money into your backpack pocket or checking it in your luggage can leave you scrambling.

Knowing how to save money on travel isn't just about finding the best deals before you leave. It also means protecting what you bring with you.

We asked travel experts from around the world where vacationers go wrong. Here's what they said to avoid.

The outer pocket of your backpack

The outside pocket of a backpack is one of the most commonly used spots for cash, and one of the most commonly targeted. Luciano Armanasco, founder of Our Dolce Vita, has seen this mistake repeat itself across countless trips.

"Many people carry cash there because it is easy to access when you need it," he says. "But it also makes it effortless to grab money out of your bag without you realizing anything has happened. I have spoken with several travelers who didn't realize their money was missing until several hours after the robbery."

Armanasco recommends splitting your money across multiple locations rather than relying on a single convenient spot.

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Your back pocket

This one comes up in nearly every conversation about travel theft. Evelyn Duran, Sales Manager at Ecuador & Galapagos Insiders, puts it plainly: "This is where most pickpockets will target first, as they can take your wallet without making eye contact with you. Throngs of people are common in popular tourist destinations and crowded markets."

Vlad Trestian, travel and tourism specialist at Balkan Trails, has seen the same pattern play out across busy tourist corridors. "Experienced thieves in crowded tourist areas seek out wallets displayed openly from the rear pockets of pants as they are easily able to remove these wallets without being detected," he says.

His fix is to use a front pocket with a zipper, an anti-theft crossbody bag, or a hidden money belt.

Checked luggage

Your checked bag passes through a lot of hands before it reaches the carousel. Vummy Kihaule, a Tanzania safari specialist at Tanzania Safaris with a decade of experience planning travel across East and Southern Africa, warns that cash in checked luggage is nearly impossible to trace or recover.

"Checked bags pass through multiple hands, are subject to being delayed, opened, and even lost," he says. "With cash disappearing from checked luggage, the chances of it being traced or recovered are almost none."

Duran echoes this: "If you store your money in your checked luggage, you also have almost no chance of it being returned to you since you have no proof it was there."

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Your hotel room (outside the safe)

Leaving cash out in your room, even tucked into a drawer or hidden between clothes, is riskier than most travelers expect. Duran notes that "hotels can have dishonest employees who may take your stuff if it's lying around your room or in your open luggage."

Trestian has seen this play out repeatedly. "There have been countless reports from travelers about how they thought hiding their cash in drawers or in their clothes would provide sufficient security protection, only to discover that some portion of their funds was missing," he says.

If the room has a safe, use it. If not, front desk deposit boxes are a solid fallback.

One single wallet with everything in it

Keeping all your cash, cards, and documents in a single place is one of the easiest ways to turn a small theft into a trip-ending crisis. David Manley, co-founder of Go Real Travel, recommends a simple rule: "Keep some cash in your wallet and some in a hidden pouch."

He also stresses that location matters as much as storage method. "The most important factor is not where the cash is located, but where you are located," he says. "The more crowded, iconic, and tourist-heavy a destination is, the more likely it is to attract professional pickpockets preying on distracted visitors."

Your passport cover or pouch

It feels logical to keep everything together, but bundling cash with your passport creates a two-for-one loss risk.

Justin Crabbe, CEO and founder of Jettly, saw this happen firsthand at a hotel check-in: "Someone pulled out his passport for check-in, and a folded bill came out with it and landed on the counter. Nothing bad happened, yes, but it showed how exposed your money is whenever you are handing your passport in public."

His advice is to keep your passport alone, carry only what you need for the day in a front pocket, and store the rest in a pouch under your clothing.

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An overstuffed wallet in plain sight

Frank Spitzer runs tour operator Pelecanus in Colombia and sees a version of this mistake constantly. Travelers pull out a thick, well-organized wallet to pay for something small, and they unintentionally signal how much cash they're carrying.

"In Colombia, we say 'No dar Papaya,' do not give opportunity," Spitzer says. "But many people do not realize that in countries like Colombia, a monthly salary is approx. USD 400, and when seeing a wallet full of cash, like a bouquet of flowers, that might be just enough provocation."

His recommendation: keep a few loose bills in your pocket for small purchases and leave the rest out of sight.

Bottom line

The common thread across every expert we spoke with is the same: no single hiding spot is foolproof, but spreading your cash across multiple locations cuts your risk significantly. Keep a small amount accessible for daily spending, store the bulk in a hotel safe, and carry a backup stash somewhere separate and out of sight.

One detail worth adding before you start traveling more is to notify your bank before you leave. Unexpected foreign transactions can trigger a freeze on your account, which means even your backup plan has a backup plan. A quick call or app notification before departure keeps your cards active and your options open if cash runs short.

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