Zip It Up: A Cautionary Tale About Purses, Travel, and Financial Security

A surprising moment of carelessness in a familiar setting sparked an important realization: the security mindset we adopt while traveling often vanishes when we're in comfortable surroundings. After discovering my purse sitting wide open in a busy restaurant aisle, I began reflecting on the critical strategies we need for protecting our finances during solo adventures.

Security begins with the right equipment. Finding an anti-theft bag that works with your travel style provides the foundation for financial safety. My Wonder Bag crossbody has become my trusted companion, offering a slim profile that sits flat against my body while providing reinforced protection against pickpockets. Equally important is RFID protection technology, which blocks scammers from electronically stealing your credit card or passport information with just a brush against you in crowded spaces.

Beyond equipment, strategy matters tremendously. The distribution approach—never keeping all your money or cards in one place—creates essential redundancy if theft occurs. A money belt worn under clothing provides an additional security layer, though you'll need to balance accessibility with discretion. Regular monitoring of your accounts completes your security system, allowing you to quickly identify any fraudulent charges before they spiral into larger problems.

By implementing these comprehensive security strategies, you can explore the world with confidence while keeping your money safe. Ready to travel boldly but securely? These practical steps will help ensure your solo adventure stays focused on discovery rather than disaster.

TRAVEL & LEISURE-8 Best Anti-theft Bags

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Chapters

• 0:24 Everyday Complacency vs Travel Vigilance
• 1:45 Anti-Theft Bags for Travel Security
• 4:07 RFID Protection and Money Belts
• 5:59 Separating Money and Cards Strategy
• 7:47 Monitoring Accounts While Traveling

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Have you ever found yourself getting so comfortable in your environment that you just really don't pay attention to your surroundings or what you're even doing? Well, I was reminded of this very recently as I went out to lunch with a bunch of people and I'm sitting there having a conversation with the lady next to me and she looks down and she sees my big honking purse just wide open, unzipped right in the aisle way there. And, yes, I was embarrassed, because that's not typically me, especially when I travel. It's just odd to think that when I get in my own surroundings my own, maybe, in my own neighborhood, maybe in my own neighborhood how laxed I get regarding safety. So it got me to thinking about when we travel, how I make that shift and it's so different mentally that we approach, how we protect our belongings when we travel and came up with some strategies for you of how to keep your money safe while traveling.

Speaker 1: 1:07

Welcome to Solo Travel Adventure. This is Cheryl Esch, your host, giving you some strategies on how to keep your money safe while traveling. Now, obviously, my example of leaving my purse wide open sitting on the floor in an aisle way is the worst example, right? We don't obviously want to do that, and so thinking about keeping your finances safe while you're traveling solo is really important, because you don't want to get stuck somewhere without any means to whether it's to you know get yourself flying home or to purchase food or accommodations while you're traveling. So, first things first, speaking of purses, I want you, before you go on your next trip, to find yourself, purchase a, a purse, backpack or a crossbody bag that is anti-theft proof and there's many out there on the market and my favorite and I've been using it for probably almost two years now I love my. It's called a wonder bag and it's a crossbody bag. What I love about it is it's it fits a lot of stuff, but it also lays very flat against my body. I've seen many of those cross body bags that kind of, you know, bulge out. They're like big and round or something, and this um wonder purse actually can go under my jacket or under my like. If I have a zip up, um something zip up, I can put it under there so I can access it easily. So it's got it's convenient, it's got several pockets, it's got a slot for my phone, it is reinforced zippers and stainless steel clasp and it's um anti-theft. So find one that works for you. I tried a few out and this one was what I landed on and I love it. I sometimes even use it for my day to day, but in the example I gave earlier, obviously I had one of my big purses going on that day.

Speaker 1: 3:20

Travel and Leisure actually just put out an article March 10th 2025. So this month, of a variety of anti-theft bags that you can also look to see. If any of those suit your fancy, I'll see if I can link that article in the show notes, if it'll allow me. Okay, so look for that and find one that works for your body, that you love.

Speaker 1: 3:43

Number two you're going to want to get an RFID wallet. Reason being is this blocks scammers from using an RFID reader to scan your credit card information, and I've even heard that they could scan your passport. So this type of wallet, or if you find a purse or backpack or crossbody bag, that is also RFID protection. That's that special coating that blocks the scanner. It blocks those radio waves. That's what they use to scan your information and all they need to do is they just need to rub shoulders with you and you know, as you travel, you're rubbing shoulders with a lot of people. So this would be a good idea to get that, especially if you're, you know, taking your credit cards. You want to keep them safe.

Speaker 1: 4:37

Number three some people don't agree with this one, but I am huge believer in having a money belt. I travel with it all the time and some people like them, some people don't, but for me, having my money on me but also hidden, is just makes me feel safer. And there are, you know, money belts that are also, if you need to use your money belt to also put maybe your passport in and maybe a credit card, it there are some that are RFID also protected, so you can look for those. Um, it does you wear it? Um, my, my money belt, I wear it under my clothes and I use it to keep most of my um stuff in there. Um, but keeping you know.

Speaker 1: 5:25

Going to point number four, if you use a money belt or you have a purse, whatever you're using your wallet, you do want to keep things separate. So, for example, I always travel with two credit cards. That's in case one gets stolen or one gets, you know, there's fraud on it or, um, I get some reason the bank wants to block me from purchasing anything right, they decline it. I have my second backup. However, I don't keep them together when I travel. I put them in separate spots. So, for example, I may keep one in my money belt and then one in my cross body bag.

Speaker 1: 6:05

Likewise, if you have money, if cash, you're going to want to spread that out, meaning don't keep it all in your money belt or don't keep it all in your wallet or don't keep it all in your purse, kind of spread it out. Also, you don't want to be showing your money belt, so you want to keep some cash and your credit card accessible. So keeping it accessible where you can easily pull it out and not display or expose that you have this money belt around your waist or there's ones that you can wear on your neck too, um, then you don't want people to know that. So you keep some money handy so that if you go to a store, um, you don't have to be lifting your shirt up or, you know, digging around to find, uh, that money in your money belt or your even your credit card. And if you get to a point where you've forgotten to do that, uh, for example, when I fly, um, before I get off the plane. Um, if I don't have it on me at that point, I will go in the bathroom and make sure I put my money belt uh on me before I disembark and go through customs and stuff. Um, so that would be one way to just like keep your money safe from being exposed.

Speaker 1: 7:23

And then, final point is, while you are traveling, you do want to keep an eye on all your accounts to ensure that there is no fraud. For example, maybe you did scan your credit card somewhere and that place maybe has a credit card scanner that could utilize your number somewhere else. So you want to keep a track of, you know, keep looking at your accounts, make sure the purchases look correct, and it is something that you have done. So it's important to keep our finances and our money safe while we travel, so that you are not just left with nothing.

Speaker 1: 8:06

Um, actually, just recently, uh, just a gentleman that I that I follow on Instagram he was recently, I think, in California and he had his wallet um stolen and so everything was in it Uh, and so he didn't have money to. He was trying to get back home and so he luckily, you know, he did have his phone. Um, he had some people, uh, kind of send him some money, but all that is really a hassle, right? And when you're traveling and it's not you're not always maybe in a place where you could possibly maybe have money wired. Um, maybe you're in a remote place or a place where there's not that many banks. So you want to make sure you secure all your finances for your travels. So get out there, sisters, and have that adventure, but, of course, be safe.