Spinoff: Passports

[tchrrx]

Do you carry your passport every time you travel, or only when traveling out of your country? Do you keep it on you, or do you leave it in your hotel room?

 

[mnrose]

Only when I leave the country. I leave it locked in the room safe (if there is one). If there isn't one, I carry it on my person in a waist pack that I have for that purpose.

 

[Meriweather]

Only when I leave the country and I always carry it with me.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

When I had an active one, I kept it in my briefcase which I always had on me at work. There was always a chance I might not be able to go home for it if an unplanned trip popped up. I did not take it with me on domestic vacations.

 

[Squirlz]

Only when leaving the country.

 

[NMAmy]

Only when we leave the country. When we're overseas, we almost always stay with family and the passport gets left in our items at the house except when we're going to the airport. I'm always terrified I'll lose it.

 

[bcla]

I had a neck wallet, although I don't use it much these days. My last one was silk and eventually a hole tore in the corner.

I actually keep my passport card in my wallet. Kind of nice to have. I know some wonder what use it is, but I've used it over the years as bank ID, for domestic flights, employment eligibility verification, and other things. Strangely enough I've heard of some in the border areas getting one primarily to prove they're US citizens to law enforcement.

 

[tchrrx]

What is a passport card?

 

[DopeyDame]

When I had an active one, I kept it in my briefcase which I always had on me at work. There was always a chance I might not be able to go home for it if an unplanned trip popped up. I did not take it with me on domestic vacations.

I feel like you must have a very interesting job.

 

[DopeyDame]

I only bring it when travelling internationally. And I keep it with me when we're out and about in a foreign country. It just seems like something I should always have physically with me internationally (plus I don't like the idea of leaving it in a hotel room)

 

[bcla]

What is a passport card?

It's a wallet-sized card that can be used to travel internationally by land or sea. I just used mine to get into Canada by car and back to the US by ferry. It's considered proof of US nationality. It's also US government issued photo ID.

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/card.html

It's not valid for air travel since there's no place to put entry/departure stamps or visas. When I visited Canada, the Canadian border agent simply placed my card on a scanner - front and back. I don't believe that they stamp US passports at land/sea crossings anyways.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

Only take a passport if traveling internationally. Taking a passport out in town depends on the circumstance. If we are doing a land based trip, we leave the passport in the hotel safe. If we are on a cruise and doing an excursion on our own then we will usually take it with us. You never know what could happen and you might miss the ship.

 

[Lisaloo]

Only when traveling internationally and we keep our passports with us. We leave a copy of our passports in the hotel safe.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I feel like you must have a very interesting job.

It wasn't LOL

My job was to generate production orders based on distribution requirements. Spent most of my time staring at a screen or a stack of paper. "Inventory Planning & Forecasting". Distribution centers (which I rarely visited) were in CA & GA. I was in MO. Production facilities (which I visited often) were in Mexico. I never did have to leave same day, but I did on occasion find out "today" that I'd better leave "tomorrow". That was as close as I got, but you never know

 

[NotUrsula]

Generally I only carry it when out of the country, but there have been a few occasions when I needed to use it domestically, such as when I only have a temp driver's license, which TSA gets squirrelly about. Also, if the purpose of travel is scouting a new job location, I'll take it, because in my line of work you will sometimes get asked to provide it at a job interview, to prove that you won't need a work Visa.

When I am abroad, I carry it on my person. The way I see it, the primary reason I would unexpectedly need it is if I ran afoul of the law somehow, and under those circumstances I wouldn't want to have to be arguing that they needed to go to my hotel for it. Also, if shopping in a country that gives VAT waivers, sometimes you need to show it at the store to qualify.

PS: A passport card is a wallet-sized card that substitutes for a passport under certain limited circumstances; the fee to get one is less than for a full passport. They are mostly issued to people who live near a US land or water border, so that they can cross back and forth without the expense of a full passport. You cannot use them for international air travel. http://travel.state.gov/content/pas...ifference-Between-Passport-Book-and-Card.html

 

[Disneylover99]

I carry it only when I leave the country. Once I get to my hotel it stays in the safe.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I actually use my passport as my primary form of ID in everyday life, simply because it's easier to whip out of my purse than it is to get into my wallet and dig out my driver's license. So, I always have it on me, at home or abroad.

 

[Jaya]

I take it with me on all trips, even in-country. If I were to lose my driver's license, I have the passport as a back-up to get through security at the airport or to use as ID if needed. It goes in the hotel safe with my "other" charge card ( just in case I lose my primary charge card - LOL).

 

[sunshinehighway]

I only take it if I'm traveling out of the country. When I have it, I keep it on me. If I need it while out and about in a foreign country, it's not going to do any good in the hotel safe. Like someone else mentioned, I keep the photocopies at my hotel.

 

[RDR_BU]

Only carry a passport when traveling out of the country. Only exception would be if my driver's license is expiring during a trip and the new one has not been received in the mail.