Why Travel Wallets Are The Worst: Part 1

Travel wallets. Document organisers. It’s the place you put your passport, your credit or debit cards, your travel visas, your plane or train ticket, your boarding pass, your house and car keys, and the vast majority of your extra currency. They’re on every ‘must have for travel’ list I’ve ever come across. Lauded as the end of all your disorganisational worries and the solver of all problems when it comes to travel paperwork, they’re advertised as the one essential tool that every traveler worth their salt needs.

They’re stupid.

It is abundantly clear to me that this product was invented by someone who does not travel. I don’t know why people buy them. I’m not even sure that people are buying them because I’ve never seen them in any airport, train station, or border crossing that I’ve been to. Which leads me to wonder why they’re on these ‘necessary travel items’ lists in the first place.

For the sake of argument, let’s step into the mindset of someone who is about to purchase one. I can only really picture three types people who would purchase these.

The first person is someone who likes the way it looks. They have a desire or need be organised and have everything in one place. The second is someone who is generally self aware. They know they are disorganised and a travel wallet seems to be a good way of keeping track of everything. The third person is someone with a large family. I’m thinking a partner and three or more children, especially young children, in tow. The more organized you are the better in large families and a travel wallet would be perfect for keeping everyone’s information together. It makes life easier.

I have one question to them, and to anyone else who thinks travel wallets are a good idea.

What happens if you lose it?

Let’s look at the immediate problems that would cause.

How are you going to prove who you are to the police when you report the theft if your ID was in that wallet. How are you going to get back into your hotel if your key was in there? How are you going to eat if your cash, debit, and credit cards were in there? Will you survive for the whole trip? How are you going to get home if your passport and other types of identification were in there? The airport staff will not look kindly upon people who show up without them, especially if they’re travelling with children.

When you do get home there are going to be long term consequences.

You’re going to have to get your identification back, which requires identification. Hopefully you left some stuff at home. You’re going to have to contact every card provider you have to suspend your accounts and get your cards reinstated. If you live in Canada, you will now have to go through a more lengthy process if you want to apply for visas or your passport again, because you lost the one you had. You’re also going to have to replace your house and car keys if they were in there.

The best you can now hope for is your wallet is lost down a drain somewhere, never to be touched by human hands again. If someone does pick it up they will have an ungodly amount of information about you and your family.

The solution to this is so much safer, cheaper, and it’s coming in part two!