6 Essential Items For Your Travel Wallet & The Best Ones To Own

When you travel, there’s an entire checklist of travel items to keep in mind to take with you or do before you go. However, some things are more important and indispensable. Those items should be placed carefully in your travel wallet. 

What Kind Of Travel Wallet Should You Have?

A regular wallet will not suffice for your travels. Some features to look for when shopping for your travel wallets, include:

RFID blocking technology

You should have a travel document holder, or passport holder, with RFID blocking material, meaning it protects you from identity theft. How? RFID stands for “radio-frequency identification”. It prevents people from remotely scanning your information through the wallet. An RFID blocking passport holder contains a technology that creates a barrier and protects your information.

So, to start, make sure you have an RFID blocking travel wallet.

Is Easily Secured

A zip-around wallet ensures that nothing falls out and remains secure. (check out the image above!)

Lots of Space

Further, a good travel wallet is one with multiple compartments or slots for your documents. This not only keeps you organized but also gives you quick access to what you need.

Waterproof

Consider one that is made of waterproof material, or that easily reflects water off of it. You never know what can happen during your travels. You want to protect your documents from damage as well. A leather travel wallet that has been pre-treated or one made of nylon can work well.

Other options like the travel neck wallet, or travel neck pouch, which is a fabric passport holder, might work and are a great option for keeping things safe, however, be careful and be aware of keeping them dry. For instance, consider carrying a Ziploc bag with you to have a dry and secure place to put my documents.

The Best Travel Wallets

Best Budget Wallet

If you’re on a budget and want safety and functionality without spending too much, then check out this travel wallet by Lewis & Clark. It’s ranked highly on Amazon and has a zipper pocket for smaller, important items. It also has a strap so you can be hands-free and even wear your wallet under your clothes (especially helpfully safety measure if you’re traveling in an area that may not be so safe).

I can vouch for this one as my dad uses it, loves it, and has gone to India and other less developed countries without any issues or complaints.

If you’re looking for budget, but a bit more fashion-forward, then definitely look at this wallet.

Tons of compartments, and a special place for a sim card if you need it. Plus all the other essentials. It comes it about a dozen colors, so feel free to fulfill your colorful travel desires.

Best For the Family

If you’re traveling as a family bunch, then you need documentation for everyone. What better way to stay organized than this family-friendly travel wallet!

With a zipper for keeping things safe, multiple pockets to hold multiple wallets, room for money, a pen and sim cards, this wallet really has it all.

Best Fashion Forward Wallet

If you’re looking for a wallet that you can actually carry as a wallet, then take a look at this one. It has a strap so that you can cross use your travel wallet as a wristlet. It also comes in multiple colors and won’t break the bank!

Travel Wallet Must-Haves

Now that you’ve got your wallet of choice, be sure to have these items for your travel wallet. Don’t leave your home/hotel/air BnB without them!

Travel credit card

A great travel credit card not only helps you earn points as you spend but also carries no transaction fees. This way you can use your card freely abroad without paying extra per purchase. The points you accumulate can be used for cashback on your statement, gift cards, or future travel credit!

ID/passport and Travel Documents

Your travel wallet should essentially be your travel document holder. Everything important that you’ll need on the way out and on the way home should be stored safely here. This includes your passport, boarding passes and any other ID you’ll require. I also keep checked luggage receipts here in case I need to make a claim.

When you’re at your destination, you should definitely lock these important documents up in your hotel safe, or lock them up in your suitcase for safety, unless of course, you need it for some reason (some tours will cross borders, or ask for identification in order to proceed).

In those situations where you have to take them with you, both of these important identification documents should be stored in your RFID travel wallet. As a side note, I’d also recommend you keep copies of both. The copies should be stored separately from the real thing.

Cash

Everyone travels with plastic nowadays, which is great and super convenient. However, there is value in carrying some cash with you. In certain situations, a credit card may not accepted or the kind of card you have isn’t accepted (e.g. American Express).

Sometimes there is a fee put on by the vendor for using a credit card, which can add up with continued use. Vendors have to pay a fee to credit card companies in order to accept their credit cards. If the business is a small one, they’ll often offset that charge onto their customers. This can be a hefty fee at times, and something that is easily avoidable. Plus, especially if your purchase is a small one, do you really want to pay fees? That’s just a waste and can dig into your travel budget. In addition, depending on where you’re traveling, some modes of public transportation take cash only.

Travel Itinerary

While we keep everything handy/dandy on our phones now, keep a paper copy of my travel itinerary. The itinerary has all the info you need- the hotel, phone numbers for the hotel, phone numbers of the people you’re traveling with, emergency contact info for people back home, and the planned activities we have. In a pinch, you can take it out and show whomever if I’m asking for help or even just confirming what we’re doing next. 

Yes, you can do all that in your phones, HOWEVER, what if your phone dies? What if there’s no wifi to connect to? What if you’re in a spot with little to no service? These things do happen and can put you in a rough spot. In the name of travel safety, and being prepared, its recommended to a print out of all that essential information.

Travel Perks Cards

If you’re a Priority Pass member, Global Entry or have any other perk, then those cards and documents can be stored in your easy to access card slots in your travel wallet.

A Pen

Everyone knows that when you enter or leave a country you have to fill out documentation. How often, though, does anyone remember to pack a pen?

Some travel wallets have a little slot in the middle to keep a pen handy. Keep a dedicated pen that you only use for your travels. Place it in my wallet that way it’s always there and you never need to worry when its time to fill out paperwork.

Final Thoughts

The perfect travel wallet definitely depends on the number of people in your family that you are traveling with, where you’re going and what kind of travel documents you will need. It’s important to keep track of everything in one place and stay organized so that you know exactly where to look when you need something.

Depending on your budget, there are a ton of travel wallet options out on the market. Shopping around for the right one for you should be easy and also super fun. Who doesn’t like planning and looking forward to their next trip?

Featured and pinnable images courtesy of unsplash.