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.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Have you ever found yourself getting so comfortable
in your environment that youjust really don't pay attention
to your surroundings or whatyou're even doing?
Well, I was reminded of thisvery recently as I went out to
lunch with a bunch of people andI'm sitting there having a
conversation with the lady nextto me and she looks down and she

(00:21):
sees my big honking purse justwide 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 thatwhen I get in my own
surroundings my own, maybe, inmy own neighborhood, maybe in my

(00:49):
own neighborhood how laxed Iget regarding safety.
So it got me to thinking aboutwhen we travel, how I make that
shift and it's so differentmentally that we approach, how
we protect our belongings whenwe travel and came up with some
strategies for you of how tokeep your money safe while
traveling.
Welcome to Solo Travel Adventure.
This is Cheryl Esch, your host,giving you some strategies on

(01:14):
how to keep your money safewhile traveling.
Now, obviously, my example ofleaving my purse wide open
sitting on the floor in an aisleway is the worst example, right
?
We don't obviously want to dothat, and so thinking about
keeping your finances safe whileyou're traveling solo is really

(01:37):
important, because you don'twant to get stuck somewhere
without any means to whetherit's to you know get yourself
flying home or to purchase foodor 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

(02:00):
purse, backpack or a crossbodybag that is anti-theft proof and
there's many out there on themarket and my favorite and I've
been using it for probablyalmost two years now I love my.
It's called a wonder bag andit's a crossbody bag.

(02:23):
What I love about it is it's itfits a lot of stuff, but it
also lays very flat against mybody.
I've seen many of those crossbody bags that kind of, you know
, bulge out.
They're like big and round orsomething, and this um wonder
purse actually can go under myjacket or under my like.

(02:45):
If I have a zip up, umsomething zip up, I can put it
under there so I can access iteasily.
So it's got it's convenient,it's got several pockets, it's
got a slot for my phone, it isreinforced zippers and stainless
steel clasp and it's umanti-theft.
So find one that works for you.

(03:06):
I tried a few out and this onewas what I landed on and I love
it.
I sometimes even use it for myday to day, but in the example I
gave earlier, obviously I hadone of my big purses going on
that day.
Travel and Leisure actually justput out an article March 10th
2025.
So this month, of a variety ofanti-theft bags that you can

(03:31):
also look to see.
If any of those suit your fancy, I'll see if I can link that
article in the show notes, ifit'll allow me.
Okay, so look for that and findone that works for your body,
that you love.
Number two you're going to wantto get an RFID wallet.
Reason being is this blocksscammers from using an RFID

(03:53):
reader to scan your credit cardinformation, and I've even heard
that they could scan yourpassport.
So this type of wallet, or ifyou find a purse or backpack or
crossbody bag, that is also RFIDprotection.
That's that special coatingthat blocks the scanner.

(04:16):
It blocks those radio waves.
That's what they use to scanyour information and all they
need to do is they just need torub shoulders with you and you
know, as you travel, you'rerubbing shoulders with a lot of
people.
So this would be a good idea toget that, especially if you're,
you know, taking your creditcards.
You want to keep them safe.

(04:37):
Number three some people don'tagree with this one, but I am
huge believer in having a moneybelt.
I travel with it all the timeand some people like them, some
people don't, but for me, havingmy money on me but also hidden,
is just makes me feel safer.
And there are, you know, moneybelts that are also, if you need

(05:01):
to use your money belt to alsoput maybe your passport in and
maybe a credit card, it thereare some that are RFID also
protected, so you can look forthose.
Um, it does you wear it?
Um, my, my money belt, I wearit under my clothes and I use it
to keep most of my um stuff inthere.

(05:23):
Um, but keeping you know.
Going to point number four, ifyou use a money belt or you have
a purse, whatever you're usingyour wallet, you do want to keep
things separate.
So, for example, I alwaystravel with two credit cards.
That's in case one gets stolenor one gets, you know, there's

(05:43):
fraud on it or, um, I get somereason the bank wants to block
me from purchasing anythingright, they decline it.
I have my second backup.
However, I don't keep themtogether when I travel.
I put them in separate spots.
So, for example, I may keep onein my money belt and then one
in my cross body bag.

(06:05):
Likewise, if you have money, ifcash, you're going to want to
spread that out, meaning don'tkeep it all in your money belt
or don't keep it all in yourwallet or don't keep it all in
your purse, kind of spread itout.
Also, you don't want to beshowing your money belt, so you
want to keep some cash and yourcredit card accessible.

(06:27):
So keeping it accessible whereyou can easily pull it out and
not display or expose that youhave this money belt around your
waist or there's ones that youcan wear on your neck too, um,
then you don't want people toknow that.
So you keep some money handy sothat if you go to a store, um,
you don't have to be liftingyour shirt up or, you know,

(06:49):
digging around to find, uh, thatmoney in your money belt or
your even your credit card.
And if you get to a point whereyou'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 atthat point, I will go in the
bathroom and make sure I put mymoney belt uh on me before I

(07:12):
disembark and go through customsand stuff.
Um, so that would be one way tojust like keep your money safe
from being exposed.
And then, final point is, whileyou are traveling, you do want
to keep an eye on all youraccounts to ensure that there is
no fraud.

(07:32):
For example, maybe you did scanyour credit card somewhere and
that place maybe has a creditcard 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 thepurchases look correct, and it

(07:54):
is something that you have done.
So it's important to keep ourfinances and our money safe
while we travel, so that you arenot just left with nothing.
Um, actually, just recently, uh,just a gentleman that I that I
follow on Instagram he wasrecently, I think, in California

(08:16):
and he had his wallet um stolenand so everything was in it Uh,
and so he didn't have money to.
He was trying to get back homeand 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 andit's not you're not always maybe

(08:39):
in a place where you couldpossibly maybe have money wired.
Um, maybe you're in a remoteplace or a place where there's
not that many banks.
So you want to make sure yousecure all your finances for
your travels.
So get out there, sisters, andhave that adventure, but, of

(09:01):
course, be safe.