Carry your passport!

There are many suggestions by people on online travel forums suggesting to fellow travelers to leave their passport in the hotel or cruise ship safe to avoid the risk of loss and the hassles of having to replace it. They reason that the likelihood of losing your passport is much greater than the likelihood of needing it. Of course, this rationalization overlooks the most vital and fundamental purpose of a passport--it is your ONLY authoritative, government-issued document that attests to your identification and your citizenship. It is meant to be carried on your person for this purpose while you are outside of your home country.

Now, if you are more concerned about the hassles or inconveniences of losing your passport--that is their prerogative. But I think you have your priorities backwards. When you NEED your passport, however remote or unlikely it may be, it will usually be at a time or place when you least expect it. And the severity of your need will likely be extreme.

999 times out of 1,000, I don't NEED a driver's license with me when I leave the house. But I would not THINK of leaving the house or driving without it because, on the off chance I NEED it (e.g. police officer pulls me over, someone needs my ID), then I have it.

When you are in a foreign country, what will you do if you are seriously injured and end up in the hospital? What if you miss the ship due to a traffic jam or strike? How will you catch a flight to get home or catch up with the ship without your passport? What if you are stopped by local law enforcement and asked for identification? At times like these, you realize that the hassle of possibly losing the passport was much less than the hassle of being stranded in a foreign country without your passport. And a photocopy of the passport will not suffice--do you drive with a copy of your driver's license? Try using a photocopy of your DL the next time a cop pulls you over or a bartender asks you for ID. Won't work with a passport either. Making and carrying a a photocopy of your passport is a good idea but it is only useful for getting your passport replaced at the U.S. consular office or embassy--it is not a substitute for the real thing.

If any of the above misfortunes should befall you, then you will end up spending days and days to get your passport replaced so you can get home or whatever. While your passport relaxes safely in the comforts of your cabin safe, you will be stuck somewhere wishing you had brought it with you. Yes, if you are within the EU, perhaps you can catch a flight or train without your passport. But what if your ship's next stop is outside the EU? Also, a common misunderstanding is that your passport is used for border control purposes only, i.e. when you leave and reenter the country--it's not. It's your sole identification and citizenship document so I don't go anywhere without it.

Many of you believe it's most important to protect the passport so you lock it in the safe. I believe it's more important to have the passport with you so it can do its job, i.e. to protect you.