Originally Posted by pinniped

Am I the only one who tends to keep my passport either (a) on my body or (b) in a hotel safe while traveling abroad?

I don't think I've ever put it into a backpack or just left it in a car somewhere. I remember the hostel years of my youth...everybody had a story about stuff getting stolen. While I don't doubt that the stories often took on lives of their own, I still kept my passport physically on me 24x7 when I was staying in hostels. Do people really keep their passports in their backpacks? Or leave them in rental cars?

FWIW, I'm aware that the hotel safe isn't impermeable. It's probably child's play for a serious burglar. But I figure it's a good-enough deterrent when I'm doing something that would make it difficult for me to keep my passport with me (e.g., diving, snorkeling, etc.).