5 Genius Travel Hacks to Avoid a Lost Passport

This week, I did something that I never thought I would do in a million years: I lost my passport while traveling abroad. To make matters worse, I was traveling solo, my flight home was in two days, and I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen it after leaving the airport. 

To set the scene for you, I had been spending the weekend staying in a gorgeous open-air villa at Origins Lodge, a luxury mountainside ecolodge nestled between dense Costa Rican rainforest. A few other journalists and I had been invited to tour the facility, and up until the night I lost my passport, I had been enjoying the opportunity to soak in the property’s scenic views,  and wellness offerings. 

Thankfully, my passport wasn’t stolen, nor was it stranded somewhere in the middle of the rainforest (my worst fear at the time). Instead, the kind staff members at the lodge found it in the back seat of their private airport shuttle, right where I had left it. Now that I’m back home safe and sound, I’ve decided that it’s time I get serious about how I travel with my passport.  

Even though I’ve owned and traveled with that same passport for nearly nine years — and haven’t misplaced it once on my travels prior to this — I know I’m playing with fire by not having a better, more secure system in place. To prevent missed-passport meltdowns in the future, I’ll be investing in gear that’ll help me keep it safe, secure, and easier to find. If you, too, need to set some passport safeguards in place, keep reading to learn more about the five items I currently have in my Amazon cart, including Apple AirTags, RFID-blocking passport holders, and anti-theft carrying bags. 

Apple AirTag

Since joining Travel + Leisure, I’ve come to learn just how invaluable and versatile Apple AirTags are for travel. These tiny disks are essentially mini GPS trackers that send location updates directly to your Apple devices. I’ve had success using one with my car in order to make it easier to track down in packed parking lots, but it never occurred to me that I should buy one for my passport, too. They’re easy to set up — simply tap the Apple logo button on the AirTag to instantly pair it with your Find My app. While AirTags certainly aren’t the only trackers on the market, I love the simple design (and prefer to stick to Apple-specific products when possible). 

Pascacoo RFID-Blocking AirTag Passport Holder

Speaking of AirTags, I’m also eyeing this embossed AirTag-holding passport holder. Available in 6 different colors, this $16 passport holder has an RFID-blocking shield that blocks potential thieves from accessing the funds and personal information that can be pulled from your credit and debit cards. It comes with four card slots, a pocket for travel tickets, an elastic closing strap, and an AirTag slot built into the back. More than 12,000 five-star reviewers attest to the function and style, with one reviewer sharing that the AirTag slot brought peace of mind while on an international trip. 

TagVault AirTag Holder Card 

While I love the AirTag passport holder above, I have somewhat of an emotional attachment to my current passport holder, which I’ve taken with me across the globe multiple times over the years. Turns out, I can still keep using my current one if I want to, thanks to this bendy silicone AirTag holder. It’s ultra-thin and has the exact dimensions of a typical credit card, making it easy to slip into a wallet or, in my case, between my passport and its holder. 

P Travel RFID-Blocking Passport Wallet

My leather bifold has seen better days: The stitching has begun to fray, the card slots have been stretched out over time, and the once-clear shield of the ID slot is, well… not so clear anymore. So before my next trip, I plan on purchasing this RFID-blocking wallet from P Travel. It can hold up to five passports (great for families!), has nine credit card slots, a zippered pocket for cash and loose coins, a clear ID card slot, and an exterior pocket big enough to hold a smartphone. It zips shut and is covered with a waterproof, anti-tear material that’ll ensure all your most important travel documents stay safe. 

Inicat Anti-Theft Sling Bag

In retrospect, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that I was able to lose track of my passport so easily — my current method of plopping it into my Jansport backpack is reckless at best. Instead of stowing it in my carry-on, next trip I’ll be tucking it into this handsome leather sling bag from Inicat. It comes in 23 different colors and, much like the wallet and passport holder above, comes equipped with RFID-blocking capabilities stitched into each of the eight credit card slots found in the outside zipper pocket. The main compartments are large enough to hold anything I might need on a long flight, while the discrete zipper pocket on the back is perfectly-sized to hold my passport. For $30, it provides the invaluable comfort of knowing all of my most important items are safe and on my person.

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