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What to carry in my wallet

I

isabeau

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Autumn 2024
One week to go!!!!! We will soon be on the camino!

For my wallet/secret waist pack, I will be bringing:
- Passport
- International Driver's License
- California Driver's License
- 1-2 Credit Cards that have been notified I will be abroad (one with no international fees, one as an emergency backup)
- 1-2 ATM Cards (different international withdrawal fees)
- Health Insurance Card
- US Cash to start

So...

Do I have any need or advantage by also carrying my AARP card or my AAA Plus card?

We're not planning to drive, but we got the IDL as a just in case backup plan.

(I've also added the credit cards / debit card to my Apple pay).

(I also have prepared an online vault with copies of my passport, IDL, cards, emergency contacts in Spain and CA, prescriptions and vaccinnes).

Am I missing anything from the wallet/paperwork side?
 
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You don't need an international driver's license to rent a car, but if you get pulled over by the Guardia Civil, they will want it. Unless you need your AAA card or AARP card coming or going in the US, you won't need either one. Do you have travel insurance? If so you may want to make sure you can access that online or at least have a phone number. Unless your regular health insurance works in Spain, you probably won't need it unless you get sick before you leave the US.
 
Oh excellent point… I’ll add in the travel insurance to the vault and my wallet
 
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I’m not sure about the US cash other than enough to get you to the airport and a coffee waiting for your flight. Some small denomination € notes could be useful. Exchange rates at airports, even via ATM, are usually extortionate and slipping €20 into your passport at Border Control is traditional (ok, that last bit isn’t necessarily true).

Airport buses and the ilk are usually small fixed fares and the drivers’ won’t change an €50
 
A tip for your credit and debit cards. Download the apps for their banks. You should be able to turn the cards "off" and "on." I turn my back up cards off, and keep them completely separate from my primary cards. If something happened to to primary cards (lost, stolen, etc.) I can immediately turn them off and turn the back up cards on. This is especially useful if you misplace a card - you can turn it off while you look for it rather than calling the bank and having the card cancelled. If you find it you can turn it back on.
 
I had no idea about this feature!
Thanks!
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Tincatinker said:
Exchange rates at airports, even via ATM, are usually extortionate
Click to expand...
I have always gotten the same exchange rate at bank ATMs at the airport as at their ATMs in town. I would never use one of those exchange machines that look like ATMs.
Tincatinker said:
I’m not sure about the US cash other than enough to get you to the airport and a coffee waiting for your flight
Click to expand...
I agree. There's no need to carry any more $$ than you will need while traveling to and from Europe.
 
What worked for me (but as a EU citizen):

Wallet (which i normally carry in my back pocket):
- Some notes (like 100-200€)
- Visa Credit
- ID
- Drivers License
- Health insurance card
- PIN code cheat sheet

Coins go in the side pocket of my backpack or in my trousers pocket

Another ATM card gets hidden away somewhere else

Some cash (50-100€) gets hidden away somewhere else again

As a last backup i have google wallet and paypal on my phone

So pretty much a quadruple redundancy which i never needed at pretty much no extra weight.
 
I recommend getting some euros from a bank in the US so you have some money ready to go when you land. Even though I had informed my bank when and where I would be traveling, my card still didn't work when I got over to Europe and it took me a while to get the situation fixed.
 
Camino Preparation Guide
Fail to prepare? reduce your risk by buying this book full of practical info.
2nd ed.
isabeau said:
- US Cash to start
Click to expand...

Good Rule - Always pay in local currency! - in this case Euros. CASH or CREDIT or CASH WITHDRAWL - always choose to pay in Euros.

If you try to pay in US cash, if they accept it at all, the onsite exchange rate will always be excessively higher than any bank machine or credit card fee; they need to protect themselves against foreign exchange fluctuations.

If you pay with card - debit or credit; you are often now getting the option to be charged in Euros or in US$. If you choose your home currency the exchange is done on the spot and can be as high as 20% - your bank fees and exchange would never be that high.

Always pay in local currency!
 
We just used one card. A travel card that you can load up with whichever currency you want. You can top it up whenever you want. Then, we’d use that or, in the rare event that cards were not used, we’d take out cash (perhaps a hundred or so). Cost only a couple of Euros to use an ATM.
 
Get a Spanish mobil number + data while on the Camino
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
US banks like to show you THEY actually have full control of you and your spending
 
I shouldn't think there is any need to carry a drivers license of any kind unless you will be hiring a car while in Spain! Your passport is your ID and what the majority if not all of the albergues, hostals, hotels and other places requiring ID will need to see.
 
Camino Preparation Guide
Fail to prepare? reduce your risk by buying this book full of practical info.
2nd ed.
I did get one of my credit cards hacked in Spain 2 years ago and was very glad we had a backup card. Mostly we use cash. Easier to control our spending and budget. I did get some info from our university Study Abroad office about an app called "Travel bank" which will help me to keep track of my expenses. Since I am taking 10 students on a winter camino in December and January, I think I will try this.
 
It also looks to me like far too many bank cards, one top up debit card and possibly a credit card is plenty in my opinion. 4 different cards feels like overkill!
 
Might need it to drive home from the airport when you return. Although we used to have quick and convenient transportation to and from the airport, from where we live now it is a long drive.
 
Camino Preparation Guide
Fail to prepare? reduce your risk by buying this book full of practical info.
2nd ed.
Dennis Pack said:
I carry the same things in my wallet everywhere I go ... the world ain't the dangerous place you've been propagandised into thinking it is. Just use common sense
... and you can't put that in your wallet
Click to expand...
absolutely - I am seeing a lot of paranoia and undue fear about carrying items the majority of us carry around in a normal handbag, in our daily lives with no issues.
 
How much money do you recommend taking with you? I thought about taking 1500 euro which is hopefully all I will need but then avoids the need for all the atm fees. And I figure I will keep my money pouch with me always anyway. Thank you!
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
dreamlifeawake said:
How much money do you recommend taking with you? I thought about taking 1500 euro which is hopefully all I will need but then avoids the need for all the atm fees. And I figure I will keep my money pouch with me always anyway. Thank you!
Click to expand...
I would not carry 1,500 in cash.
 
Here's a silly question... if I'm carrying everything (self/backpack) and that's it... how do you keep your cards separate? I'll have a wallet in the front of my backpack with small amounts of euros and maybe one card and everything else will be in a waist pack buried under all clothes... how do you keep your items divided? (And I have the apps for some of the cards... one card doesn't have an app)
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
One thing that I tend to carry is a printout of one-use two factor authentication codes for my Google account. Normally, when I sign in from a new device, Google will send a code to my phone which I need to enter to access Gmail, Google Drive, etc. Of course, if my phone is stolen, I will need to access these from a new device and won't have the phone to receive the code. Having the print out let's me access these if that ever happens. In my Google drive I have copies of my documentation that might also have been stolen, plane tickets, etc.
 
I have an Anbeko brand waist wallet for passport, credential, extra credit card, ATM card, and extra cash. I can also put my phone in it which keeps me from using technology all day while I am walking. I can wear it under my clothes. I have a little zippered Chums brand change wallet for regular spending money in a zippered pocket of my pants. If I know I am going to need a card such as to go to the ATM or possibly pay for hotel, etc. I transfer the card to my change wallet temporarily. I wear the waist wallet even when I sleep...
 
For example: wallet in my trousers, extra card in some pocket of my backpack and some emergency cash in my first aid kit. Some sleeping bags have internal pockets, the extra pants in your pack have pockets, some backpacks have not-so-obvious pockets, then there might be the pouch for the water bladder... be creative.
 
Get a Spanish mobil number + data while on the Camino
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Thank you all for these wonderful tidbits of advice. I look forward to seeing some of you on the trail, if not this time, then a future adventure!
 
alexwalker said:
when in Europe, NEVER use ATMs from Euronet: They charge your shirt of you. It is pure fraud. In Spain, only use ATMs from Spanish banks. And always in local currency: Never choose Conversion.
Click to expand...
Agreed.

That’s said. Spain is one of the the worst EU countries for charging fees. Most of the high street banks charge between €6-7 per transaction. Sabadell have been the best I have found at €1.80. My ‘go to’ has always been Deutsche Bank in Spain who have never charged me a fee in several years of use but they quoted €3 when I tried to use them a few days back. Not sure if this is a change of policy. Lots of the small Regional regional banks don’t seem to charge fees though.
 
I forgot to say: I never use an ATM that is not directly connected to a physical bank office, bc. if something happens, I can go inside and talk to them. Too bad if I am stuck in a small village and my card is stuck in the ATM.

I have backups, of course, but nevertheless...
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Indeed that makes sense. The stand-alones ones tend to be the ‘high fee’ ones too in many cases!
 
Should, you lose your passport, a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license would be required to be admitted to the U.S. Embassy, or a Consulate to obtain an emergency replacement. The Marine guards are not likely to waive the rules.

These days, most US driver's license are also Real ID compliant. This means they can be machine read to verify your identify against US government databases. This features allows us to cross the Canadian and Mexican land borders or take cruise ships to and from both places without needing a formal passport. However, flying to or from the US from our neighbors, always requires a passport.

I always carry my US driver's license - separately from my passport. I have one wallet that contains all my ID related cards, including insurance cards. Then I have a separate, ripstop nylon "Butterfly Wallet" that carries only money cards. These cards carriers are maintained in separate pockets of my multi-pocketed cargo pants. In addition, my European debit card and local cash (€€) are kept in a readily accessible, front pocket wallet. I use the "Taxi Wallet" for this. Google both Butterfly Wallet and Taxi Wallet to see what I mean.

However, complicated it sounds, this works for me.

Hope this helps.

Tom
 
Camino Ready, Backpacks, Boots etc
3rd Edition. Vital content training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
If you use a debit card at a grocery store, can you get cash back that way? As opposed to just the ATMs?
 
dreamlifeawake said:
How much money do you recommend taking with you? I thought about taking 1500 euro which is hopefully all I will need but then avoids the need for all the atm fees. And I figure I will keep my money pouch with me always anyway. Thank you!
Click to expand...
Oh dear. There is now an extremely long and ongoing thread on exactly this topic.
PLEASE don't carry that much. Unless you have previous experience with doing so, and are used to all the precautions that entails. On the off chance that you are careless (it only takes once and we all make mistakes sometimes) and somebody gets hold of it, that money is gone. I suspect it would be a devastating feeling, even if you could afford it.
If you generally use a DEBIT card whenever possible then you will likely only need 100 euros or so a week, based on my personal, recent experience.
Personally I carry a maximum of €300. Think of the bank charges as an insurance fee.
 
Promote your Camino Project on the forum
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Indeed.. in the last year alone I have found €150 on the floor, and another time a wallet with €600 euro in on the floor. I have also survived a very elaborate pick pocketing atrempt, and a very obvious one (the famed Buenos Aires bird poo trick) which though a very old one very nearly worked as I was disoriented.

Certainly in the UK, whilst some insurance companies will cover the loss of cash to maybe a high level, many won’t, and in all cases we would have to show a reasonable level of precaution was taken.
 
thank you! very much appreciated!
 
Altus BALI Sleeping bag liner
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
J Willhaus said:
Interestingly, when I used my credit card at the grocery store in Spain there were not fees, but when I used my debit card, I was charged fees.
Click to expand...
Ah ok. I have 2 debit cards. The one I don’t use charges 2.99% for both ATM and stores globally on each transation; the other is fee free for stores globally and Euro ATMs, and I have a fee free limit of £200 for ATMs globally.
 
This might be the most useful life tip thing I've heard on this forum! Never new it existed and now I see it on some of my cards, so a step by step if it's helpful for some folks....

1) Capital One - from the mobile app, chose Profile - Account & Feature Settings - Credit Card Settings - Lock this Card
2) Chase - from the mobile app - choose the card/account you want to lock (if you have more than one) and tap on the card icon. Find and select "Manage Account" then chose the "Lock & Unlock Card" option at the top to get to the switch where you can toggle between locked and unlocked
3) Discover has this too - at the bottom right in the app, select "... More" and then there is a Freeze Account option. Discover is not exactly popular in Europe so I suspect folks won't be needing this, but if you use it at home, it's useful

Buen Camino.
 
Bc. of your tip, I just checked my own Norw. bank app, and it has the same feature! Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention! Me and my better half are going to Crete in 30 hours time for a month (having cancelled my autumn Camino in favour of her interests..., but: I'll be back next spring!), and this will be an extra safety barrier: Being able to transer money to each other and then turn the actual missing card off will be very good to know.

Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you again!
 
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Camino Ready, Backpacks, Boots etc
3rd Edition. Vital content training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
isabeau said:
Am I missing anything from the wallet/paperwork side?
Click to expand...
I printed out and laminated a credit-card-sized card which I carry in may wallet – not only on camino but also at home. On one side it has my contact information (phone number and e-mail address) in case I ever loose my wallet; on the other side it has the phone numbers and e-mails of my two emergency contacts, should something happen to me.
While on camino, a second card of this kind is attached to the outside of my backpack.

It is also a good idea to have your phone number end e-mail address written on your Credencial del Peregrino and your national passport. While theft is not very frequent on the camino, it is easy to loose or leave such a document behind when getting a stamp or registering in an albergue. People will want to get your belongings back to you, but they will need to know how to contact you.

Buen camino!
 
It applies also for my Mastercard app. Yey!
 
Yes and use the ‘freeze’ and check your balance a lot! A lot of criminals now get your card, clone the details, and then return it to you so you think nothing is amiss. Yea really! I Alway freeze my card after an ATM transaction.
 
Camino Preparation Guide
Fail to prepare? reduce your risk by buying this book full of practical info.
2nd ed.
Excellent idea!
 
I use one of these for Google 2FA sign-in. It works with both my phone or a PC with a USB C port.

It is clipped inside my clothes where it is out of sight with one of these

I would have to be undressed and lose my item of clothing in order for it to be separated from me.
 
BernieF said:
absolutely - I am seeing a lot of paranoia and undue fear about carrying items the majority of us carry around in a normal handbag, in our daily lives with no issues.
Click to expand...
I agree that the world isn't as scary as we think. However the stakes are bigger when you can't pay for something while you aren't at home. It's better to have payment redundancy while hiking the Camino than to have to spend half a day figuring out how to get things set up again. It's a hassle at home and even more of one while traveling.
 
Promote your Camino Project on the forum
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I am in absolute agreement with this. I think at some point on every Camino since my first (when I was living in Spain) I've encountered a problem with a card and had to fall back on redundant cards I brough "just in case".
 
No need fo AARP or AAA
 

I bought a small nylon light weight wallet that was big enough for euro bills. However, important never loose items (extra atm card, passport, extra credit card), went into a more secure location.

Regarding more secure locations: As the weather was cool when I walked (spring and fall), I wore a vest with an inner pocket where I stashed stuff I didn't want to loose. One problem with opening and closing pockets and wallets, is that things fall out. So to decrease worry, I stuffed them in the "one pocket that was not to be accessed". I also have a similar compartment in my pack.

If, on the off chance, I was to be mugged or robbed, I am hoping the mugger would be happy with my wallet with some euros in it. Not that I've ever had problems on the camino! (I did get mugged once in the Barcelona metro in 1985, but that's another story.) I think it is more likely to get pick pocketed, and again-- I hope the pickpocketer is happy with the cash. My husband was pick pocketed in Rome (1999), and somehow the person got the cash out of his pocket that was under his driver's license, credit card, and bottle of soap bubbles (we had a toddler). That's talent, that is.

Also-- share the load. I put some money in my own backpack and my son's backpack secure pocket, and an extra atm card and credit card in my son's as well.
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Except for the IDL, this is pretty much the same as my packing list. I also created a folder in an on-line file sharing program (One Drive) with copies of all my important documents. I never needed to use it, but it felt good to have them there just in case.

In answer to the AARP/AAA card, I never needed either one.

I found it EXTREMELY helpful to have 2 credit cards (plus a debit card) in case there are difficulties with one or the other traveling internationally. When I arrived in Paris to start my journey, I went to the cash machine to get Euros from my main credit card and it declined the transaction. I tried it 3 times and then they froze my card. Fortunately, I had the other one in back up.

I spent an hour on the phone with my wife and the credit card company to straighten it out. As it turned out, I did notify them that I would be traveling in France & Spain, but I neglected to turn on international charging. We got it straightened out and no more problems after that.

Buen Camino!
 
Personally, I would not advise providing public details of the contents and locations of your privates.

There are bad people out there, and one should provide them with zero assistance.
 
We are here now and that is similar to what happened to me… for security I had set the app to no transactions or international transactions and so was declined at the ATM. But once we got the esim phone sorted out I was able to fix it and then it was good. The phone was a whole other story.
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
mla1 said:
Re: ATM fees. A friend sent this to me in the spring (she found it somewhere on the forum). It is not exactly correct - but the general breakdown of the different banks and their fees is useful!

View attachment 156887
Click to expand...
Tried a few ATM places this morning. Very boring I know but for the ATM fee afficionados here is what I found. I am a UK debit card holder.

Santander and Caixa still charge €7 euro per transaction irrespective of amount.

The next ATM I found ‘caixaltea’ actually offered me the choice of what notes I received. Not seen this before. So I requested ‘€230’ and was offered 4 x 50, 1 x 20 and 1 x 10. I changed it to 2 x 50, 5 x 20 and 3 x 10. And it worked! Luckily there was no one behind me in the queue and I am reasonably numerate. My head was still spinning and I very nearly pressed me ‘wrong’ currency conversation button.
 
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