Something you’ll be living with every day - choose wisely

How you store your documents, credit cards, and cash has to be different from the way you usually do it back home.

You can’t keep RMB 2,500 in your wallet, much less your passport.

You might have the perfect purse, but if it’s swiped, then what? And you’re going to want to have both hands free when you are out and about.

The strategy you need to employ is Radical Simplification. What one or two credit cards are you going to bring along? Do you need that business card from your veterinarian or the frequent flyer card from the airline you’re not using for this trip?

You’re going to need to keep your passport on your body every time you step outside your hotel, period. (Spot checks have been known to happen, even after the Olympics.) You’ll be carrying around an uncomfortably large wad of cash. While you are an unlikely target of crime, the consequences of being stolen from are such a headache - potentially throwing off your adoption timetable - that you don’t want to run the risks.

Your Passport / Money Holder is your must-have item, and there are a gazillion choices at prices all over the map. You’re looking for a good combination of:

1. •Security - how hard would it be for someone else to get at it?
   

2. •Accessibility - can you get at it without taking off your clothes?
   

3. •Capacity - passport, room key, cash, plane ticket, camera battery and SD card - a typical load to haul. Don’t go too small...
   

4. •Comfort - as discussed below
   

This item will be in direct contact with your body, all day long, and you’ll probably need to get at it once or twice per day. Some styles wrap around your waist, some wrap around your calf. We picked the kind that hang around the neck. We also picked a breathable fabric, which worked pretty well considering the summertime heat and humidity we encountered. The holders will get damp too, so that’s why we didn’t go with leather or a heavier fabric. However, this is your personal preference, and also depends on what region you’re traveling in and at what time of year.

Using your room safe as primary secure storage, your passport holder contains what you absolutely have to have with you during the day. Keep a couple hundred kuai in your pocket for ready cash, so you don’t have to embarrass yourself when buying souvenirs or food.