Feisty Tourist

My travel tip this Tuesday is directed towards those of you heading off for fun in the sun - and especially cruisers.  People staying at a hotel can leave their valuables in their rooms and wander around with just a room key, but cruisers don’t want the hassle of returning to the ship to snag their cash.

If you know you’ll always be wearing something with pockets, you can go with a waterproof wallet like one of these from Jet’s (pictured above).  This is practical only for ladies who don’t intend to go swimming or who are willing to swim in shorts and guys who will always have a trustworthy pocket in their swim trunks.

If you won’t necessarily have pockets, it’s best to find something you can wear around your neck, like the Trident Waterproof Alligator Wallet from Scuba.com (also pictured above) or a small beach safe from CruiseCritic, or around your waist, like the Trident Waterproof Wallet Belt Pack.  Some of these might be big enough for a teeny digital camera, but I wouldn’t trust them with a non-waterproof camera.

If you want something that’ll work better for your camera, consider a large beach safe, dry box, or pouch specifically designed for electronics.  Scuba.com has the Trident Waterproof Dry Box 1000 and the Trident Waterproof Dry Pak Cellphone Case, either of which should work for a small camera.  The Trident Waterproof Camera Bag seems to be a bit bigger.  My favorite is a large beach safe, like the ones at US Toy (pictured above).

Regardless of what you choose, make sure to do a test run before you leave - and before you put anything that absolutely must be kept dry inside!  Also, be sure to regularly check on your belongings while you’re out swimming or snorkeling.  My dh had a waterproof wallet, holding our IDs, credit cards, and cash, in his pocket when we were snorkeling in St. John…  well, he had it in his pocket when he walked into the ocean.  Fortunately the lifeguard spotted it floating around, snagged it, and was kind enough to call out dh’s name.  We were very very lucky.