You’ve seen the memes—and let’s be honest, you’ve lived them too. Nothing speaks to international travel anxiety quite like obsessively zipping and unzipping your bag six times in a minute, just to make sure your passport hasn’t mysteriously sprouted legs and disappeared since you last checked it ten seconds ago.
And though we can promise you that your passport won’t run away from you, we can’t promise the safety of your passport if you keep it within your carry-on bag. Many travel experts have advised passengers to never put their passport in their carry-on, but rather to keep it on their person at all times. Here’s five reasons why that is:
1. Gate-checking
Whether you’re a chronic over-packer (you may want to check out the 5-4-3-2-1 method) or there’s no more space in the overhead bins, it’s very possible you may be asked to check your bag either at check-in services or at the gate.
If your passport was stored in said carry-on, you’ll likely be denied entry at immigration without a passport to show. This is because passengers aren’t able to retrieve their checked bags until clearing immigration. In most cases, you’ll be put right back on a flight to your home country.
Sure if you’re dealing with a particularly forgiving agent, they may try to aid you in verifying your identity by grabbing your checked bag and bringing it to immigration or with other forms of identification or supporting documents, but it’s uncommon.
2. Limited access in case of emergencies
In case of an emergency, you may not have time to grab your passport from your carry-on bag. Thus, if you always store your passport in your personal bag or on your person you can proceed safely with all of your critical documents.
3. In-flight theft
Although in-flight theft isn’t very common, the possibility of it still poses a serious risk if your valuables—such as your passport—are stolen onboard. Meanwhile, personal bags are much harder for pickpockets to access than carry-ons stored overhead. Not having your passport on you or in your personal bag could increase its vulnerability amongst in-flight thieves.
4. Potential to be lost or misplaced
Maybe a thief isn’t onboard, but your forgetfulness could be your passport’s worst enemy. If you’re moving things around in you carry-on during your flight or taking items out, you run the risk of misplacing your passport and leaving it on the plane after disembarking. Retrieving a passport that’s been left behind on a flight can prove to be a stressful task that’s not always successful.
5. High anxiety
When your passport is not on your person or in your personal bag, you’re more likely to experience that nagging anxiety of constantly wanting to check up on your passport’s location. Meanwhile, if you have your passport directly on you, you’re less likely to feel stressed or anxious about its whereabouts.