[Rockrivr1]

I've been looking through my wallet to figure out what I'll leave behind and what I'll take with me when I go on a trip to Italy later this summer. The usual stuff will have to come. Drivers license, credit card, medical card and then I came to my LTC along with my GOAL and NRA membership cards. Without thinking to much about it, they were mentally added to the list of what's coming with me.

As I thought more on it I had a thought that I should leave those three items at home. Got this feeling though that I'd be leaving something important behind.

Is that stupid? Would you take these forms of ID with you or leave them home?

[Devonai]

If I couldn't even buy alcohol with my Massachusetts LTC (I'd left my driver's license at home), why would anyone overseas care about it?

Leave it at home. It's one more thing you could lose.

[Travis Lee]

Why in the world would you carry your NRA card?

--Travis--

[sumpnz]

Unless the country you're going to will honor your LTC and allow you to legally pack heat I'd leave it at home along with the NRA and GOAL cards. Most other countries are a lot less comfortable (some downright hostile) to gun ownership and on the off chance you had some form of contact with the local po-po they might decide to be a whole lot less helpful once they find those cards.

Plus as Devonai said, it's just more things to lose.

However, one document you didn't list was your passport. That is your most important document.

Also consider getting some form of travellers health insurance. Your insurance through work might honor a claim from Italy, or they might not. Regardless you'll most definately be "out of network" which for most health insurance means much larger co-pays and a lower % of the total bill they'll pay. One trip to the doctor for something as simple strep throat and you'll be glad you bought the travellers insurance. Plus, if something major should happen the travellers insurance will pay for emergency transport back to the States or repatriation of remains should you get killed. Your regular health insurance will definately not cover that.

When my wife and I went to New Zealand over Christmas we paid around (IIRC) $120 each for that insurance. And that was for a 3.5 week trip. Shorter trips are cheaper since they base the rate on the number of days you're gone. Ours also covered things like lost/damaged baggage.

[farscott]

For overseas travel, I keep a separate wallet. It does not contain my driver's license, CCW, or any state-issued ID. Unless absolutely necessary, I never rent a car, much preferring to use public transportation, so my DL is of no use. I use my passport for ID, including the air travel within the USA that is needed for my overseas trip.

My overseas wallet does contain the following:

1) VISA Card
2) AMEX card (which I use to book airfare since AMEX offers decent overseas health coverage if you use their card to book your trip)
3) A fair amount of cash, some of which gets converted to the destination currency. I only use cash for public transportation and for places that do not accept plastic, and use the plastic as much as possible.
4) Copy of the front page of my passport (also copies are in each piece of luggage and my briefcase). Losing a passport is a VERY bad thing, so a copy of the front page is some insurance. It will get you past the Marine guard and into the embassy so that a replacement passport can be issued.
5) Spare passport photos for 4) or for visas
6) Business cards
7) Frequent flier cards

[Brian Williams]

Leave it home. Passport, Drivers Lic, Insurance card are all you need. Take what ever credit cards and make sure you call the company that issued them to look for charges from another country and specify the exact dates.

ditto on the overseas insurance, You are to try your own insurance first then use the back up insurance. Mostly it is to cover medical evac which can run to $100,000 and up.

[Rockrivr1]

Passport - Check
Travel/Medical Insurance - Check

Our travel agent told us about the travel/medical insurance. It cost me $240 for me and the wife. Knowing how accident prone I can be, it's probably the best money I will ever spend.

As to the NRA card. I always carry it. I've run into a few vendors at guns shows that will give you an added discount if you can show them you are a member. After losing out on a 10% discount on a purchase, I started carrying it all the time. I know that's probably not what was meant by the comment, but I'll leave it at that.

Hummmmm, guess I will leave them home. Just doesn't seem right to me some how. I must be weird I guess. :scrutiny:

[real_name]

Sumpnz, they have social healthcare. Americans can and do get free treatment in Europe. A more pressing requirement is 'repatriation for medical reasons' insurance. For simple things like Strep you wil be fine with the free service, for a traffic accident you will want to get flown home immediately, and that costs a lot of cash. Insurance for repatriation is very affordable.

As regards documents, take the absolute minimum. A passport, DL on your person at all times and several photocopies of both in a seperate bag to the originals. Email yourself the passport and DL numbers and other details. If your bag goes missing or you get robbed you will thank me.
If while in Italy you plan on visiting Beretta or similar then the NRA card might get you a discount on a factory tour (might not too) but I see no use other than that.

Learn a few words in the country's language. I have visited over 30 countries and that simple act opens many doors and avoids many dead ends.

Good luck and have fun.

[Tory]

If I couldn't even buy alcohol with my Massachusetts LTC (I'd left my driver's license at home), why would anyone overseas care about it?

You need to find a store with competent clerks. :rolleyes:

I not only take my LTC with me - including a trip to Europe and several to the Caribbean - I occasionally USE it (thus greatly aggravating my wife!). Specifically, when asked for "photo ID," I have been known to produce the LTC.

There is always some stupid 'droid who asks "Do you have a driver's license?" because they're too ignorant to recognize anything else. I had one "guard" demand a "license." I pointed to where it says "License to Carry Firearms." :scrutiny:

He then demanded a "state-issued ID." I pointed to the "Commonwealth of Massachusetts" at the top and demanded back, "What does THAT say?" Crisis resolved. Pissed the wife off BIG-TIME, however. :uhoh:

I even got into Bermuda on my LTC, having stupidly flown down w/o a birth certificate OR passport. As we were part of the weekly "newly-wed flight" of couples marching off the plane as if it were Noah's Ark, I think we were outside the "threat" parameters; I also advised them that NON-citizens cannot be issued an LTC. They let me pass. I would not try that now, however - it would NOT work.

If you bring it, is it "one more thing to lose?" Yes - anything in your wallet is. Does it replace a passport? Not these days! That said, can it fill a useful purpose (even if that purpose is merely putting an obnoxious "guard" in his/her place? YES!

[sumpnz]

Real_Name - New Zealand has socialized health care too, but not for furriners. Or at least that was my understanding. If the Euro's will let us piggy-back on their health system while there on vacation than that is a good thing. But as a tourist I would not want to count on that even for a simple strep throat. But, as you said, emergency evac and repatriation of remains are the big reasons to get the insurance.

[Hawkmoon]

I don't carry my CHL in my regular wallet even when I'm packing, and I certainly wouldn't if I wasn't packing. If circumstances arise when you get jumped when unarmed, or accosted under conditions that don't make it possible to draw and shoot, the LAST thing I want to do is hand the bad guy(s) a card that lets them know I am a threat.

I started carrying my CHL in a separate card case when I first got it. Now that I have added a couple of out-of-state non-resident permits, it's clean and simple to keep them all in the one folder. If I'm carrying, they are all together. If I'm not carrying, I don't need to carry that wallet.

[real_name]

I also advised them that NON-citizens cannot be issued an LTC

Here in TN that is not the case.
Legal Resident Aliens (Green Card holders) can obtain Handgun Carry Permits just as easily as Citizens.

New Zealand has socialized health care too, but not for furriners. Or at least that was my understanding. If the Euro's will let us piggy-back on their health system while there on vacation than that is a good thing. But as a tourist I would not want to count on that even for a simple strep throat.

I was primarily addressing travel in Europe as I have no experiences in NZ. But, as the NZ system is most likely modelled on or at least similar to the UK system I would assume that they would not turn you away. It is certainly prudent to get insurance but sometimes for minor ailments the actual cost and the reimbursment do not tally. Example, I was hospitalised in Southern India in 1999, I spent 3 days on an IV being rehydrated after contracting Ameobic Dysentry. I was cleaned, fed and generally cared for as I slipped in and out of conciousness. I paid the bill there and then and contacted my Insurance Provider when I eventually got back to London, England. They refused to reimburse me as it was less than $80.
Yes, Eighty Dollars for 3 days.
But my point is that for minor payouts it is easier to either pay or utilise the local free care. Insurance is for the big stuff.

How was NZ btw? I'm envious.

[hso]

Why would you bring them since they aren't needed?

Your U.S. passport is the essential and expected document. Driver's Liscence could prove beneficial if you plan on renting a car and driving. Scanning and emailing copies of these documents allow you to recover enough of them to get replacements if you can get to your email from any computer in the country you're traveling in.

You've gotten good advice from experienced folks that travel internationally.

Don't take anything you can't afford to loose and that you don't need.

[Tory]

Here in TN that is not the case.

In Massachusetts, it IS. And since it was a Mass. LTC being displayed as evidence of US citizenship, Mass. law was the issue.

Don't take anything you can't afford to loose [sic] and that you don't need.

Basically, good advice. However, state-issued photo ID is a good thing to have, especially for those cretins who think a passport is NOT adequate ID.

[real_name]

hso, for the record as long as you use a generic email account (gmail, yahoo etc) you will be able to access it anywhere.
US Embassies abroad should (and usually will) issue a temporary travel document once presented with the PP/DL numbers or scans. Photocopies are likewise worth more than their weight in gold. I include the DL as it's a secondary validation, obviously no longer a travel document. In combination with a SS# you will get through the process pretty quick.

I have rented many vehicles around the world, wherever possible I left a copy of my DL as deposit. It enables recourse on their behalf but enables me to use the original in case of an accident, and I have less chance of losing it if I keep it. This works best at informal places where you rent moped/motorbikes.

Other useful documents to have include a ICE (In Case of Emergency) card, you can make this yourself, just list contacts and allergies etc. Make two and keep them seperate incase the first 'samaritan' only takes your wallet. Also if you are 26 or younger get an ISIC card, good for many discounts while travelling. You can get these bootlegged in heavily touristed areas (such as Bangkok) for about $10 regardless of your age. I had mine until I was 33.

In Massachusetts, it IS. And since it was a Mass. LTC being displayed as evidence of US citizenship, Mass. law was the issue.

Agreed, I was simply stating that depending on the Official in question and their ignorance of Carry Permit issuance, that they might disregard the Permit as proof of Citizenship. I wouldn't rely on one as a travel document, as it isn't one.

[hso]

Oh, and try not to be confrontational or an 'Ugly American'. Remember it's their country and they don't have to honor anything except the passport unless there's a separate agreement in place.

real_name,

Good point on all the state documents not being the same in each state.

Have you ever bothered to get an International Driver's License? http://ntl.bts.gov/faq/intdl.html

As to hotmails and such, I've had bad luck with those things filling up when I'm away from home to keep them cleaned out. Of course, if I email something to my freemail account it'll sit there waiting for me anyway as other crap piles up so I guess it's still available to pull for the 'papers'. :scrutiny: Would a thumb drive be useful as well?

[real_name]

I have an International Driving License. It's quite large and difficult to photocopy though as mine is black ink on dark grey (issued in UK).

I hadn't thought of carrying a flash drive, that's a very good back up idea although it could be lost too.

[geekWithA.45]

Eh, I don't think it's that big a deal. I've travelled abroad with all that stuff.

Once you've been grilled by a Japanese customs inspector demanding to know if you've hidden marijuana and machine guns in your luggage, you stop caring about that sort of thing.

[real_name]

Japanese Customs Officers can be tough, my worst were the Czech border guards who tore my Passport in two and pulled the laminate off the photo to see if it was 'real'.
That made for great fun getting out of CZ and getting back into the UK as I had to duct tape it back together.
Having multiple Amsterdam/Morocco/Thailand visa stamps was fun too.

[Hawkmoon]

I have rented many vehicles around the world, wherever possible I left a copy of my DL as deposit. It enables recourse on their behalf but enables me to use the original in case of an accident, and I have less chance of losing it if I keep it. This works best at informal places where you rent moped/motorbikes.
You LEFT it?

What did you carry for a license? Or don't mopeds require a license where you were?

The so-called "International Drivers' License" referred to above (the multi-page book that in the U.S. is obtained through the AAA) is not -- repeat NOT -- a driver's license. Per U.N. treaty, it is a document that offers translations into several languages to supplement your home country driver's license, and without your home country driver's license it is invalid.

I suppose there are places that might accept it alone, but where I have traveled with my wife in South America the police are familiar with it, and they will not accept either the Internationa document or the home country license alone. You need both to be legal.

What I recommend is going to your local motor vehicle office, telling a small white lie, and applying to replace a lost license. Leave one of them in a safe place at home, and carry the other one when you travel.

[EDIT]Sorry -- you said you left a "copy" of your DL as a deposit. Phew.

[real_name]

Yes, a copy, but sometimes the real deal if I felt Ok about it.

These weren't firms like Avis/Hertz but rather $3 a day motorbikes from the owner of a guesthouse in Laos or somewhere. They don't ask for a DL usually in circumstances like that but sometimes they do, they ask that you leave a DL or PP in lieu of a deposit. The idea is that you return the bike as you need the document. And I've never (in 20+ years travelling abroad) heard of a DL or PP being not returned.

I have lost count of the times I inherited a motorbike or moped (even a car once) from a fellow traveller who was too intoxicated to make use of the rental. I returned one bike in Phnom Penh to the owner and received an Italian PP back. I did give it to the rightful owner.

[flatdog]

Don't carry your wallet in your back pocket it's too vulnerable. Pick pockets make a good living off tourists.

Find out the contact information for the American Embassy in the country/counties you will visit now and keep it safe.

Take some good pictures.:)

[sm]

Excellent thread with lots of great information.

Re: Free Web based Email.

Here is one I have suggested folks use when traveling, and especially out of the country - bit more secure if needing to obtain more sensitive correspondence such as account numbers - etc.

http://www.hushmail.com/

[pete f]

I have once had to use the "vacation insurance" with my mom., We were in the phillipines and she got sick. I finally was able to make a out going call to the # on the card and told them what was up, 12 hours later a biz jet ambulance with a Dutch med team landed and scooped her up out of the hell hole Cebu called a hospital, and took her to guam and then on to hawaii. More than likely she would have died had they not gotten her to someplace modern where they were able to diagnose the response she having to a spider bite, she was literally internally hemorraging to death, They were able to detox her in hawaii. The Insurance paid for everything. our flights, the loss of the return trip, the hotel stays, the cost of the air ambulance attendants, Every thing. Absolutely the best $200 or so we ever spent.

Dr. van der Spek, if you ever read this thanks again.

When I have traveled lately I have placed a cash surplus in my credit card account. I use the card as I can, and when I want pocket money, I take it out at the local ATM machine. Doing this, i get the best possible exchange rate. I am also protected against false use of my credit card and my money stays safe with no added fees for getting my money to me.


I know in someplaces using dollars as currency was far better than trying to use local currency. In Hong Kong before the hand over, Dollars were running as high as three times the official exchange rate, making a New suit that cost about 1200 HK$ ( $155 usd) really only cost about fifty bucks.
Can you say three wool suits, w/ extra pants, two silk suits, w/extra pants and a dozen made to order shirts for about $600 us? Or what I would pay for one suit, here on sale.

[Zen21Tao]

The last time I was in Britian (in school there) I had my CWP in my wallet. One day when I opened my wallet in a store the clerk asked if if I worked for the US Government and if I was in Britian "on business." He had seen my CWP and assumed that I since I had it with me it authorized me to carry in Britian too (funny he thought this with "Florida" printed right on it). I told him, "I'm just a tourist passing through" he just nodded his head and said "uhm hum". :D

[real_name]

Credit Cards have been better than cash and Travellers Checks abroad for a few years now, since the global proliferation of Visa/MC/AE really took hold. But the companies seem to have wised up to the fact that the low transaction fees are a winner for the customer and are changing/have changed the rates for withdrawals in foreign currency or withdrawing dollars overseas. Check before you go. It might be more prudent to get a pre-paid Credit Card. Or revert back to TCs.
Also, always have some cash. If your budget for the trip is $2000 then take $400 of that in $20 bills. You will need to buy/tip/taxi at weird hours and away from the ATMs.
I should have posted this earlier, there is much useful information on this forum: http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/

[mp510]

real-name, +1 on avoiding travelers checks. I have an acquantance who recently went overseas and was in a pretty tight place for a few days because they only brought tt's and couldn't cash them, and had to get a relative to wire them money (so they said):(

As for taking the LTC with you, I'm not sure if it would create a negative image, some countries (I know Russia for sure) require you to indicate on the visa app whether or not you have any sort of firearms training or experience or .mil training or experience.

I would consider keeping it with, if it is a laminated photo ID (like a DL) for ID purposes (you never know), but isn't MASS just a printed card?

It is good to avoid the unnecesary. I keep my NRA card in my wallet and have managed to misplace several without haveing to leave CT:o

[Limeyfellow]

No one where I live take travellers checks in the US which was troublesome when I first came here. I finally found a bank that would take them. I found a debit card with the visa and cyrix symbols on much more useful. Normally the only countries I switch between now is Britain and the US which I have bank accounts in both countries luckly and its easy enough to switch funds between both or use either debit card in any country.

[Rockrivr1]

Update - Just got back from Italy yesterday. Left the LTC home. Awesome country. I would of gained a ton of weight, but we were walking everywhere. Burned it off quickly. Didn't see one fat italian. You could tell the Americans. We were ALL fat. :p Anyway thanks for all the replys. Some tips definitely helped. Only down side is that I didn't see one gun store anywhere. :( You can bet the wife found MANY jewelry stores. Ahhhh, now I just have to pay for it. Credit Cards took a beating. :eek:

[PvtPyle]

Yeah, sorry I think it is stupid. You need your passport and your drivers liscense. I dont even carry my military ID unless I am going someplace where there is an instalation that I can access.

[atlctyslkr]

See no need to carry my firearms license somewhere (domestic or abroad) where it is not going to be honored. One more thing to have to go through the hassle to get replaced. It could also cause you trouble if you get harassed by foreign customs or domestic airport security clowns. I like the idea of getting a special wallet for it. Maybe I should get one of those CWP badges too :neener:

[bruss01]

I think I know what RockRivr was orignially getting at...

After a while, some of these things (ltc, drivers lic, nra card, wedding ring) become a part of our identity, part of how we "see ourselves". Without them, we feel a little less of who we really are. Not any less married, for sure, nor less "authorized" to carry (at least within the terms of the permit) but certainly without the external validations of those conditions.

To some extent, these things become adult versions of the "blankie" or teddy bear that children habitually lug around with them, just an extension of who they are. Only when stripped of the "actual" and justifiable uses of these things (such as going abroad where they are not honored) do we become aware of this more subtle role they play in our lives.

[Hawkmoon]

As for taking the LTC with you, I'm not sure if it would create a negative image, some countries (I know Russia for sure) require you to indicate on the visa app whether or not you have any sort of firearms training or experience or .mil training or experience.
Is this a new regulation? I visited Russia in 1997 and 2001, and Ukraine in 1999, and there was nothing about firearms training on the visa applications. I don't recall that they asked about military experience, either.

[lbmii]

Oh yeah! When I spent two weeks in New Zealand I carried mine. Every time someone would bring up the nasty American gun culture I would whip that puppy out and say; "Hey check this out!" :eek: :what:

It sort of freaked them out. :evil:

[jamz]

Japanese Customs Officers can be tough, my worst were the Czech border guards who tore my Passport in two and pulled the laminate off the photo to see if it was 'real'.
That made for great fun getting out of CZ and getting back into the UK as I had to duct tape it back together.

Heh, the only time I've had every single item on my person stripped down into their component parts was leaving Czechoslovakia. :)