Some people like to rough it more than others. There are many
travelers out there who cross the world looking for adventure and
excitement. For the most part, people who are adventure travelers are
good packers and know how to prepare. However, a surprising number of
adventure travelers don't use a passport cover.
Why use a passport
cover? Well, there are several reasons to use a passport holder or
cover for your passport. Primarily they will protect your passport from
the elements and extend the life of the document. Considering it's your
most important item and gets you in and out of the countries where you
stage your adventures, buying a cover for your passport is a relatively
small expense for one who travels a lot.
Another reason to use a
passport cover is personal security. Adventure travelers usually go to
some remote places where pickpockets and thieves are many. Covering your
passport with an artistic and exotic design will throw off would-be
thieves because your passport is disguised as a book or some other type
of wallet. Passports are hot items in third world countries and can
fetch a high dollar amount on the black market, making your passport a
valuable item to local thugs.
Finally, the third most important
reason to use a passport holder to cover your passport is distinction.
Having a unique passport cover can set your passport apart from the
crowd and save you time as you go through various stations where your
passport is collected. This is especially true if traveling in a group
or with family. Sorting through passports and having to open each one is
a gigantic pain and a waste of time.
By far and away the best passport holders
out there are the sporty and stylish ones as opposed to the boring
designs that just look like the passport itself. While those will indeed
protect your passport from the elements, it won't really protect your
identity. Anyone looking at it will still know it's your passport and
what country you're from. What you want in a passport cover is a
one-of-a-kind design, something that suits you and your unique
personality. It should also be something that gives you joy when you
look at it and adds to your travel experience. In a study done by the
travel products and accessories association in 2008, those who buy and
use passport holders tend to purchase more of those which are made from
vintage and contemporary art. Second place was to those passport covers
which were manufactured by hand, or handmade.
Passport Holders
which are hand made and feature unique, artistic designs are the most
useful in protecting your identity from thieves because they don't
actually look like a passport cover. Someone looking to steal valuable
documents might mistake the passport cover for a notebook or some other
object of lesser value. So you should avoid generic passport covers that
look like the passport itself. Leather covers are also bad choices
because they attract too much attention from would-be thieves and look
too much like an expensive wallet that contains money. Travel Crime
statistics show that thieves will go for a leather object 65% faster
than anything else in a purse or bag. They are looking for it.
Passport
covers and Passport holders can be bought in nearly every travel store
and all over the internet. Be sure and get a really unique design that's
right for you and your personality. Passport covers and holders are a
must have item for every adventure traveler.
Jamila Starwater Tazewell is an entrepreneur and owner of 11:11
Enterprises, a fashion accessories business in Los Angeles, California.
She manufactures useful products from art, such as Passport Covers,
business card holders, checkbook covers, notebooks, wallets and more.
Her art is on countless products, which can be purchased on amazon and
in stores throughout the U.S. She also creates promotional products for
artists, musicians and businesses using their branded artwork. Jamila
writes about small business entrepreneurship as well as her life on her
blog: Jamila Starwater - Conscious Living.
