The safest type of purse to travel with is undoubtedly a crossbody bag, offering enhanced security and peace of mind for family travels and vacations. At familycircletravel.net, we understand the importance of protecting your valuables while exploring new destinations, and a crossbody purse is your first line of defense against theft, keeping your essentials secure as you create lasting family memories. This ensures that you are safeguarding your belongings, preventing any unfortunate incidents, and improving your family travel experience.
1. Finding the Right Travel Purse for Your Family Adventures
When exploring new destinations with your family, the right travel purse can make all the difference in your peace of mind and overall experience. Opting for a crossbody bag is a smart move.
- Crossbody Advantage: The challenge it poses to potential thieves makes it the best anti-theft travel purse. Unlike tote bags or clutches, a crossbody bag is strapped across your body, making it difficult for anyone to snatch it off your shoulder or grab it from your hand.
That’s why starting with a crossbody is essential, as it significantly reduces the chances of theft and ensures that your valuables remain safe throughout your journeys. While additional safety steps are necessary, choosing a crossbody bag is a crucial first step in the right direction.
2. Why Anti-Theft Purses Are Perfect for Savvy Family Travelers
Taking the next step to ensure the safety of your belongings involves choosing an anti-theft purse. What exactly does that mean?
Anti-theft purses come equipped with various features designed to enhance your safety, including wire mesh built into the bag, slash-proof straps, and lockable zippers. These features make it exceedingly difficult for anyone to access your bag, even in crowded tourist hotspots.
Whether you’re navigating bustling city streets or exploring popular tourist attractions, an anti-theft purse provides an added layer of security, deterring potential thieves and safeguarding your valuables. Choosing a purse made of stronger materials and equipped with lockable zippers makes you a more challenging target, ultimately reducing the risk of theft.
Anti-theft travel purse with lockable zippers
2.1. Features Found in the Best Anti-Theft Travel Purses
When selecting an anti-theft travel purse, it’s essential to understand the level of protection it offers. Slash-proofing can vary among bags, so ensure you’re aware of the extent of coverage.
Some bags provide full slash-proof protection, while others only have it in specific exterior panels or within the strap. However, they all serve the purpose of preventing “cut and run theft,” where thieves slash your bag, steal the contents, and flee before you realize what happened.
Zippers also play a critical role in security, but their effectiveness relies on your diligence. Remember to latch your zippers to ensure they’re fully secured. I love the extra security it provides, knowing my belongings are safe and sound.
Another crucial aspect to consider is the puncture resistance of the zippers. Test how easily a pen can puncture them to assess their durability. Some bags feature puncture-proof zippers, also known as Tough Zip, adding an extra layer of anti-theft protection.
2.1.1. RFID Protection for Modern Security
In today’s digital age, nefarious individuals can use RFID readers to scan information from your credit cards or passports, even from a distance. To combat this threat, consider a wallet or bag with RFID protection to block these radio waves.
While not every credit card is susceptible to scanning, it’s still a possibility. RFID readers can also reportedly steal personal information stored in your passport, such as your name, address, nationality, and photo.
If you’re concerned about identity theft, RFID protection is a crucial feature to prioritize when searching for the best anti-theft travel purse.
3. Finding the Best Purse for Traveling in Europe for Your Family
Now that you’re familiar with the essential features of anti-theft travel purses, it’s time to explore my personal favorite and why I believe it’s the best purse for traveling in Europe.
Since 2021, I’ve relied on the Travelon Messenger Bag, and it has never let me down.
3.1. Travelon Purse: A Reliable Choice?
When searching for the best purse for traveling in Europe, the Travelon Messenger Bag caught my eye on Amazon. Let’s dive into the reasons why I selected it as my top pick.
3.2. Style That Complements Your Travel Look
While I don’t prioritize keeping up with the latest trends, I still value aesthetics. I wanted a purse that wouldn’t scream tourist and would complement my travel outfits.
Fanny packs, with their dated image from 80s and 90s movies, weren’t my style. I knew I needed a crossbody bag for its safety features.
3.3. Choosing the Right Color for Versatility
Opting for a black bag was a no-brainer for me, as it effortlessly matches any outfit. Black also hides dirt well, which is crucial for travel.
Despite putting my bag down on dusty roads and jungle floors, it still looks new after three years. The water and dirt-resistant fabric contribute to its longevity. However, I’ll mention a minor issue I encountered later on.
3.4. Prioritizing Safety Features for Peace of Mind
The Travelon Anti-Theft Classic Messenger Bag offers a comprehensive 5-Point Anti-Theft security system to protect your belongings from pickpockets and slash-and-grab thieves.
- Lock-down Straps: Secure the bag to a stationary object or chair, preventing grab-and-go thieves from snatching it.
- Locking Zippered Pulls: Secure your bag compartments, thwarting pickpockets from accessing your belongings.
- Slash-resistant Body: Provides protection against slash-and-grab theft in crowded areas with a slash-resistant mesh barrier on all sides and the bottom panel.
- Slash-resistant Straps: Feature a stainless steel wire inside to prevent slash-and-run theft.
- RFID Blocking Pockets: Block electronic identity theft with RFID blocking card slots and passport pockets.
- Tethered Interior Key Clip: Clips your keys to make them more difficult to snatch and helps you locate them easily.
3.5. Finding the Right Size for Your Travel Essentials
The Travelon Anti-Theft Classic Messenger Bag measures 9 x 3.5 x 12.5 inches, providing ample space for my travel essentials without being too bulky.
I can fit my passport, phone, journal, money, credit cards, contact case, glasses case, sunglasses, external battery pack, and other miscellaneous items comfortably.
To determine the right size, I measured my existing bags and compared the bag’s dimensions to models in promotional pictures.
3.6. Choosing the Right Shape for Practicality
I had a specific shape in mind to accommodate my journal and a water bottle. I needed something taller than wider and not too narrow or short.
While some bags have asymmetrical shapes, I preferred the classic messenger bag shape for its functionality and aesthetic appeal.
3.7. Maximizing Organization with Multiple Pockets
The Travelon Classic Anti-Theft Messenger Bag offers multiple storage pockets inside and out, allowing for better organization than everyday bags. It even features a rear panel zippered wall wallet, eliminating the need to carry a separate wallet.
I store my passport in the rear panel pocket, as it’s against my body, making it harder for anyone to access it.
3.8. Adjusting the Strap for a Comfortable Fit
The adjustable strap is another standout feature of this purse. As a taller person, I appreciate the ability to customize the strap length for a comfortable fit.
3.9. Staying Hydrated with a Water Bottle Holder
One of the unique features of the Travelon Classic Messenger Bag is its water bottle holder, which promotes hydration and sustainability while traveling.
The zippered expansion pocket on both ends can also hold other items, such as sunglasses or a beanie, for easy access.
3.10. Trusting the Reviews for Informed Decisions
The positive reviews on Amazon further convinced me that the Travelon Classic Messenger Bag is the best purse for traveling in Europe.
With a 4.4-star rating out of 5, with 72% of reviewers giving it 5 stars and 13% giving it 4 stars. These reviews provide valuable real-world insights into the bag’s performance and customer satisfaction.
Travelon purse at a temple
4. Addressing the Cons of the Travelon Purse for Transparency
To provide a fair assessment, I’ll address some drawbacks I’ve noticed during my years of using this bag.
- The mesh in the zippered expansion pocket has ripped in one of the pockets. While I can still use it for water bottles or other large items, I wouldn’t put anything small in it. However, I consider this normal wear and tear and wouldn’t let it deter you from considering it the best purse for traveling in Europe.
- In Finland, my scarf kept getting stuck on the zipper that closed the main compartment due to the freezing temperatures. While this can happen with any zipper, I wanted to mention it for transparency.
Travelon purse at a waterfall
5. Addressing Common Questions About Travel Purses for Europe
5.1. What is the safest type of purse to travel with for families?
Opting for a crossbody bag is the safest choice for families traveling in Europe. Its design makes it challenging for thieves to snatch, providing an added layer of security and peace of mind.
5.2. Do families need an anti-theft bag when traveling in Europe?
It’s always better to err on the side of caution. Investing in an anti-theft purse can help prevent theft and protect your valuables, especially in crowded tourist areas.
Even after hearing numerous stories of theft, experiencing a bag theft at the table next to me heightened my awareness. Having the best anti-theft travel purse provided reassurance and protection, making it a worthwhile investment.
5.3. What essentials should families pack in their travel purse?
Families should typically carry essentials like passports, phones, journals, money, credit cards, contact cases, glasses cases, sunglasses, external battery packs, power cords, pens, AirPods, driver’s licenses, cotton swabs, medication, and other miscellaneous items in their travel purse.
For general packing tips, check out familycircletravel.net!
6. Final Thoughts on Choosing the Best Purse for Traveling in Europe
For over 35 years, Travelon has been dedicated to making travel easier and safer for families with products that offer protection, safety, and organization.
The Travelon Anti-Theft Classic Messenger Bag combines fantastic features with my own positive experiences, making it the best purse for traveling in Europe and beyond.
Familycircletravel.net is your ultimate resource for family travel tips, destination ideas, and expert advice. From planning your itinerary to packing your bags, we’re here to help you create unforgettable memories with your loved ones.
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