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Several travel sites advocate leaving your passport in the hotel safe during the day.  I disagree with this advice.  Many electronic safes have a security vulnerability.  The administrative pass code was never reset from the factory settings.  This is like leaving the administrative password on your computer set to “password”.  Most hacks know about this vulnerability and try it as the first thing when breaking in.  The same holds true for the safe.

Here’s a YouTube video showing how easy it is to break into a safe:

An alternative is to leave your valuables with the front desk.  Make sure that you get a receipt describing all the items checked with the staff.  This includes the amount of cash left with the staff.  Also make sure the person taking your valuables signs the receipt.  Better still?  Leave your valuables at home and carry your passport and cash in your money belt.