Whitney, thanks for sharing this story! Just shows how a passport cover that looks official can make a difference. It also sounds like you and your friend handled the situation very calmly and smartly.

Thanks, Jan. That’s been our experience as well. Obtaining a 2nd U.S. passport (though only valid for two years) is in fact easy enough. We got it initially because of “offending” stamps in one of the passports. In the end, we needed it so that we could send our primary passport away for a long-term visa.

To your main point, there are many reasons to justify getting a 2nd passport.

That’s disgusting. I have heard of that happening when people are denied entry but it still shouldn’t happen. The captain has no right to have it. If they thought it was fake then why let you board in the first place?
Where are you going to escape to when the plane is watched landing/taking off and there are officials making sure no one skips passport control

Yes, Thusara. You can use a passport cover from anywhere. But border officials might ask you to remove the cover when they look at it or scan it. In fact, it’s usually faster and more efficient if you remove your passport cover from the passport when you are in an immigration/border line, for example.

Gemma, good place to keep your passport. As you said, if someone does try to take it from there then you probably have bigger problems. As my passport is almost 100 pages, not sure mind would fit without looking too outrageous 🙂 Like you, I keep small bills or coins in an obvious wallet/place so that if someone does rob me they take that first.

Interesting story about the police check in Peru. Would you do it again now? Or would you hand over your passport?

I have denied my passport to legitimate police that held up our bus in Peru, despite the guns and the bus driver telling me they were real police. I was 18 and had more (over) confidence than fear. They ended up searching my bags and I think I held everyone up by a good hour!