Hi Tim!
I'm a little reluctant to make specific suggestions regarding my favorite "hidey-places" 'cos the Forum is open and the Bad Guys can see it as well as the Good Guys (who are all members, of course).
That said, I usually try very hard to keep my money in more than one place when traveling. That way, if some is stolen, I'm not completely out of luck or funds.
I also try to carry relatively little cash for the same reason. So many places take credit cards (which I prefer) or debit cards (which I avoid, as they aren't as secure) that not as much cash is needed as in days past. I used to use traveler's cheques, but have now gone to the plastic equivalent there as well. Don't forget ATMs as a source of cash as well.
As for carrying real cash, I can offer some suggestions and cautions for carrying it on your person. These are already well-known to thieves but make theft less convenient:
1) It seems every thief now knows about money belts, so I tend to avoid them. Also, they are not compatible with cycling shorts, and in warm climates, the internal zipper serves to capture a lot of water vapor and sweat if you're exercising hard. The result is very damp and sometimes mildewed/mouldy money. People don't like to accept sweaty money in payment -- Ew! -- I wouldn't, either.
2) I've had much better luck with a money pouch hung by strings from around my neck and secreted in my shirt. These are typically water-resistant, and so avoid many of the problems of money belts. Many also have room for your passport, which is a plus.
3) I try to stock my pants/accessible pockets with only the money I expect to need for the day (or the next meal), leaving the rest tucked safely away. To make the transfer from reserve to ready funds, I try to go away from sight so people won't see me flash a whole wad of bills. Restroom stalls aren't bad for this, but make sure you face the toilet, away from the door. I was doing this in the San Francisco airport one time, and a hand came reaching over the door all the way to the elbow, eye to the crack in the door. I kept looking ahead, stuffed my money in my pocket, grabbed the hand, and popped the door open, hearing a satisfying "thud" on the other side. Other people entered the restroom and the (unsuccessful) thief was gone by the time I left the stall. Tip: Don't hang valuables on the door coat-hook, either. Thieves regularly reach over and snag such goodies as laptop bags this way.
4) If you carry money in a wallet, make it *two* wallets, one carrying only a nominal amount as a decoy so you will have something to reluctantly and regretfully (acting helps) hand to a thief to avoid the physical consequences of a mugging. No matter how many wallets you carry, place them in your
front pants pocket and wrap them with a couple rubber bands to add friction and so make unwanted extraction or accidental loss a bit more difficult. This really paid off for me one time in the West Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) Mall, when a "dipper" went for a pocket pack of tissues in my hip pocket and caught my attention. My wallet was safely up-front, and he left the Kleenex in place in their unfamiliar plastic wrapper.
5) Change (in the form of coins) builds up quickly, weighs a surprising amount, and tends to scatter, so I carry a small coin purse with me to hold it in my pocket and keep it from leaving my pockets if lying on a bed or dropping my pants for extended toileting (a real hazard in some campings restrooms in The Netherlands and Belgium, where the sinks emptied into a sort of gutter than ran behind the toilets in the stalls. These gutters were ideally placed to catch rolling coins as they spilled from pants pockets). My favorite change purse is the Quikoin change purse, now made by Quikey and available in bulk here:
http://quikey.com/products/detail-49530-Soft,-Flexible-Vinyl---Oval A complete story about this American nostalgia item is here:
http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2007/12/quikoin_rubber_coin_purse_resu.html They are also available in small lots and singly from eBay, as this custom search shows:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=quikoin&_in_kw=1&_ex_kw=&_sacat=0&_okw=&_oexkw=&_adv=1&_udlo=&_udhi=&_ftrt=901&_ftrv=1&_sabdlo=&_sabdhi=&_samilow=&_samihi=&_sadis=200&_fpos=&_fsct=&LH_SALE_CURRENCY=0&_sop=12&_dmd=1&_ipg=50 You have not lived a Compleat Life till you've owned a Quikoin coin purse! If you use attended restrooms on the Continent, you will need at least a 1 Euro coin for the attendant. Keep in mind you will also need a 1 Euro coin to use a shopping cart/trolley in The Netherlands; you'll get it back when you return the cart to its rack and the little coin-keeper ejects the Eurocoin into your hand. Apparently, 1 Euro is the incentive threshold for cart returns in the NL (or was, in 2008). Here in the States we instead have Red Wheels that lock up on passing a buried RF cable at the edge of the parking lot. Doesn't help with cart returns, but it reduces (doesn't stop) outright cart thefts.
6) A bicycle offers myriad places to secrete money. I will leave it to you to discover these for yourself, as I don't wish to aid thieves. Still, it is helpful to keep a little on the bike, as it is a good backup.
7) Don't forget, a single bill takes up the same space whether it is small or large denomination. A single USD$100 bill is not bad to keep on-hand in case of emergency. Though it is often impossible to change it locally in smaller stores and restaurants, it can always be exchanged at a bank and so get you out of a jam.
8 ) Don't forget to keep a supply of small change and cash on-hand for tips. Tipping is a controversial issue here in the States, but I found people really went the extra mile in Europe, and were either delighted or embarrassed when I offered a well-deserved tip. I always felt better doing so than not, and respected the occasional refusal by letting them know I was genuinely pleased by their kindnesses. In The Netherlands, I returned on one occasion with a handful of flowers from the cart outside and was greeted with joyful tears by a deeply touched waitress who had refused my offer of a cash tip for going above and beyond and performing the duties of a concierge.
9) With a little ingenuity, I think you'll be able to think of a place where you can carry money on your person and still have it secure but easily accessible. I have such a plan, and it has served me well in my various travels over the last 35 years.
10) Not specifically money-related, but it is a Really Good Idea to leave your expensive, flash watch home when traveling. In my experience, travel is an excellent time to embrace the black plastic Casio in your collection, as they are common enough to to be generic and not worth stealing. Stolen watches usually also result in stolen wallets, so there's thread relevance right there. By the way, I don't know a better activity than bike touring for speed-rotting the leather used in watch bands. Nylon webbing has proven the most durable/breathable watchband for me to date on bike trips.
Hope this helps, Tim. Looking forward to hearing more about your travel plans as May approaches.
Best,
Dan.
