Anti-Theft Measures

One of the biggest dangers on a trip like this is losing my money or my passport. In case you need them, here are a few of the best tips I've picked up so far:

• Don't ever stick anything you want to keep in your back pocket!
• Watch out for children. They look cute, but they just stole your wallet. 
• Bring or buy a lock if you stay in a hostel. Most hostels have lockers, but fewer have locks. The people around you are probably trustworthy, but leaving your stuff unlocked is just silly.
• Buy a purse that slings across you, it's harder to snatch. Also buy one that zips closed.
• I've never tried this, but it sounds like a good idea: Use twist ties to fasten your backpack or purse zippers closed. It's annoying to you, but it will take a thief a lot longer to get your backpack open. Every second is a chance for you to notice, and maybe the extra effort will scare them off. 
• Split up your money and cards into several places, so if your purse gets snatched you still have some backup cash in your backpack. Or, trade some of your debit or credit cards with your travel partner, so you each carry a backup for each other. 
• Always have a copy of your passport plus a list of your credit card numbers in a safe place. I've heard that the first thing they ask for when you want to cancel a credit card is the number on the card, which is pretty frustrating when the card's been stolen.
• Buy or make a money/passport belt. Don't even risk putting your passport in your purse, except in airports where you need to pull it out frequently.

So I made myself an inside jeans pocket to put my passport in.
I took some denim material and cut it out.

Then I hemmed the top opening on both sides:

I sewed in velcro, then I turned it inside out and sewed the edges:

 Flipped it right side out, and voila:

 Then I sewed it inside the back pocket of my jeans. That way, even though you'll be able to see the shape of my passport, it will look like I have something in my back pocket. I was considering different places to put the passport holder, but I didn't want to make my rear end look lumpy. At least it just looks like a wallet or something. It's sort of hard to get the passport in and out, but that's sort of the point.

I had to make two of them, since I'm bringing two pairs of jeans. A money belt would probably be easier, but I had one of those on my second trip to Europe, and it got really icky from being next to my skin all the time. These will get washed with my jeans, and they should hold up because they're denim and I used extra-strong thread.