we got off and on in 3 different countries and never had our passports with us. i didn't want to lose it. left it on the boat. maybe that was dumb. but i thought there would be a better chance of losing it than needing it, the only way we'd need it is if we got in trouble or missed the boat at night. but i could lose it, or some dude could pickpocket me...i figured that was a bigger risk.