Don't leave home without a Tom Bihn passport holder

One of my favorite travel books is P.J. O'Rourke's "Holidays in Hell." O'Rourke travels through – well, let's just say they're destinations you won't find in glossy travel magazines. At one point he is asked, in heavily accented English, for his "pisspot." It made me very aware that this important document should always be kept close at hand – and one should be flexible in translating requests for it.

Local designer and world traveler Tom Bihn has designed a handsome, navy-plaid passport holder made of super-lightweight, Japanese-made Dyeema nylon, which is nearly bulletproof. The convertible holder can be worn around your neck or waist, and the strap disconnects so you can snap it onto a bag with the handy attached keysnap.

Bihn has thoughtfully used a plastic slider rather than a metal zipper to seal the pouch, so as not to set off those annoying airport metal detectors. The holder is just $10 online or in-store at Tom Bihn's Factory Showroom.