[su_dropcap size=”4″]A[/su_dropcap]s frequent travelers, we always are on the lookout for products that can make traveling a little bit easier. One thing about being in the travel industry is that wherever we go, we try and find travel products that are fun, practical, and easy to use.There was a time when we thought that the Ostrich Pillow was the greatest thing since sliced bread. If you ever want to make sure that everyone’s attention is on you, try the Ostrich Pillow! It’s one of the funniest products I have ever seen. I am not sure how useful it is, but a passport holder? Yes, that would be useful.
Ever since I started traveling, I have always used a passport holder that my first travel agency gave. It was given during those days when we used to get flight tickets that were more like booklets. Remember those days? That time, my travel agent gave me a passport holder that could fit the flight tickets, my passport, and still have room for money, cards, etc.
That is what has carried me through all these years. And that’s obviously in need of a change considering it has been years since I have been using that.
But the other day, I came across the Urby Passport Holder, and I was intrigued. When the kind folks at Urby asked me for a review, I thought it is about time to move on from an old, cherished possession and embrace the new.
Here’s what I feel:
Packing
When I got the Urby Passport Holder, I thought they must have sent me something far more valuable by mistake. The packaging was absolutely beautiful.
A canvas drawstring pouch and a box hid the leather passport holder. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was personalized with my name.
Passport
Design
The leather made a handsome cover, and I loved the color too. Apparently, you could order these passports in any color you want.
Practicality
The Urby Passport Holder is handcrafted in premium, tanned leather, and has space for a passport and some cards as well. While that is more than enough for most people, it didn’t quite work for me.
I have two passports, which are stapled together because the older passport has the most precious US visa. Try as I might, I couldn’t fit the bulk of these two passports into the holder. This, to me, is a flaw in the design – with all the traveling we do these days, many of us are going to carry more than one passport.
The inside of the holder – roomy but doesn’t fit more than one passport
I would love to see the folks at Urby see if they can meet this challenge. There is no way I could remove one passport and carry another with the result that I couldn’t use my personalized holder even if I want to.
If, you have just one passport, though, then this is a great accessory to have. Why? I have never liked walking around with just the passport. Not like does a holder protect the passport from dust and grime, but it can have more utility value too.
I like the fact that there were multiple pockets in the Urby Passport Holder – useful to keep those little custom declaration slips or currency exchange notes when you need to have them handy.
Verdict
There aren’t too many passport holders that offer you this kind of finish. Starting from a price of a little more than Rs 1,000 these are on the higher side. But there is a range of options, and you can always pick and choose the ones you want. For impeccable finish and styling as well as packaging, we would rate this 7/10. But we give it a lesser score because we just couldn’t fit our second passport into it.
*We pride ourselves on our unbiased and transparent reviews. We received a Urby passport holder in exchange for this review.
