Best Way to Carry Your Seed When Traveling Or Moving Abroad?

[wxa7115]

To me the most simple approach is the best, just memorize your seed, I know it sounds hard but it is only 12 to 24 words, if you give it one month and you go over those words for 15 minutes each day then those words will be committed to your memory on the right order.

This way there is nothing anyone can find on you that could tell that somehow you are holding cryptocurrencies, I know this will require some commitment from you but it seems like the best option for those that want to leave no traces.

[1714079332]

1714079332

[BlackHatCoiner]

One way is to store hidden text in an image file.

This hidden text can be encrypted before storing in the picture. Ten keep several pictures on an USB.

Why would you even do that instead of just keeping it encrypted on a txt file? Saving it on an image is an extra unnecessary step.

I usually carry a very important wallet seed and save it in a personal chat on a smartphone that I always carry because I think it will be easier when I want to use a wallet so it won't make it difficult for me to make transactions.

You shouldn't "carry" your seeds. Just keep them on a safe place. I don't know your smartphone, but I believe that it's connected to the internet which makes your seed vulnerable to a compromisation. You shouldn't keep it there, but on a paper, especially if it's a very important one as you mentioned. Remember, seed is the "key" that recovers your coins. You don't have to carry it with you wherever you go.

[SmokerFace]

I realize you can not recall your wallet secret phrase yet you can not store it on any online resources. It's exceptionally unsafe to upload your keys on any online stage since programmers nowadays focusing on private keys more than some other thing. For me, the best thing is to compose it on paper and offer it to somebody whom you can trust. I trust my wife more than anyone so I gave all of my wallets Ids to her and she keeps them in a very safe place.

[jerry0]

Okay so imagine someone has their seed in their apartment or in their bank safety deposit box.  Let say they located in Florida to make it simple.  Now they want to move to another state like Nevada or Texas or move abroad to another country like in Europe or South America.


How would one do this when bringing their seed with them?  I mean you are going to be flying by airplane so you basically just put your seed in your wallet or something?  Could the x ray machines read the words?  Imagine you put your seed in a piece of paper and it goes through xray and that person could see the words and its very obvious to them what it is if they are into crypto.  Then what happens then?


Or when you put your wallet in the x ray boxes for it to scan etc.  Are words like that visible?  Then how does one make sure they travel from one state to another or another country and be safe with traveling their seed?  Assume in this example, that person is moving from Florida to Texas or Nevada or to Europe/South America for good and never going back to Florida.  How do they make sure they take their seed safely with them before they get to their destination?

[malevolent]

X-ray or Terahertz scanners is not really something I'd be worried about, being profiled and searched if the country whose borders you're crossing does this is something that's more likely to happen. And you can always store it in an encrypted or coded form.

[Ded_Kronchs]

Alternatively, you can remember the seed phrase for a while. And on a permanent basis, it is better to make yourself a hint of words (for example, fill yourself with a tattoo from the first letters of the words)

[malevolent]

Human memory is too fallible for that. Too strong a hit to the head, early-onset dementia or other neurodegenerative disorder and you can say goodbye to your funds.

[TedMosby]

You can use a dictionary book, and mark the words or letters that represents your seed.
You can fully or partially mark it. For example, you only needs to remember half, 4 last words, or specific words depends on your preferences. The rest of them marked on your dictionary book. Not sure if this a proper idea.
But since I already reveal it here, I am sure it’s not a good idea, because some of you already know it now.

[cheezcarls]

So I'm from the US.  But i travel quite a bit and am outside the US majority of the time.  My seed is stored online.   I do have my hardware wallet nano ledger s with me though.  Now I didn't want to bring my seed with me when traveling because well imagine something happens at customs and my bags get searched... well what if customs search through my stuff and then see a paper with my seed.  And of course there is a chance they know what it is and can write it down etc.  I heard many examples of those workers stealing from luggage, so imagine a search and then they see piece of paper and its words and they know what crypto is.  But that is rare of course.  




But when i travel abroad, I don't want to have my seed in the apartment as I don't think that is safe.  Where im located, there is lot of breakins... thats how it is here.  Thief would take electronics and wallet etc.  Doesn't matter what neighborhood you are in... its like this here and very common.  So people that say move... well most places are like this.  Even places that has security.  And because of this, i left my seed back in the US.  I mean look even in those rich places in california, you have breakins etc.




Now what I'm curious is for those of you who travel or move... how do you bring your seed with you?  Obviously if you are moving to somewhere else in the same state, well you can drive there with it so no big deal.  But what if you are traveling from say florida to los angeles?  Or florida all the way to canada or europe?  I mean having the seed with you written on a piece of paper when traveling when flying got to make you all nervous right?

I remember back then that I used to be traveling a lot. So what I have been doing to store my seeds is that I am using Protonmail with a very strong password and a recovery backup email as well. I am more comfortable in storing on my Protonmail than in GMail, Yahoo, etc. Then I also copy them manually on my “sacred” notebook and keep it somewhere safe in the house. As for keystore files, I have bought an external SSD drive rather than a HDD (because HDD’s can easily be damaged by falling even unintentional).

[vapourminer]

Then I also copy them manually on my “sacred” notebook and keep it somewhere safe in the house. As for keystore files, I have bought an external SSD drive rather than a HDD (because HDD’s can easily be damaged by falling even unintentional).

the problem with SSDs is that if it dies there is basically a zero chance of recovery. whereas with a standard spinner HD there is the possibility of recovery via dedicated recovery services (transplanting platters etc).

spinner HDs are reasonably OK with small drops as long as they are off. the heads will be parked.

[Slot Kid]

Write it down, put it in a condom, shove it up your ass, pretty simple. You’re very unlikely to get cavity searched if you’re a normal looking guy, behaving sensibly at the airport.

[worle1bm]

Store your keys on offline cold storage or some hardware wallets where they are safe instead of storing them online which is already prone to hacks and steal of your funds from your wallets.Try to encrypt your seeds that if someone has acces to it they cannot use it until they provide valid proof for them.Try to save it on usb and place it in a very safe place where no one can look out or have some detective mind and store them in most absurd place where nobody would try to break in and think nothing valuable would be found.So its your security in your own hands and if its compromised nothing can be done.

[Lmaooo]

I don't recommend writing down your seed phrases on paper or putting the seed phrases online either rather memorize your seed phrases. I see nothing wrong with memorizing 24-word seed phrases. Putting your seed phrases online has so many downsides because anything can happen, you can easily get hacked without your knowledge and the hackers can steal all your bitcoins. For me, If I can't store my bitcoins on my secure mobile wallet app, I rather memorize the 24-word seed phrases.

[Quidat]

Write it down, put it in a condom, shove it up your ass, pretty simple. You’re very unlikely to get cavity searched if you’re a normal looking guy, behaving sensibly at the airport.

Why would really come into this certain extent?  . Writing it on a piece of paper would already do even just on a small notebook or paper which is divided into several pieces so that
incase that the other part is seen they cant still able to access the wallet because those arent complete private keys or seed.You wont really be needing to get into this situation.
Storing it online is always not advisable or risky because we know that cloud storages could really be hacked from time to time so its not really that a nice place to store up
your seed.I'd rather put it on a notepad and store it on a personal usb then carry it just like those normal days on carrying some work files you do had.

[MCobian]

Reading the comments from the members here is very interesting, giving some ideas on how to save seeds safely. The safest thing is to remember it,
but the problem is that everyone doesn't have a good memory. So indeed the best and quite safe way is to write some of it on a piece of paper or
on a notebook that we usually carry when traveling. And some can be stored online, so even if someone tries to hack, they only get a portion of our seed.
Because we store them in two different places, because it is very unlikely that the two storages are known by other people.

[uneng]

To me the most simple approach is the best, just memorize your seed, I know it sounds hard but it is only 12 to 24 words, if you give it one month and you go over those words for 15 minutes each day then those words will be committed to your memory on the right order.

This way there is nothing anyone can find on you that could tell that somehow you are holding cryptocurrencies, I know this will require some commitment from you but it seems like the best option for those that want to leave no traces.

For someone who is constantly travelling and moving into new homes I think that is indeed the best approach. There isn't 100% safe answer for this question, but due to the circumstances I think this is the solution which best fits.

Someone's mind is the only place where nobody can invade and steal their seeds.

[pixie85]

Write it down, put it in a condom, shove it up your ass, pretty simple. You’re very unlikely to get cavity searched if you’re a normal looking guy, behaving sensibly at the airport.

Wouldn't it better to put it inside the capsule made of bio-inert material and get it down. Then the capsule  should pass through your digestive apparatus in due time. The main thing is not to eat on the plane, so that the capsule  does not come out in the latrine directly on board, otherwise you will need to ingest it again.

Sounds like a plan Especially that swallowing for the second time. What if you don't eat but get scared and have to use the toilet mid-flight? What if you happen to get cavity searched anyway because they pick you up at random or you resemble someone they're looking for? I'd like to see you explain what that thing stuck in your anus is  

There are much easier ways. Take a computer with you. Each time I've traveled with a laptop I only had to show it to them and sometimes power it up just so that the screen loads and they'd allow me to go. If you're scared about somebody stealing it or whatever just write down the seed on a piece of paper and load it into the wallet once you arrive at your destination.

[Trinx01]

It is not strictly advisable to store your seed online, storing your seed online is too vulnerable to hackers, the best way to store your seed when traveling or moving abroad is to write it down on a piece of paper and put it in a secret place, make sure that has back up, the one is at the secret place and the other one is up to you just make sure that it is not vulnerable of being burnt or being wet.

[nullius]

My seed is stored online.

Now i think a good solution is leave your seed in

banks

I want to kill myself.

Best Way to Carry Your Seed When Traveling Or Moving Abroad?

Others have given various answers.  Some good, some bad.  Perhaps others have answered too much.

Does anyone else think that such threads as this may be a good way to gather intel on—what to search for?  Especially to catch low-hanging fruit?

Kerckhoff’s Principle applies only to ciphers.  It is way overused.  Security by obscurity is oftentimes useful, and sometimes necessary.  Much of tradecraft relies on obscurity.  If you have worked out some special way to exfiltrate your own secrets from a repressive dictatorship,

So I'm from the US.

then maybe you don’t want to advertise on the Internet just how you do it.

Anyway, seriously...

Now what I'm curious is for those of you who travel or move... how do you bring your seed with you?

I melt down my seed, forge it into an all-powerful Ring in the manner of Der Ring des Nibelungen, and stick it on my finger.  A Rhinemaiden accompanies me, acting as my wife; thus, border guards will simply assume that it is my wedding ring.  Nobody ever questions this ruse, and I have never had any mishaps this way—unless I go with Floßhilde; that girl is trouble!  In the future, I plan to upgrade:  I will wear the Tarnhelm to make myself invisible.

If you want to use this method, beware that the high melting point of a BIP 39 standard seed requires the use of an acetylene torch; and reconstituting the ring into bitcoins requires throwing the ring into the Rhine River, then killing the gods and destroying the heavens.  (I need to file a Github issue about this.)

HTH, HAND.

[Wind_FURY]

It is not strictly advisable to store your seed online, storing your seed online is too vulnerable to hackers, the best way to store your seed when traveling or moving abroad is to write it down on a piece of paper and put it in a secret place, make sure that has back up, the one is at the secret place and the other one is up to you just make sure that it is not vulnerable of being burnt or being wet.

But you can divide, and separate the seeds words of your travelling wallet pasted to 3 or more text files, encrypt them, tar/zip them each with different passwords, and store them in 3 or more different file-hosting service accounts, in 3 or more different file-hosting service sites.