What should I do if I lose my passport on a plane?
- By
- Aparna Patel
- |
- 11 Aug, 2023
- |
About 20 years ago, my wife and I saw a scene on the comedy series Absolutely Fabulous, in which Patsy and Edina are leaving the house for an international flight. One woman asks the other if they’ve got everything they need, and after a cursory glance at the luggage, they leave. Ten seconds later, they both run back into the house, frantically screaming “Tickets! Money! Passport! Tickets! Money! Passport!”
Ever since then, my wife and I have used “Tickets Money Passport” as a mantra when traveling. We make a point of repeating this phrase aloud every single time we leave a room or a vehicle. Checking out of your hotel? Tickets Money Passport. Getting out of a cab? Tickets Money Passport. The plane has landed? Tickets Money Passport.
Sometimes the mantra is accompanied by an actual pat-down to verify these items are on my person, but most of the time, I’m simply forcing myself to take a mental inventory to confirm I know where these items are. By turning this little ritual into a habit, I can ensure that these items are always in my mind. The end result is that, 20 years later, I’ve yet to lose a passport, wallet, travel document or phone.
I think there are pretty limited things you can do, but here are my suggestions:
- Some countries allow you to carry two passports. If you live in such a country, have two, and keep one in a safe place.
- Take a photograph of the photo pages of your passport (plus any visas or other important stamps or inserts that you have) so that if you do lose your passport, you can at least show a border officer a photograph of the information.
- Carry other forms of identification (such as a photo driver’s license, national ID card, citizenship card, etc.).
- Be super careful about not losing your passport in the first place. This is the most important suggestion, because of the difficulties you’ll have if you lose one.
Of course, in many countries you can get an emergency travel document from your home country, if needed, but you may need to be in the right city, and no doubt there will be significant expense involved. (Details will vary depending on your citizenship.)
Credit:stackoverflow.com‘
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