Travel&Vacation

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Five travel dilemmas and how to cope with them
• If you get sick on your trip
• If your hotel is overbooked
• If you lose your luggage
• If you miss your flight connection

Vacation. It’s supposed to be a few days of carefree bliss, but when something goes wrong, things can quickly go from relaxing to downright stressful. Even if you suffer a setback while traveling, though, it doesn’t mean your vacation’s ruined. Lost passport? Missed connection? No problem. Here’s how to deal with big travel headaches.

If your passport is lost or stolen

“My passport was stolen while I was sleeping on a night train from Lyon to Lourdes, France,” says Molly Feltner, an associate editor here at SmarterTravel.com. Luckily, she knew just what to do. Upon arriving in Paris, she immediately had new passport photos taken and then went straight to the U.S. Embassy’s lost/stolen passport office. Because she carried a photocopy of her passport, the embassy was able to verify her citizenship and get her a new passport in less than 30 minutes.

Feltner’s story illustrates the two key elements in dealing with a travel emergency: being prepared for a problem, and knowing what to do if the worst happens.

If you lose your passport overseas, contact the nearest U.S. Embassy. At the consulate, you will need to fill out a passport application, sign an affidavit that your passport was stolen, and verify your identity/U.S. citizenship. If all your identifying documents were taken, to verify your citizenship, you’ll be asked a series of questions and may have to provide an in-country contact (friend or relative) to back up your claim.

“I did have to pass a little oral test to prove my American [citizenship],” says Feltner. “They asked me questions such as ‘What was your high school like?’ and ‘Who is your favorite Simpsons character?’ The final question: ‘What happened in the last episode of Seinfeld?’ No joke. Luckily I knew all the answers.”

Once issued, replacement passports are valid for 10 years, no different from regularly obtained ones. The fees are also the same ($97 for an adult passport).

Although you hear it all the time, it really is important to carry at least one photocopy of your passport and ID with you at all times. Actually, the best idea is to carry a copy in each one of your bags. “Put one in each of your bags and in your purse in case one gets lost,” says Feltner. “Leave one with a trusted person at home so they can fax it in case you lose everything. Taking a couple of extra passport-sized photos along would also be helpful. The embassy/consulate can get you a new passport very quickly when you’re in a pinch overseas, but only if you have a copy of your old one. It could take weeks to process the paperwork if you don’t.”

If you lose your passport stateside, call the U.S. Department of State at 877-487-2778 to report it lost or stolen. They’re open until midnight Monday through Friday and take claims anytime during those hours. Once your old passport is reported stolen, you’ll have to obtain a new one. Application forms can be downloaded from the State Department website.

"If you get sick on your trip"
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