Disaster Recovery Plan

Here is a little about what my wife and I have in place at the moment.

Credit Cards. I have a few. My two major domestic/business are with my long-time bank. CBA, Comm Bank of Australia, once a government owned bank, but now listed on the ASX. I have been a shareholder since inception.

Now this may be unique to my country. From early 90’s my cards have been chip with PIN. I have 3 accounts on each card. I could have more. On each card, No. 1 is my savings (I think corresponds to check acc to USA readers. We no longer use cheques), No. 2 is the credit acc of that card, No. 3 is the credit card acc of my other card. In addition, have these 2 c/c’s and others in my Nokia mobile phone wallet. Also, for each credit card I have a physical card issued to my wife. She has these listed in her Apple phone wallet. She likewise has a secondary physical card issued to me, which is in my mobile wallet.

All these cards are Tap, Wave or whatever technology is your jargon. Had forgotten what swipe was. For my c/c’s, I set the credit account as first option, so when tapped, it is automatically chosen. If I wish to use the 1St or 3rd account, I need to insert the card into the reader, rather than tap, and then select the account.

These and all my cards are chip and PIN with the amount set to zero. Requires that I enter my PIN to authorise every one of the transactions, both physical card and mobile phone wallet. Always have 30 seconds to protect my family’s assets.

Have a number of PINs to remember. My banks etc require that each be unique. Numbers are my game. Eg My mother and oldest grand daughters’ birth is 18th November. 1811. Good luck trying to guess that and others.

Multicurrency accounts. This website recommends against these accounts. I agree. However, I am an avid contrarian, and these types are my preferred option. I have 3 cards/accounts, and my wife has one. Cross referenced as per credit cards. Finance and juris prudence is my world. I find it is best fit for my family. Do not go into this area unless you are super confident and have financial quals. May write a brief overview later.

And yes, when O/S, I keep an AUD$100 note under the sole of a shoe. Too quote James Bond’s game keeper, Kincade, “sometimes the old ways are the best.”

Regards Ron

As someone who works in cyber security and sees what happens when you fail to plan for disaster, I think this is a very good analogy. And you’ve kind of need to do the same thing. What do you need to worry about if you lose it and what do you not need to worry about if you lose it. I lose a sweater, I don’t need a recovery plan. I lose my passport. I need a recovery plan.

I’ve actually seen two posts on here in the last six months or so where someone had all of their money etc. in an envelope, a pouch whatever and it’s been lost. The first person got very lucky an honest cab driver turned it in but I consider that one of the great miracles of 2023,

I basically have already done this for my travel since I travel solo I have thought about what could go wrong and I have done what I can to mitigate that and I have a plan if something does happen. I have a plan to protect my assets ( it does not involve special safe purses or other expensive toys) I know what to do if something important disappears and I have a plan for medical emergencies. (I had a very bad experience with the UK healthcare system so I will just say that my plan involves getting out of any state run healthcare system as soon as humanly possible. )

I have not done the shoe thing and I probably won’t but I do make sure that all my assets are not in one place that could be easily accessed by a criminal. I know that people think Rick and his emphasis on money belts is overkill but there’s a reason. I have actually lost credit cards in Europe. It was not a problem there was a back up in my money belt and on my phone i had the information to call Chase and cancel the credit card. I also do have a credit card with a chip/pin that can be used to get cash if needed. Would it be more expensive than my debit card? Sure but I’ve had to do it when my debit card got eaten in Istanbul so I know I can survive that financial outcome

When I started to date, my mom gave me a little purse, like smaller than a soda cracker size, that had a few dollar bills in it to pin inside my bra...just in case I had to get myself home or out of trouble. You can get bra 'safes' for traveling too, or the easier to find, money belt. Though I admit to not wearing it frequently, I also don't keep everything in one place. I have 2 credit cards and 2 debit cards and some cash that is in good condition and usually US...if I need to change it to local currency. I split them up so if something happens to one set, I have another. As a Canadian, these have been chip and pin for many years, and tap for at least 5.
I do, however, need to get on board with the phone wallet system. I learned here that you can also use it to access money at ATMs. Brilliant.

My system is easy....

--never carry all of your money and credit cards in the same place.

--put all your travel info in the cloud. Have a backup way of getting access should your primary access--phone, tablet, etc--gets lost, stolen or dies. This is also helpful if you carry paper copies and they get lost or destroyed. I have a backup phone that is basically set up like my current phone. (It's my previous phone.) A few updates and I probably wouldn't know the difference. (I would but it wouldn't make a big difference.)

--Have a plan B for travels that may be affected by strikes, technical problems or natural disasters. While I always expect the best, I'm prepared for the worst.

--use common sense and gut feelings. They're usually never wrong.

Learn from your mistakes to prevent them from happening again.

Remember, with a credit card and your passport you can always get home. If you also have internet access, it becomes easier.

Here's a link from the COVID board. Lots of good ideas for risk mitigation.

For those dependent on credit or debit cards, think about how you would manage if there was an extended power outage or the grid goes down. Need to have some cash available.

Pre-Planning for a Climate Disaster

Good info, Frank II. I also agree that having cash is always good. We ran into an issue at our lodge in Africa when the credit card machine went down and we needed to pay our bar tab. Luckily we had cash.

I'm with Frank.

The best way to prepare for disaster, is to first avoid disaster.

It is the first step in what the OP is talking about, but called Risk Mitigation. Know the risks, take steps to reduce that risk.

Common strategies?
Redundancy, spread your credit, debit cards, and cash out, never all in one place, if you have travel partners, even exchange some cards.

Tiers of Security: Have at hand only what you can afford to lose, have what you might need as back-up in some secure accessible storage (moneybelt, neck pouch, crossbody bag), have that emergency stash in deep storage that you might even have trouble getting to.

As Frank alluded, you also can take advantage of technology, lots of information can be stored on the cloud or in your email inbox/archive, someplace you can access on any device. Now with Google/Apple Pay, you can have virtual credit cards, same account as your physical card, but a unique card number and CCV for each transaction, Card companies can also push a new card to your Apple/Google Pay in minutes.

Know how to get a cash advance at an ATM, have a PIN for that purpose, with contactless becoming more common at ATMs, even your phone will work to get cash.

I have at least 3-4 credit cards I can take, two Debit cards, probably the only thing I have not done, is given how valuable a phone has become for travel, taking that old phone able to be set up with a SIM, or already active, might become a wise move.

I considered the "backup phone" but just about every place I travel has an apple store. Hike in there, buy a phone go find someplace to sell me a SIM and get back to work The only thing I could NOT restore from the cloud would be my work email (hmm... maybe that's a reason to lose the phone) Yes I would temporarily have a new number but... I can work around that.

I considered the "backup phone" but just about every place I travel has an apple store.

You can't just get a new phone and log into icloud. To access your icloud account from a new device you either need another "trusted device" to approve your new device or your phone number as 2FA.

Yeah, I have held off on the phone because traveling with my wife, we have a back-up (hers), and I travel with a laptop, so more access to things, but we have really gotten to like each having a phone, go off and do our separate things, then use the "Share location" feature on Google maps to meet up.

Probably just getting a random SIM would work in an old phone, if nothing else, to add a phone to our plan essentially costs nothing, so having an extra phone stashed someplace is not a big issue.

"Remember, with a credit card and your passport you can always get home. If you also have internet access, it becomes easier."

Yes, this.

I've been rolling this matter of mitigation around in my head since the post last Friday. I am a solo traveler. I got way more careful a few years ago (pre-covid not that it matters in this instance) when I had my purse picked on the Paris Metro. They only got my pouch with some OTC meds and various toiletry items most women have in their purses but it gave me a fright because they could have gotten into the zipper section of my purse with my CCs/DCs.

I've gone mostly cashless in my last 3 trips but maybe I need to stash a hundred "somethings" (Euro/GBP) somewhere in my suitcase.

I am conscientious about splitting up my CCs and DCs although I've not used my DCs the last 3 times as I was Apple-paying everything and had seed money left from previous trips.

I have done a bit of checking on Western Union. I see that you can send online or locally the locations are the big pharmacy and grocery store chains (Safeway, Fred Meyer, Rite Aid and Walgreens) around here. It would be easy for a family member to send me money in an emergency either online or going to one of the local sites. I'd never considered having to do that before,

Good things to think about before there is an issue and you're having to think under pressure!

Yep, all good ideas... When living in rural Guatemala, I carried some money & one credit card in a wrist wallet similar but smaller than this, people just think you have tennis elbow. I would prefer an even more slender one, just didn't see it. https://www.amazon.com/Wallet-Sleeve-WALLET-COMPACT-CARDHOLDER/

You can't just get a new phone and log into icloud. To access your icloud account from a new device you either need another "trusted device" to approve your new device or your phone number as 2FA.

Well, I don’t back everything up to iCloud exclusively because that’s one of your problems. I use a commercial cloud product that I am affiliated with, and therefore will not list because that could easily cross over ti advertising

However, I do have a second Apple device that can be used and it would not be on me. It’s in the hotel safe, so I’m probably safe there too.

@ Janet, I am in no way critical of what has happened to you. It is
awful. But your reaching out for help has opened the way for us all to
examine ourselves.

I was thinking the same thing, these disaster stories serve a purpose for all of us. My friend likes to say that "experience is something you get 5 seconds after you need it," and it's those moments that you don't know what to do that can be the scariest. When I first found this Forum some posts inspired me to make a habit of reviewing things such as insurance policies prior to a trip. When something happens, we're not thinking clearly and so having some form of a plan in place can be helpful. My wife and I are currently travelling with my brother-in-law and his wife and my mother-in-law and one thing I made a point of was sharing all of our health insurance info with each other-just in case. They thought it was a bit silly, but what if?

Not an emergency, but an example of the benefits of understanding your car insurance. When I picked up my rental last week I declined all insurance, but the agent at Avis tried to convince me that my liability insurance was no good in the US, I called him on his BS, comfortable knowing that I was right.

I missed Janet's post, could it be linked?

Here you go: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/disaster-has-struck-lost-all-money-and-credit-cards

Thanks, Paul. Sounds as tho she has had a rough time.

I have 2 checking accounts, each with a debit card. Backup for getting foreign currency at ATM. Plus I can move money between the 2 accounts.

I now have a back up cell phone that will be going with me. Because of some decisions by my company I have acquired a second cell phone that is used for work, but it will travel with me and probably stay in the hotel most of the time. So now if I lose my cell phone, I have a back up. my primary contacts are in there and I did load a Credit card on Apple Pay on that cell phone too so that I can use that if I need to. I don’t know that I’d recommend paying for a back up cell phone but since somebody else else is paying for it, why not?

I just read Janet's post and all the suggestions on that thread as well as this one. I am curious whether one could use Paypal to get at least some money quickly from family or friends at home? I have read that Paypal as a payment option, is widely used in some parts of Europe but I have no experience with that.

Here is something travelers should consider. A terrorist attack. What is your preparation for that? Maybe something to think about. All of us are showing up at tourist destinations, crowded areas, train stations, etc. what would you do in a terrorist attack?
This is our plan to mitigate it as much as possible. We have our code words to use in case of any event or suspicious observations. It works like this.
The code words are ONLY used if they are needed. And they are distinct words that have very little context outside this use. No messing around and jokingly use it. If one of us sees or thinks there is something going on that we may have to watch out they say the words. That person has the responsibility to lead the way. The other person has the responsibility to follow. No questions asked. Not at that time. The objective is to move away from the area as quickly as possible. Once away, maybe even around a corner, then one can explain to the other. But as of the instant the object is to move. Leave the threat behind.
Studies show that those who move are more likely to survive.

FrankII nailed it as he usually does on these subjects.

I now have a backup phone cause I moved here and got a local phone, but kept the US phone. Sure feels good knowing there is a second. Even if you don't want 2 phone accounts, bring a phone with no account and use it with wifi and WhatsApp, better than nothing.

I always keep one credit card in the room and one in my pocket and now have Google Wallet which is totally new to me.

For big money issues I have a banker who can wire money, transfer money, etc with nothing but a phone call.

Everything important is in a cloud account. You can scan the QR code on my key chain for the stuff that's not too sensitive and insurance and itinerary, and emergency contacts. Among the emergency contacts are my attorney and a relative that have access to another cloud folder with the sensitive stuff.

BUT TERRORISM AND WAR are a biggie so I also own a Cold War Era 750sf bomb shelter complete with steel doors and decontamination vestibule in a particular Eastern European capital. You just can't be too prepared.

Mr E. I think it takes about 2 minutes for a nuke to get to Eastern Europe, so don’t stray too far from your bunker. Make sure your key is out and in hand as there is no time for fumbling.
At that point in time I think I will just order another apperol spritzer, that probably won’t come in time, but I won’t have to pay for.

The damn thing came with my flat. It's useless cause the title says bomb shelter. Still I have to pay condo fee on it. But I thought I would stock it, put beds and an air purifier and generator in it and sell subscriptions for its use in the event of ... or just give it away.

A lot of the buildings have these. I asked why. I was told in event of an unprovoked American first strike. They did duck and cover drills in school too. Alĺ of this ties in with some of the conversation in the current history thread.

In case you thought I was joking
https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ai7Zk-szxfTJi8EMdQcj2n_L7KKB0Q

"Here is something travelers should consider. A terrorist attack."

I think about this, particularly since some of the terrorist attacks in Europe, including the Bataclan attack in Paris and as far back as IRA bombings in London. I travel alone so I don't need a code word.

THIS is one reason why I carry my passport with me in my money belt when I am out and about. I have a passport and CCs and I can get myself away if I need to and can't get back to my hotel.

I'm betting most of the regulars on the forum also have some plan for a catastrophe running thru the backs of their minds...terrorism or even a weather catastrophe. In 2011 Vernazza was struck with a catastrophic flood - it ripped right thru the center of this small village. If I remember correctly an RS tour was staying there and the guide got them all out then she and some of the men in the group went back for luggage a few days later.

Having "room" on my credit cards to charge a big expense to get myself to a safer location is also one of my strategies.

Mr E, looks like another AirBnB opportunity....except you may need to promote it under 'Experiences'.

Pam, I understand. It's why I cringe when i hear "I went to ____ insert any marginal destination like Istanbul for instance _____ and I felt perfectly safe." So did the victims of every terrorist attack.

I'm not saying it's too risky to go. I would go tomorrow if someone paid and the threat is marginal but the comment, I felt safe is meaningless.

My plan is like the previous post, order a drink and wait for life to happen. But I'm an old fart and no one relies on me. If I still had kids at home, I would lòok at it differently.

MariaF, that did cross my mind.

When I bought my home, during closing, the seller says, oh, by the way, you have to take the basement too. Great i thought ....... wrong

So do you all have a plan for a shooting in your hometown because the truth is, you’re probably more at risk where you live now than you are in Europe and yes, things happen in Europe but if you compare the number of death from shootings and other “terror” acts in Europe to what happens in the United States I’d get on the plane to Europe any day I do feel safer in Europe. Every random person in the city isn’t carrying a gun to shoot people when they get mad.

Oh, and Mr E, I grew up doing duck and cover drills. I lived very close to Oak Ridge Tennessee, which was on the Soviet Union target list. We had a somewhat cynical view of the duck and cover drill. Put your head between your knees and kiss your “ you know what” goodbye but the school made us do them periodically.

Being from a UK town which had a mass shooting, yes, some places including where I volunteer 3 days a week still have posted procedures for dealing with a live shooter, which are regularly reviewed in the knowledge that an armed police response could take some time to materialise.

Not mentioned on this thread is preparedness for dealing with natural disasters.

Not mentioned on this thread is preparedness for dealing with natural disasters.

First thing I thought when looking at that bomb shelter, no way am I going into that. But I grew up with earthquakes and routine earthquake drills. Being potentially buried alive is not my way to go.

You cannot prepare for an earthquake. I’ve been through many including the SFO earthquake in 1989. There is no warning.

So do you all have a plan for a shooting in your hometown because the
truth is, you’re probably more at risk where you live now than you are
in Europe

Here's a travel advisory on the Canadian government's website about travel to the US.

The rate of firearm possession in the US is high. It’s legal in many states for US citizens to openly carry firearms in public.
Incidences of mass shootings occur, resulting most often in casualties. Although tourists are rarely involved, there is a risk of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Familiarize yourself on how to respond to an active shooter situation. https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/resources/active-shooter-event-quick-reference-guide

We're just back from Dunedin, Florida and never felt unsafe and never have in the US, but it can be an eye opener when you see that almost every store and restaurant had a no guns sign in the window except one leather store in Tarpon Springs that had a sign in the window advertising a sale on bags (purses) with hidden gun pockets. My wife decided to stick with the Kate Spade store.

If someone is really worried about terrorists and national disasters, take a look at Medjet Horizon plan https://medjetassist.com/medjethorizon I don't think there's any way you can plan for those but maybe it will give someone peace of mind.

I thought I was well prepared for "oh s**t" happenings but I've learned some things from everyone. I'm fairly cautious since I travel solo. Added back-up CC #1 to Apple Wallet is probably the only change I've made so far. Primary card as been in Apple Wallet for a couple years. Back-up CC #2 and ATM card linked to a separate travel checking account are physical card only. I can transfer money between checking accounts if I need more. (ATM card may be added to Apple Wallet since some of you suggested that on other posts.) Since I only travel with a cell phone, the idea of a tablet is appealing but I'm not sure really necessary. Phone is always on a lanyard, either in my purse or around my neck and in my hand. And being old-fashioned, I take paper back-up of tickets and itinerary.

My hubby is technophobic so I call him every night about the same time to let him know I'm OK. He doesn't have a passport and refuses to get one, so I arrange with a friend to be my back-up person if I need help. Allianz will pay for a family member or friend to fly for bedside assistance in an emergency. Medjet can get me home for medical.

There's really only so much you can do: protect your assets. Be aware of your surroundings. Protect your technology as best you can. Frank II said it all "never carry all of your money and credit cards in the same place" and "with a credit card and your passport you can always get home. If you also have internet access, it becomes easier." And have travel insurance.

So do you all have a plan for a shooting in your hometown because the truth is...

It might not be considered a plan, but due to the many instances of shootings in public places, we make sure we know where all the exits are in grocery store, restaurants, and, in general, everywhere we go. We don't live in fear, but it doesn't hurt to know how to leave a situation. But as Horsewoofie said, one can only do so much.