Passport tip

Thank you for the reminder. We were on a flight last month from Cairo to Amman and one of our group left her passport on the Plane. She realized it almost immediately. She ran back and one of the cleaning crew got it for her. She was Lucky as she did not have a Copy with her. We always have a Copy with our papers and on our phone.

We make a copy for us and include it in our “travel notebook” that goes with us everywhere and make another copy that we leave with my brother in town.

Thank you, Adam. I renewed my passport a few months ago and didn’t remember to do this for my newest issue. Since I’m returning to Europe next month, this is timely!

We always have copies with us and give a copy to our family too. It came in handy when our passports were stolen. If you ever do have to get a replacement while traveling, get info online at State Dept website to prepare for your visit to the nearest embassy or consulate office to where you are. We arrived with papers filled out and photos taken at 9am and returned to pick them up at 3 pm. This was in Santiago, Chile.

I also take a photo of my passport and keep it in the "cloud."

I also take a photo of my passport and keep it in the "cloud."

Yes and I email a copy to myself so I can access on any computer/phone/tablet anywhere.

In addition to emailing them to myself, I have a photo folder on my phone labeled "Documents" which contains pictures of my: Passport, driver's license, Global Entry card, CDC Covid vax card. It's also where I'll file screenshots of trip-specific things like museum ticket QR codes.

Oh, I just thought of something else. We try to get to a national park each year, which requires flying and renting a car. I've taken to taking a photo of the license plate, as soon as we get the car. It seems they are all grey, or black SUVs these days, so I've started to take a pic. It can be helpful when returning to a large parking lot with a sea of similar looking vehicles.

Once, in my own home town, I opened a car door to find a man dozing in it! He was parked next to our car, both black sedans, and I was not paying attention! Yikes, we both jumped a mile.

jadam- Good note on the license plate. Also, sometimes you need to enter the number in a lot's payment machine, but inevitably that's nowhere near where you parked.

I accompanied an acquaintance a few months ago to the Consulate here in Paris when she lost her passport (well, it was pickpockets off of her) - she had no copy of her stolen passport, and she still walked out a couple of hours later with a new passport.

Great reminder. I keep copy in the cloud AND have a paper copy in my money belt. Always a paper trail.
ALWAYS!

In my US Congress Rep's monthly newsletter, he states that the State Dept currently estimates that routine passport applications can take 10-13 weeks and expedited applications can take 7-9 weeks. He is advising anyone needing a passport to allow significantly more time.

Passing it along to anyone planning to travel this summer who still needs to get a passport.

Besides passport issues, if you are a USA citizen, check if your State is REAL ID, and your DL is REAL ID. Oregon was a bit behind on this, so I got the REAL ID Driver's License. Cost 56 bucks and two weeks to process. But I don't have worry about any connecting flights in the USA if I've lost other ID.

Until the 2lst century I had never kept a copy of the Passport in the luggage, those trips made in the '70s, 80s, and 90s I had the Passport only on me, didn't believe in having an extra copy as back-up, not needed nor necessary, and just didn't want to be bothered , still never came close losing it, having it misplaced, stolen or being picked, etc., etc.

Starting from the 2007 trip, I keep a Passport copy in the spinner and another extra copy in the "hidden pocket" for security , and also mainly as a way of placating the family.

In the past I have been able to give a copy of our passports to my AirBNB host in Italy so they can use that to register whatever they need to do.