In last months Travelers worst case scenario, we discussed
Travelers Diarrhea vs. Sunburns. We can all easily agree and say both are horrible.
Let's talk about a less disgusting topic: Losing Your Wallet vs. Losing Your Passport.You're on vacation in Orlando, Florida and you try to whip out your wallet to buy some Mickey ears for your little sister, but... your wallet is not there!
No cash, no cards, zip, zilch NADA. This is pretty bad because now you'll have to call and cancel all of your cards and you don't have money! If you're on vacation with someone, sure you can borrow, but of course that is awkward.
But imagine being on a solo vacation. Dude, you're screwed...
Now picture this: You're with your tour guide on an excursion to the Great Wall of China. You packed your day pack in a rush and stuffed your passport in there while waiting in the hotel elevator. You need to show your passport to get a discount for tickets, but where on earth is it? Could it be at the hotel?
You swore you took it with you...This scenario can be equally as bad, or even worse. The number one rule of being in a foreign country is to carry your passport everywhere. You are a visitor and part of that role is to identify yourself as an American. (Or whatever country you are from) Especially in a country where visas are hard to get and you may need to show your passport in certain places, this can be a hassle.
Now you have to find your embassy and pay for a new passport. Bummer. (I don't even want to discuss how awful it would be to lose BOTH items)
Which do you think is worse: Losing your wallet or Losing your Passport?
Comments (8)
Losing my passport. Hands down. If I'm out of the country and I don't have that I am screwed. There are things to do if you lose it, but it is such a stinking hassle. Losing my wallet would suck so bad, but I can call and cancel cards. Just thinking about losing my passport makes me want to cry. sob!
I was traveling with a group of girls to Africa when one of them lost her passport right before we were getting on the plane to London. It was terrible! We all missed our flight, we had to sleep in the terminal, the girl who lost her passport had to be left behind, we barely made the first plane out so we could make our connecting flight. The only thing that made it ok was the fact that she lost it IN the united states. I shudder to think of what would have happened if she had lost it once we got to London.
Losing my wallet would be worse because the cash inside would be a total loss. The others would be annoying but not a big problem if you are prepared. Here are a couple things I do to prepare for just such a problem. Before leaving the country I make photo copies of everything I am taking with me including my passport. I add to the copy the contact number for who I should contact if it is lost. When I enter a country I notify with my embassy that I am there and leave a travel itenerary with them so that if I do need to contact them they already have some idea of who I am. I leave the envelope with copies of my ID in the hotel safe or if I am backpacking I put it in one of those waterproof hidden money belts. I think that losing my cell phone would be worse than losing my ID or money. I also don't keep all my money in one place that way if I do lose my wallet I still have cash in other places to get me by.
losing your wallet to me I think is pretty bad. If you had cash / cards then say goodbye.
You probably have to beg for food / money. I actually lost my passport once and it was a pretty scary experience. some dude found it for me and I lucked out.
wallet, but i've never lost either one. i think taht it would be best to keep them in the inside ppocket of your bag.
i'm pretty sure that not many people would return wallets but maybe passports. my mom lost her wallet then someone returned it.
really? do you have to carry your passport everywhere while in a foreign country? isn't that more dangerous than keeping it in a safe place at your hotel or wherever you're staying? but i guess it depends on the country you're visiting, right? anyone have thoughts on this?
It's definitely not fun to lose your passport or your wallet, but if you lose your wallet while your traveling and all of your money and credit cards are in it, you might run into some difficulty eating.. and if you are in a remote location, you might find yourself in tough situation trying to get transportation out of that area. But if you lose your passport, it may be extremely inconveniencing and you may run into issues identifying yourself, but depending on where you are, you should be able to get to the nearest Embassy to receive a temporary passport.
Tip: don't put all of your money in your wallet when you are traveling..
Passport! If you're in some place like China and you "lost" your passport it's more likely that someone stole it to sell on the black market. Cash and cards are easily replaced, but passports, not so much.
Passport definitely.
In some country if you don't have identification that you're an American (and you will get special treatment if you are an American) then you're pretty much screwed.