Passport not necessary for international travel!

I've been a bit quiet lately because I've had visitors and they have kept me super busy.  Yesterday, we had a blowout tourist day, going to the National Hawk Conservancy, then  sneaking up the back of Stonehenge, and finally going to Avebury for  the stone circles.   I told these visitors several times "There's no need to carry your passport around, best to leave it at the house" and of course, one did not listen.  When we returned to the National Trust car park at Avebury, the side window was busted out and the only thing stolen was the visitor's purse.  With the passport and car keys to the car sitting in Washington DC!  14 hours before their flight at 8 am the next day, on the Bank Holiday weekend with the embassy shut for Monday as well.  This visitor didn't even have a copy of their passport. 

We thought we were screwed, and everyone told us to wait until the Embassy opened on Tuesday.  Except for one smart cookie working the United call centre at midnight who told them to go to the airport and try to talk their way on the flight. Unbelievably, it worked.  The lady at Air Canada (the airline providing the flight) was hostile and  useless.   The ladies at United started off hesitantly, but soon took the challenge.  They switched them to a different official United flight for no charge, and sent them on their way.  Flying back to the US with nothing but a driving license. 

The moral of the story is, always travel with a paper copy of your passport somewhere.  If your passport is stolen, get the police to email you a crime number and an explanation that it is a stolen passport, print it out and take it with you.  And don't leave you passport and car keys in a parking lot!

I'm sorry Jim, but that's not terribly surprising if your guest left her purse, in view, in the car. 

Ideally, never leave valuables in a vehicle but if you have no other option, always make sure that they are well out of sight.

It wasn’t in view, it was in the back and out of sight.  We think the bad guys were watching us get out of the car.

You are right though, so wrong on every level.

Just horrid.

Bummer.

And yeah, always take a photocopy. We usually, if we're traveling together, make sure each other has a photocopy of our papers, and then one goes in the luggage as well. Knocking on wood that we'll never need it.

My son lost his passport two years ago when he came over for my wedding.  He only had it on him so he could drink when we went to Edinburgh for the day. It was gone by the time we got to Edinburgh.

I emailed the US Consulate in Edinburgh and the earliest they could get him a replacement was on his travel day.

He would have missed his flight and it would have cost a fortune to rebook his flight.

Fast forward to the next day, my wedding day, we were telling Stuart's family about the lost passport and his step brother in law said to give him a minute.

He called his work, Scotrail, and had located his passport in minutes. (We had left our information with the lost and found but no one had found it at the time.)

My son walked down to the train station after our ceremony and collected his passport. Then we all went down to the pub and no one even asked him for ID.

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A good reminder to all of us to keep a backup copy of our passport should the unthinkable happen.  Interesting to know that it is possible at times to travel internationally without a passport.

I once arrived at a US airport without any id at all and managed to fly. My colleague had picked me up on route and I had left my wallet at home with my licence, credit cards money etc. My colleague vouched for me and a note was put on my record that I would produce a copy of my licence after arriving at my destination. My wife was able to copy it and email it to me (I did have my laptop with me). This was before 2001 so I doubt that would work these days.

My son lost his passport two years ago when he came over for my wedding.  He only had it on him so he could drink when we went to Edinburgh for the day. It was gone by the time we got to Edinburgh.

I emailed the US Consulate in Edinburgh and the earliest they could get him a replacement was on his travel day.

He would have missed his flight and it would have cost a fortune to rebook his flight.

Fast forward to the next day, my wedding day, we were telling Stuart's family about the lost passport and his step brother in law said to give him a minute.

He called his work, Scotrail, and had located his passport in minutes. (We had left our information with the lost and found but no one had found it at the time.)

My son walked down to the train station after our ceremony and collected his passport. Then we all went down to the pub and no one even asked him for ID.

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That's a great story.  There's nothing like going out for a drink after a gret weight has been lofted from your shoulders. 

You must have been going crazy with thinking about your wedding and then having your son lose his pasport at the same time.