It doesn't have to mean the end of the world
Note to self: Regardless of how busy or stressed you may think you are, you have got to stay focused especially when traveling.
This “incident” as I’d like to call it was the longest 4 hours of my life. It felt like an eternity. I had waited 50 minutes for a taxi and was ready to just go and get back. All of this because I was too lazy to make the walk from the shuttle bus stop to the shop I wanted to go to. And because it had been raining most of the day, I didn’t want to get caught in the rain like I did the day I arrived.
So, I got out of the taxi and went inside. As luck would have it, they didn’t have what I was looking for. So, I had spent money on a taxi to go somewhere that didn’t have what I needed anyway. No worries. I’ll just pick up some lunch and get the shuttle back to the hotel since reaching a taxi was quite the feat today. I had paid with the change I had in my pocket, and I also had money I got from an item I returned.
But then, I felt like something was missing. And it was. I realized I didn’t have my bag. The bag that had my passport, driver’s license, credit cards, and cash. My heart sank. I was doing my best to not freak out. It wasn’t really working. But I ordered food and waited as patiently as I could. A million things were running through my mind. Actually just one. Suddenly I noticed a man waiving his hand in front of me. I had drifted into another world barely noticing the things around me.
Once I got my food, I walked to wait for the shuttle. I kept trying to call the hotel and the taxi company. I didn’t reach anyone. Maybe I had forgotten at the hotel. I was hoping and praying. As soon as I reached the hotel, I asked the front desk. No one had found it or had even seen it. That meant I had definitely left it in the taxi. I feared the worst and kept bugging them to try to find the driver. I worried that the driver wouldn’t notice it or that someone would take it, take the cash, and toss it meaning I’d really be up the creek.
My tour group met for dinner. I couldn’t eat because I was too stressed. I left dinner and went to the front desk again and again. I skipped the last sailing trip for the tour because I knew I wouldn’t be able to focus on photography with the thought of my lost bag looming.
I went back to the front desk, and she told me that maybe around 8pm things would settle down and they’d be able to reach someone. I couldn’t wait of course, so I went back again and explained how important it was for me to find it. But before that, I contacted the US Embassy in Copenhagen. There’s a US Consulate in Nuuk, but they wouldn’t be open again until Tuesday. Yikes!
I found out the taxi number from a friend who also helped me out by finding the driver. I was using everything I had to get my passport back. The driver happened to come to the hotel and told me that my bag was still in the taxi but with another driver. He called the driver who was having dinner at the time, but he said he'd bring it as soon as he was done.
The front desk clerk also told me that the driver would be bringing it once he finished dinner. I was so happy I hugged her, and I almost hugged the driver but thought it was time to show some restraint.
So, stay focused. Getting a new passport would have been extremely difficult. I also wouldn’t have had access to any money, so eating would have been difficult.
So here are a few reminders...
Be sure that someone back home knows where you are and will be and you have a way to reach each other in case of an emergency.
When you’re traveling abroad, make sure you know how to reach the embassy or consulate wherever you are in the world in case you have to apply for an emergency passport.
Make sure you have emergency numbers for the place/country you are in.
If you do lose it, and hopefully you won't, reach out to your embassy/consulate as soon as possible which may mean an international call to an emergency number. It doesn't hurt to reach out to local law enforcement as well.
Also, don't let anyone lose sight of the sense of urgency of such situations. Be persistent. Persistence helped me a lot.
Keep some cash on you that's not in your purse or wallet so that you're not left with zero.
Add credit cards or other bank cards you can use to your Apple Wallet or Google Pay so that you will have access to those just in case.
Have a copy of your IDs in case you need the information when lost.
Just keep important items such as your ID and money on your person to be safe.
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