It’s day five of your dream holiday abroad. You’ve already gone on numerous sight-seeing excursions, sampled traditional cuisine, made new friends and uploaded tonnes of photos to social media. All in all, everything is running smoothly. But, just as you are about to send a “wish-you-were-here” postcard to that special someone at home, your bag gets stolen. Your wallet with the money you need for the postcard is gone, along with your payment cards, driver’s license, ID and passport.
What to do in case of emergency abroad
If this hasn’t happened to you before, you probably know someone who has been a victim of theft or loss while travelling overseas. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence worldwide. In fact, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office reports that 19,169 passports were lost or stolen around the world in 2012. While these pitfalls are mostly a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, losing one’s travel documents in a foreign country can still be a stressful experience, especially if you don’t have a Travel Insurance policy in place.
Read our expert travel tips on how to deal with emergency situations where you can’t access your money, call your friends or even prove your identity in a foreign country.
Double-Check
Checking your pockets or bag regularly is a habit you need to get into when abroad. Yes, you’ll look neurotic, but try making a routine of double-checking that your possessions are still in your possession.
Thief-proof your phone
Avoid taking your most prized possession with you, namely, your coveted smartphone. Entry level mobile phones are inexpensive and provide you with everything you need to stay in touch with your loved ones. If that’s too much to ask, then make sure you’ve synced your phone with a cloud-based backup service, so you don’t have to ask Facebook for lost telephone numbers.
Keep a moon-bag backup
Moon-bags, aka waist packs, have come a long way since the 90s, and they serve as a handy and hidden way to stash emergency travel funds if your primary wallet or purse is lifted without notice.
Friendly is good, overly friendly is sketchy
Be wary of anyone who seems a little too eager to get to know you, we don’t doubt you’re great, but there’s a good chance they might have ulterior motives in mind.
Prepare emergency numbers in advance
Keep hard and digital copies of the emergency service numbers for the countries you’ll be travelling through/to. Apps like TravelSafe Pro can make this especially easy if you’re travelling to multiple destinations.
Steps to take if you lose your ID and passport abroad
Make sure to find a police station and file a police report for your stolen ID or Passport and content your embassy and let them know that your ID or passport has been stolen and let them know when you’re scheduled to leave the country. So they know whether to get you a limited validity emergency passport or full validity passport.
Cancel your bank cards and transfer emergency cash
Most major South African banks will have 24-hour hotlines from which you can call to cancel your active cards as well as order a new one (try to save paper copies of these numbers in advance). To access emergency cash, find the closest bank, and have them contact your South African bank with a request for emergency funds, alternatively, have a friend, family member or colleague send funds via Western Union financial services.
Report the incident to the nearest police station
The police report will serve three main functions, allowing you to claim Travel Insurance (should you have been prudent enough to take any out), to alert the authorities that your passport has been compromised, preventing its illegal use, and finally, as grounds for a temporary passport application.
To read the full list of tips, visit our friends over at Hippo Insurance.
Speak to a professional
Contact Le Roux Attorneys, South African Visa specialists about your visa application. Start by selecting one of the enquiry options below