How to safeguard yourself in case you lose your passport

Losing your passport or other important documents while overseas is every traveller’s nightmare. It’s not an easy thing to replace, and proving your identity when you don’t have a lot of other documents on you can be difficult, especially in a foreign country.

Luckily, there’s an easy step you can take before embarking on an overseas trip that could save you a lot of strife if you do find yourself in the unfortunate scenario where you’ve lost your passport.

Take a photo of your passport, on your camera, mobile phone or tablet – whatever device you’re bringing along with you. If you want to be extra safe, you can take a photo of your passport on your phone and then email the photo to yourself. That way, if you’re having a particularly bad day where you’ve lost both your phone and passport, you can access the photo version of your documents wherever there is an internet connection.

Read more: What to do if you arrive at the wrong airport

Another handy trick is to take a photo or photocopy of your itinerary and stash it in your bag – carry-on and checked – in case one of them goes missing.

Of course, soft copies aren’t as good as the real thing and you won’t be able to use them to get home, but they will make it a lot easier for officials to issue you a replacement.

Always make sure your passport is in a safe at your hotel or if you prefer to carry it with you, place it in the same spot every day in a zipped compartment.

Have you ever lost something important while travelling overseas? Tell us what you did in the comments below.