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Janice | Travel & Photography's avatar

Love these tips. One thing I would add to the lost ID point. This happened to me in Chicago when my wallet was stolen. TSA didn't accept any digital copies of ID. They needed physically prints! But I had some medication on my with my name and they accepted that as my ID to return back to my home state.

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The Gomes Guide's avatar

Oh wow - that's so good to know that you need physical prints of your ID in case it is lost or stolen - I did not know that! So glad you were able to get back OK.

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Kassie Borreson's avatar

I had my phone stolen out of my pocket in a small shop while in Paris. On a solo trip. I had to navigate my way back to my airbnb without any way of communicating, and without a map. It was about a 25 minute walk. But it felt better and safer than the metro at that point.

Eventually I did make it back and immediately got on my ipad to “brick” my phone but it was a lost cause. I also went the very next morning to the Apple store for a very expensive souvenir.

Later my French friends said that having your phone taken there is like a rite of passage. Lesson learned about keeping my phone safer!!

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The Gomes Guide's avatar

Oh wow, Kassie. Who knew that having your phone taken in Paris is like a rite of passage - yikes! I'm glad you were able to navigate your way without a map and get a new phone the next day - but yes, that is quite the expensive souvenir. Thank you for sharing your story - glad it all worked out in the end. Never a dull moment when traveling!

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Kassie Borreson's avatar

Shannon, it was definitely nerve-racking but I was ok in the end. It really gave me perspective on how much we rely on our phones/technology, though. When I was a student traveler in 2000, there were no smart phones, and I was fine! I went from England to Scotland, Sweden, Amsterdam, Paris, Switzerland and down to Italy all on my own. This incident made me realize how important it is to get your bearings in a new place, so you can navigate without a device.

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The Gomes Guide's avatar

Yes!! I love using old-school maps and finding places with maps on our phones.

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