Last week we received a postcard from a woman who literally lost it
in a Bangkok market. She reached into her purse and found her money,
her credit cards, her passport, gone!
Always, take at least one copy of all crucial documents. I keep two
or three sets tucked away in a number of different places. Those
first two pages of your passport are essential. Also copy any visas
you need for your trip and your doctor's prescriptions, should you
lose important medicine. These days, color copies are definitely
preferred. If you lose your wallet, or your passport is stolen, and
you can't get a replacement, American embassies will sometimes give
your copies the official stamp, making them as good as the genuine
article.
What's far more traumatic is when your luggage doesn't turn up AT
ALL. When this happens, be prepared to write lots of letters to the
airline. Include with each one a list of contents, the date each item
was purchased, and how much everything cost. Now, maximum liability
for a bag usually taps out at 1,250 dollars, so it goes without
saying never to check any really valuable items.
Meantime, think about splitting your suitcase: if you're traveling
with someone, especially this Thanksgiving, put half your stuff in
their bag, and half of theirs in yours. Also check your credit cards
because sometimes they give you protection you don't even know you
have.
Now, if you plan on traveling this week, you might also want to find
a way to protect your sanity! Some travel experts predict this
Thanksgiving weekend will be one for the record books. Twenty million
people will be flying. Now, you know the obvious: allow plenty of
time, paper tickets are better than electronic should problems arise
- tired and cranky kids are better than sugared-out and screaming,
yada, yada.
But if you think it's tough on you, have pity on those Brits
in America. More than Independence Day, Thanksgiving is a holiday of
rejection-"take that Queen Mother, Mother England. We can do it
without you. Just fine, thank you very much."
And, no matter if you're traveling this Thanksgiving or not it's a
big week ahead. Holiday stress can either wreck a vacation or, in
that rare case, conspire to make every perfect. One of my most
memorable holidays was a Thanksgiving I spent in Cairo, Egypt. It was
just my girlfriend and me, eating Indian food, right next to the
pyramids. Not quite traditional, but since when is enjoying the
holidays a tradition?
If you'd like us to address your travel questions or concerns, send us an email. Or, you can snail-mail them in. The address is The Savvy Traveler, in care of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90007. Or call me at 888-SAV-TRAV.
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