Emergencies can happen at the most inopportune times, including in the middle of your vacation abroad. You might find that while you arrived at the right destination, your bags haven’t. The airline lost track of them. You might lose your passport in the middle of your trip. Or you might find that your flight back home was canceled at the very last minute.
Find out how you can resolve these all-too-common travel emergencies.
1. Losing Your Passport
You won’t be able to return to the United States without a passport. So, if you lose it, you will have to get a replacement as soon as possible. Contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. Tell them that you’ve lost your passport. Let them know when you intend to return to the United States—this can affect how the replacement process goes.
If your return is urgent, you may receive a limited-validity, emergency passport. This document should only be used for your return. Once you arrive back home, you should turn in the passport and get a full replacement.
If your return isn’t urgent, you will need to apply for a brand-new passport while you’re abroad. The U.S. embassy or consulate will direct you to a location where you can get your passport photo taken. Then you will have to submit an application and pay any relevant passport fees — you may want to pay extra fees to expedite the process. Your replacement will be a fully valid passport that you can use for 10 years before renewal.
2. Missing Baggage
You’re standing at the baggage carousel, watching every other passenger from your flight grab their suitcase off the conveyer belt and leave. Your baghasn’t come out. It’s missing.
What can you do? The first thing you should do is go to the airline’s baggage claim department and report your bag as missing. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the airline is responsible for locating passengers’ bags that have gone missing. So, when you file a claim, the representative should begin the search for your bags.
It’s likely that your bag isn’t gone forever. It’s simply delayed. It could be in another airport or could’ve gotten loaded onto another flight. Once the airline locates your bag, it will arrange to have it sent to your current location as soon as possible. You could be reunited with your belongings very soon. However, if the airline searches for a couple of weeks, and doesn’t find your bag, they will declare it as officially “lost.”
What Can You Do to Replace Essentials?
You might need to purchase some essentials while your bag is missing. For example, you have some prescription medications that you can’t go without for a day. You’ll want to replace these belongings as soon as possible.
Use the savings from your emergency fund to cover these urgent replacements. If you don’t have enough in your emergency fund, you should consider borrowing funds so that you can make these purchases. You could use a credit card cash advance, a personal line of credit or one of the other types of direct deposit loans to access the temporary funds that you need. Then, you can use the loan to cover these purchases as quickly as possible. Afterward, you will be responsible for repayments.
Remember to keep receipts for any incidental expenses you made while waiting for your bag. You will present them to the airline when you’ve been reunited with your bag, or it’s been declared officially lost. The airline should compensate you for these incidental expenses.
If you borrowed funds for emergency purchases, you should use your financial compensation to manage your loan repayment plan.
3. Canceled Flight
Your flight has been canceled by the airline, and now you’re not sure what to do. Are you just stranded?
Don’t panic. If you’re already at the airport, talk to an airline agent. Most airlines will book you on the next available flight to your destination for free. If you’re not at the airport, you can always call the airline to talk with a representative about a new flight.
The airline may or may not cover some of the costs that you’ll incur because of a canceled flight, like an extended hotel stay or meals. Ask if they provide any amenities for passengers that are temporarily stranded until their next available flight. They could offer vouchers to help cover the expenses. If not, you may want to turn to your travel insurance policy for help.
You can get through these travel emergencies! Just follow these simple tips.
