Have you ever lost your passport? You're not alone.
Saturday, September 10, 2016
The staff at Flight-delayed.co.uk are no different to rest of you. We get up late in the morning, drink too much coffee, could probably all smile a little more and at some point or another have lost our passports.
Under normal circumstances, it is just a case of remembering which drawer in the kitchen or bedroom we put it in. In some others, however, it is a case of where is the nearest embassy? I need an emergency passport.
A surprisingly high number of Brits either lose or fall victim to the theft of their passports while travelling. We thought it would be interesting to reach out to some of our customers and see what tales of woe they've had.
I woke up with nothing on my feet:
Phillip, from Lancaster, lost his passport while on holiday, he fell asleep on the beach and it was not only his passport that was missing. “I woke up and the first thing I noticed is that I wasn't wearing any trainers, I then checked my pockets and realised I had been robbed, the panic set in and I didn't know what to do”
Phillip is not alone when it comes to losing his passport abroad. The last Government report on the subject stated that 31,134 UK citizens lost their passport in 2014 alone.
Now, if you find yourself shoeless and passport-less, we can give you some advice on what to do for the latter, for the shoes, see your nearest reputable retailer. For the passport, see your embassy or consulate and you should be able to apply for a temporary travel document, known has an emergency passport. It’ll set you back a non-refundable £ 100.
If you, like Phillip, find yourself with shoulders hunched, head down and shoe-less at the embassy you will need to have the following if you are going to get your temporary passport.
You will need the appropriate paperwork to have been filled in, a recent passport photo, proof of your travel plans and a police report that states your passport has been lost or stolen. If you’ve got all that then you should be all set to fly and start telling the tale of your lost or stolen passport.
Sometimes lost passports are found but finding them can come at a cost more than the replacement fee.
A cloudy weekend away:
Shane, from Manchester, didn't lose his passport on holiday but lost it at some point between leaving his house and arriving at the airport. The chaos that ensued involved a manic drive up the wrong side of the motorway, a hefty fine and six points on his driving licence. He did find the passport in the end. It was by the front door of his house.
“It was a bad start to my holiday, I was going to visit a friend and losing the passport left a cloud hanging over the trip. To top it off my flight was delayed because a member of cabin crew was late.”
Not everybody has a funny tale to tell when it comes to losing something as vital as a passport. It has been recently reported that a family while enjoying the sights of Spain, had mistakenly left a bag full of their valuables, in the front seat of a rental car. On their return to the car the window was smashed and the car had been emptied of their possessions.
Coincidentally, Spain, is the country where Brits become separated from their travel documents the most. During 2014/15, more than 5000 passports were lost or stolen.
This next fella isn't one of our customers but is certainly deserving of a mention. He travelled from India in a self-modified electric tuk-tuk. The Australian native, living in India, made it all the way to France before having his passport stolen along with 1000 Euro.