Passports!

Hello World!

This is my first post. My wife Tanya and I are both Canadians, currently living in the US. I have always loved traveling and seeking new adventures. I have started this travel blog to share my experiences for areas that I have visited. I will share stories of adventures and recommendations of new exciting places.

The most important item that you need to keep secure is your passport. When traveling, most items can be replaced, but replacing a lost or stolen passport mid trip will cause big headaches leading to missed flights and possibly a trip to the embassy.

In 2008, I had a lucky but frustrating experience at the Frankfurt, Germany Airport. I had travelled all day by train to get to the airport from a friend’s house in Diedorf, Germany. While on my way at the airport to check-in for my Stockholm flight, I had dropped my passport. I was not able to check-in for my flight and was told that I needed a temporary visa in order to continue my trip. With all my luggage, I rushed to the police station in the airport to declare a lost passport and obtain a temporary visa. This process took over 1 hour and by the time I had returned to check-in, they had closed the gate.

I had accepted that I needed to book a new flight but the next flight to Stockholm, Sweden was in 3 days. Reviewing my options, I decided to fly to Gothenburg, Sweden and then find a connection to Lulea, Sweden which was my final destination. At the end, things had worked out but at a high cost with several new flights booked. Also, why I had written that I was lucky was that someone had found my passport at the airport and turned it in. I had my passport returned to me prior to boarding my flight in Frankfurt.

This experience has made me a more conscious traveler. To be smarter where I store my passport and important items.