What to Do if You've Lost Your Passport

[CTyankee]

5. I make 3 photocopies of my face page...

One I tape to the inside of my bag. The other I carry with me when I leave my hotel room, and one I leave at home. I keep the passport in the hotel room safe and always use my birth dates as the code to open it (so I can remember; it's probably not a good way to remember; SS# better, but not much.)

Mine was stolen during a trip to Tuscany, visiting the little towns on the Piero della Francesca Trail. I went to the consulate in Milan from a little town where the 15th century artist painted. It took the better part of a day and cost $100 in U.S. dollars (no credit cards).

The consulate staff was NOT amused at my "funny" story about how it got stolen. Don't ask; it was pure stupidity on my part.