Cheap airplane tickets and discount hotel rooms, or discount travel packages are great but cant help when a travelers wallet is stolen, or a smartphone is lost, or upon arrival at the airport a travelers passport is nowhere to be found.
Given how tight security is at airports these days, travelers are often at a loss as to how to get past airport screeners without their drivers licenses. Or what to do if a boarding pass was saved on a missing cell phone. Or how to pay a hotel bill without a credit card.
To minimize the downside of lost document problems, travelers should always carry physical copies of their boarding passes and passports. If traveling abroad, it is smart to know the location of the closest U.S. Embassy or consulate in the event you need to replace your passport.
Technology has helped in that fliers have fewer documents to lose. Tickets are usually issued electronically and increasingly fliers are able to store their boarding passes in their mobile devices.
If you accidentally arrive at the airport without your drivers license, multiple forms of ID often suffice so long as at least one is issued by a government authority. There have been cases where passengers have been allowed to pass security checkpoints with only library cards and Costco cards since the users picture is on the card.
Many states will issue residents a second state issued ID for as little as $10. If kept in a safe place, other than a wallet where presumably a drivers license is stored, this becomes ideal ID backup.
Cases have been reported where passengers traveling without government issued ID because of a wallet being stolen had to have copies to their passports faxed and produced written copies of police reports at airport security checkpoints.
The U.S. State Department advises travelers to report missing passports to local law enforcement, as well as the nearest U.S. Embassy or consulate where they can receive replacement documents often within 24 hours. www.cheapfares.com