Post: #1

Since I started traveling a lot three years ago, I have started to implement some Murphy's Law type backups in case i lose my passport, wallet, or get robbed:

1) I have 2 copies of my passport in my suitcase, and my carry-on.
2) once I am checked into a hotel, my passport never leaves the room, unless absolutely necessary. I carry a copy in case I get pulled over by the cops and they want to see it.
3) Under ""emergency contact"" section of passport, i have my email, phone number, and my mother's phone number also.
4) I have $300 in cash in a pouch in my suitcase.
5) I made copies of all my credit cards, and have the non-800 #'s of the credit card/debit companies written in a notebook, and also in my smartphone. You need the non-800 numbers if you call the U.S. from abroad.
6) I made a back-up copy of my NJ drivers liscence also.

Anything else you guys have done?

Post: #2

(01-06-2012 12:35 PM)jdelisi Wrote:  Since I started traveling a lot three years ago, I have started to implement some Murphy's Law type backups in case i lose my passport, wallet, or get robbed:

1) I have 2 copies of my passport in my suitcase, and my carry-on.
2) once I am checked into a hotel, my passport never leaves the room, unless absolutely necessary. I carry a copy in case I get pulled over by the cops and they want to see it.
3) Under ""emergency contact"" section of passport, i have my email, phone number, and my mother's phone number also.
4) I have $300 in cash in a pouch in my suitcase.
5) I made copies of all my credit cards, and have the non-800 #'s of the credit card/debit companies written in a notebook, and also in my smartphone. You need the non-800 numbers if you call the U.S. from abroad.
6) I made a back-up copy of my NJ drivers liscence also.

Anything else you guys have done?

Scan all important documents and email them to yourself. Even if you lose everything you have, your vital documents are just a few clicks away using any available computer.

Post: #3

I like to leave $1,000 and/or the ATM card and pin number to one of my accounts with my mom or dad. At the same time, I like to know where the nearest Western Union places are in the city I am visiting. This way, if something happens, they can WU me the money quickly.

Post: #4

how do you get a copy of your passport, just scan it or something?

Post: #5

Guys, you can now have 2 PASSPORTS AS A US CITIZEN!!!

1. Your traditional Book passport

2. Your US passport card that looks like a drivers license.

You leave your book passport locked up in you room, and carry your passport card in your wallet like any other card. Should you lose the passport card, it's OK, you can still come back to the US with your book passport, and then replace it.

If you lose your book passport, well, you can replace your book passport with your passport card at any US embassy.

The trick is to NEVER carry both at the same time unless you are actually on a plane to your destination.

Passport card is an official us passport, and carries more weight/proof of US citizenship than a paper copy. I've shown my passport card to officials in foreign countries when pulled over at traffic stops, and have had no issues.


Mixx

Post: #6

(01-06-2012 03:04 PM)MiXX Wrote:  Guys, you can now have 2 PASSPORTS AS A US CITIZEN!!!

1. Your traditional Book passport

2. Your US passport card that looks like a drivers license.

You leave your book passport locked up in you room, and carry your passport card in your wallet like any other card. Should you lose the passport card, it's OK, you can still come back to the US with your book passport, and then replace it.

If you lose your book passport, well, you can replace your book passport with your passport card at any US embassy.

The trick is to NEVER carry both at the same time unless you are actually on a plane to your destination.

Passport card is an official us passport, and carries more weight/proof of US citizenship than a paper copy. I've shown my passport card to officials in foreign countries when pulled over at traffic stops, and have had no issues.


Mixx

What is the process of getting a passport card?

I should have done this when I got my new passport after losing mine in Espana.

Post: #7

(01-06-2012 03:04 PM)MiXX Wrote:  Guys, you can now have 2 PASSPORTS AS A US CITIZEN!!!

1. Your traditional Book passport

2. Your US passport card that looks like a drivers license.

You leave your book passport locked up in you room, and carry your passport card in your wallet like any other card. Should you lose the passport card, it's OK, you can still come back to the US with your book passport, and then replace it.

If you lose your book passport, well, you can replace your book passport with your passport card at any US embassy.

The trick is to NEVER carry both at the same time unless you are actually on a plane to your destination.

Passport card is an official us passport, and carries more weight/proof of US citizenship than a paper copy. I've shown my passport card to officials in foreign countries when pulled over at traffic stops, and have had no issues.


Mixx

FML my passport book just came in the mail today, the lady i turned my stuff into was like you dont need to get the card. so i just ordered the book

Post: #8

(01-06-2012 03:09 PM)Cr33pin Wrote:  FML my passport book just came in the mail today, the lady i turned my stuff into was like you dont need to get the card. so i just ordered the book

She did not lie to you, you don't NEED to get it, but boy is it nice to have in your pocket in the event an emergency like losing your book passport in a foreign country were to ever happen!

For the 55USD fee that it costs to get the passport card, I don't see why anyone would even think twice about getting the passport card. The headaches you will NOT endure alone of showing up to the US embassy and proving US citizenship with the passport card to have a replacement book passport in your hand within 48hrs is priceless!


I hope it never happens to me, I safeguard my passport like a madman, but it's nice to know if I ever did....well, it will be 90% less painful to replace it.

Mixx

Post: #9

(01-06-2012 03:08 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  What is the process of getting a passport card?

It's a simple matter of filling out the application, paying the passport card fee, and sending proof of US citizenship in the mail. Voila!

http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_car..._3926.html


Mixx

Post: #10

So as for getting visas, if i wanted to travel around in south america do i need to get a diffrent visa for each country??

Post: #11

(01-06-2012 03:17 PM)MiXX Wrote:  

(01-06-2012 03:08 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  What is the process of getting a passport card?

It's a simple matter of filling out the application, paying the passport card fee, and sending proof of US citizenship in the mail. Voila!

http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_car..._3926.html


Mixx

Nice Mixx, thanks.

I was going to jump on this (so to speak) then I saw this:

"To increase speed, efficiency, and security at U.S. land and sea border crossings, the passport card contains a vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip. There is no personal information written to the RFID chip. This chip points to a stored record in secure government databases.

With RFID technology, Customs and Border Protection inspectors will be able to access photographs and other biographical information stored in secure government databases as the traveler approaches an inspection station.

The passport card uses state-of-the-art security features to prevent against the possibility of counterfeiting and forgery. A protective RFID-blocking sleeve is provided with each passport card to protect against unauthorized reading or tracking of the card when it is not in use."

Anyone on here know what this means exactly?

Post: #12

Even when carrying a passport card, you still want to carry a copy of your book passport, PARTICULARLY the part of the passport that has your entry visa stamps in them. The entry stamps show that you are in the country legally, and help prevent hassle from the cops.

Post: #13

(01-06-2012 03:22 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  Nice Mixx, thanks.

I was going to jump on this (so to speak) then I saw this:

To increase speed, efficiency, and security at U.S. land and sea border crossings, the passport card contains a vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip. There is no personal information written to the RFID chip. This chip points to a stored record in secure government databases.

With RFID technology, Customs and Border Protection inspectors will be able to access photographs and other biographical information stored in secure government databases as the traveler approaches an inspection station.

The passport card uses state-of-the-art security features to prevent against the possibility of counterfeiting and forgery. A protective RFID-blocking sleeve is provided with each passport card to protect against unauthorized reading or tracking of the card when it is not in use.

Anyone on here know what this means exactly?

Yup. It means that hackers (just like customs official at immigration points) nowadays can scan your passport card with a special (illegal) gadget, and scan your book passport (it has a chip in it), and credit/debit cards and steal your identity.

However, to prevent this, the cards come in special "sleeves" that encrypt or prevent anyone with a scanner from reading your BIO and snatching your information to steal your identity.


If you're old school like me, think back to 1995 when people would scan cell phones so they can literally "clone" your number, and attach it to a pirated cell phone, which they would then sell on the streets for whatever money they could get.

Bottom Line:

1. Get the friggin US passport card.

2. Always have the card in a protective sleeve that it comes with, and you should do the same for your book passport and debit cards too!


Where can you get them?

Here:

http://www.idstronghold.com/Secure-Sleeves/products/2/

** Yes, I purchase sleeves for all my debit/credit cards, and my book passports.

Mixx

Post: #14

(01-06-2012 03:21 PM)Cr33pin Wrote:  So as for getting visas, if i wanted to travel around in south america do i need to get a diffrent visa for each country??

Depends on the country. For the most part, you get your "tourist visa" at the airport/border crossing when you arrive in the country. So, if I wanted to go to Costa Rica, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, or Panama TODAY, I could just grab my passport buy a ticket online or at the airport, and get my visa when I land.

HOWEVER, some countries require Americans to apply for Visas at the local embassy beforehand. The two I remember the most are Brazil and Bolivia.

Post: #15

(01-06-2012 03:25 PM)joehoya Wrote:  Even when carrying a passport card, you still want to carry a copy of your book passport, PARTICULARLY the part of the passport that has your entry visa stamps in them. The entry stamps show that you are in the country legally, and help prevent hassle from the cops.

True, it is nice to have, but keep in mind, when you enter a country today, you are fingerprinted on a device as soon as you come in, and depart the country. Even Colombia/Brazil does this today. Unless you are going to some FSU country or Cuba, there is a record of when you entered, and when you left with your thumbprint on it as proof.

Mixx

Post: #16

(01-06-2012 03:30 PM)joehoya Wrote:  

(01-06-2012 03:21 PM)Cr33pin Wrote:  So as for getting visas, if i wanted to travel around in south america do i need to get a diffrent visa for each country??

Depends on the country. For the most part, you get your "tourist visa" at the airport/border crossing when you arrive in the country. So, if I wanted to go to Costa Rica, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, or Panama TODAY, I could just grab my passport buy a ticket online or at the airport, and get my visa when I land.

HOWEVER, some countries require Americans to apply for Visas at the local embassy beforehand. The two I remember the most are Brazil and Bolivia.

Im pretty sure Australia to, my buddy went out there an he had to turn in all kinds of shit to get his Visa

Post: #17

(01-06-2012 03:29 PM)MiXX Wrote:  

(01-06-2012 03:22 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  Nice Mixx, thanks.

I was going to jump on this (so to speak) then I saw this:

To increase speed, efficiency, and security at U.S. land and sea border crossings, the passport card contains a vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip. There is no personal information written to the RFID chip. This chip points to a stored record in secure government databases.

With RFID technology, Customs and Border Protection inspectors will be able to access photographs and other biographical information stored in secure government databases as the traveler approaches an inspection station.

The passport card uses state-of-the-art security features to prevent against the possibility of counterfeiting and forgery. A protective RFID-blocking sleeve is provided with each passport card to protect against unauthorized reading or tracking of the card when it is not in use.

Anyone on here know what this means exactly?

Yup. It means that hackers (just like customs official at immigration points) nowadays can scan your passport card with a special (illegal) gadget, and scan your book passport (it has a chip in it), and credit/debit cards and steal your identity.

However, to prevent this, the cards come in special "sleeves" that encrypt or prevent anyone with a scanner from reading your BIO and snatching your information to steal your identity.


If you're old school like me, think back to 1995 when people would scan cell phones so they can literally "clone" your number, and attach it to a pirated cell phone, which they would then sell on the streets for whatever money they could get.

Bottom Line:

1. Get the friggin US passport card.

2. Always have the card in a protective sleeve that it comes with, and you should do the same for your book passport and debit cards too!


Where can you get them?

Here:

http://www.idstronghold.com/Secure-Sleeves/products/2/

** Yes, I purchase sleeves for all my debit/credit cards, and my book passports.

Mixx

Mixx -

I just called over. So I will share the Data Sheets with you guys.

It seems you need to

1. Send your current passport
2. One photo
3. The Cash
4. The form http://www.travel.state.gov/passport/for...2_843.html

I will probably do it, but what a pain in the *ss you have to send back your current passport. Typical government weeshness.

Takes 4-6 weeks or 2 weeks expedited.

Does that jive with you?

Post: #18

(01-06-2012 06:53 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  Mixx -

I just called over. So I will share the Data Sheets with you guys.

It seems you need to

1. Send your current passport
2. One photo
3. The Cash
4. The form http://www.travel.state.gov/passport/for...2_843.html

I will probably do it, but what a pain in the *ss you have to send back your current passport. Typical government weeshness.

Takes 4-6 weeks or 2 weeks expedited.

Does that jive with you?

That sounds right, I got mine when I renewed my book passport at the same time. So, them having your original passport sounds right.


If you have an international trip coming up, I'd recommend going expedited. Even if your don't I'd still get expedited, anything can happen in 6 weeks, and you need the freedom to lave the country.

Anytime my book passport is not in my hands, I swear I feel like I ma imprisoned.



Mixx

Post: #19

This is the first time I have heard of the passport card. I will def. get one when I'm back in nj. 2 weeks can be a long time to wait for your book passport!

Post: #20

The genesis of the passport card was the post-9/11 elimination of the use of a driver's license to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean at land border crossings or sea ports. It was designed as a more convenient and lower cost option to the standard passport when traveling to those three geographical areas. The passport card cannot be used for international travel by air, even from those three areas. As Mixx stated, it is good for local travel in a foreign country and a good backup in the event that your main passport is lost, but it has little value as an official travel document outside Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Post: #21

The next time that you replace your wallet, keep the old one. Keep your old expired credit cards too. When you travel abroad, keep the old wallet, the expired credit cards, and a few bucks in the most obvious place. If you get mugged, just turn over the fake wallet and expired credit cards. They will just grab it and run. Moreover, if you get hit by a pickpocket, they will grab the fake wallet. Keep your real wallet in a more secure place on your person.

Post: #22

[quote='jdelisi' pid='139854' dateline='1325871337']
Since I started traveling a lot three years ago, I have started to implement some Murphy's Law type backups in case i lose my passport, wallet, or get robbed:

1) I have 2 copies of my passport in my suitcase, and my carry-on.
2) once I am checked into a hotel, my passport never leaves the room, unless absolutely necessary. I carry a copy in case I get pulled over by the cops and they want to see it.
3) Under ""emergency contact"" section of passport, i have my email, phone number, and my mother's phone number also.
4) I have $300 in cash in a pouch in my suitcase.
5) I made copies of all my credit cards, and have the non-800 #'s of the credit card/debit companies written in a notebook, and also in my smartphone. You need the non-800 numbers if you call the U.S. from abroad.
6) I made a back-up copy of my NJ drivers liscence also.

Anything else you guys have done?




So about ten days after I posted this thread I got robbed in Antigua, Guatemala. They broke into my rental car in front of the hotel, I had it on the corner where there were no video security cameras-go figure. Smashed the window and got my wallet, with my drivers license and credit cards, $120 in cash, and two pairs of nice sunglasses. The day of the robbery I took my debit card out of the wallet, and put it in my pocket to go the ATM, and that saved me, because it was my only debit card I had with me. My passport and the rest of my cash were in the hotel room.

The next day I was walking down the street, and noticed there was broken glass everywhere. Seems like it is common, especially on the weekends.

"Se aprende por sus errores" or "one learns by his mistakes"

Post: #23

(01-21-2012 04:00 PM)jdelisi Wrote:  [quote='jdelisi' pid='139854' dateline='1325871337']
Since I started traveling a lot three years ago, I have started to implement some Murphy's Law type backups in case i lose my passport, wallet, or get robbed:

1) I have 2 copies of my passport in my suitcase, and my carry-on.
2) once I am checked into a hotel, my passport never leaves the room, unless absolutely necessary. I carry a copy in case I get pulled over by the cops and they want to see it.
3) Under ""emergency contact"" section of passport, i have my email, phone number, and my mother's phone number also.
4) I have $300 in cash in a pouch in my suitcase.
5) I made copies of all my credit cards, and have the non-800 #'s of the credit card/debit companies written in a notebook, and also in my smartphone. You need the non-800 numbers if you call the U.S. from abroad.
6) I made a back-up copy of my NJ drivers liscence also.

Anything else you guys have done?




So about ten days after I posted this thread I got robbed in Antigua, Guatemala. They broke into my rental car in front of the hotel, I had it on the corner where there were no video security cameras-go figure. Smashed the window and got my wallet, with my drivers license and credit cards, $120 in cash, and two pairs of nice sunglasses. The day of the robbery I took my debit card out of the wallet, and put it in my pocket to go the ATM, and that saved me, because it was my only debit card I had with me. My passport and the rest of my cash were in the hotel room.

The next day I was walking down the street, and noticed there was broken glass everywhere. Seems like it is common, especially on the weekends.

"Se aprende por sus errores" or "one learns by his mistakes"

Good point. In many countries, it is very easy to identify rental cars from the locals' cars. So, thieves target them. Never leave anything of value in a rental car. I never leave anything of value, especially a wallet, even in my own car in my home country.

Post: #24

One contribution to this discussion: if I remember correctly, the passport booklet also contains an RFID chip. There was a lot of talk around the horn about how to permanently disable/destroy it--without marring the surface of the passport--but it's technically a crime to destroy the passport (since it's government property, or something).

Post: #25

(01-21-2012 04:00 PM)jdelisi Wrote:  [quote='jdelisi' pid='139854' dateline='1325871337']
Since I started traveling a lot three years ago, I have started to implement some Murphy's Law type backups in case i lose my passport, wallet, or get robbed:

1) I have 2 copies of my passport in my suitcase, and my carry-on.
2) once I am checked into a hotel, my passport never leaves the room, unless absolutely necessary. I carry a copy in case I get pulled over by the cops and they want to see it.
3) Under ""emergency contact"" section of passport, i have my email, phone number, and my mother's phone number also.
4) I have $300 in cash in a pouch in my suitcase.
5) I made copies of all my credit cards, and have the non-800 #'s of the credit card/debit companies written in a notebook, and also in my smartphone. You need the non-800 numbers if you call the U.S. from abroad.
6) I made a back-up copy of my NJ drivers liscence also.

Anything else you guys have done?




So about ten days after I posted this thread I got robbed in Antigua, Guatemala. They broke into my rental car in front of the hotel, I had it on the corner where there were no video security cameras-go figure. Smashed the window and got my wallet, with my drivers license and credit cards, $120 in cash, and two pairs of nice sunglasses. The day of the robbery I took my debit card out of the wallet, and put it in my pocket to go the ATM, and that saved me, because it was my only debit card I had with me. My passport and the rest of my cash were in the hotel room.

The next day I was walking down the street, and noticed there was broken glass everywhere. Seems like it is common, especially on the weekends.

"Se aprende por sus errores" or "one learns by his mistakes"

Which city/Country?