Houston, we have a problem

I recently watched the thriller “No Escape,” which is about a family that gets caught in an Asian country during a coup. It sparked a pretty extensive family discussion about what we would do in their circumstances. Run or hide? Fight? Head for the embassy or bolt for the border? Since this is the beginning of peak travel season, I thought I would answer the looming question of what you should do if you suddenly find yourself in a travel nightmare.

Lost wallet and credit cards

Is it supremely frustrating? Yes. Is it going to ruin your trip? Probably not. Before you even leave, make sure you notify all your card companies (and banks) of the dates and places you’ll be abroad. If someone swipes your card and tries to use it outside of those parameters, they’ll decline it immediately. Also, divide your money among several cards and bank accounts. Then keep them separate while you’re traveling. If thieves snag one you’ll still have access to funds abroad.

If the worst happens and they do get your cards, make sure you notify the banks immediately. They’ll cancel the cards and open a fraud investigation to make sure no other charges came through.

If you’ve run out of money and options completely, there are many cheap websites like Paypal, Viamericas, and Wells Fargo that allow almost immediate transfers from friends or family.

Lost passport

Despite the reputation, this is not actually as big of a problem as you might think. No, you’re not stuck for months in a foreign country. You can even ensure an almost-painless recovery before you leave home.

There are three things you’ll need for a replacement at the US embassy: photo identification, proof of citizenship, and a passport photo. To make your life easy, photocopy your passport before you leave home. Make several copies and store them all separately. Then on the dreaded day, just grab your passport photocopy and driver’s license and head to the nearest US Embassy.

They’ll make you fill out a new application, swear a statement as to the circumstances of the loss, take a passport photo, then issue a new passport for $110. It will take about 8 business days. If you’re leaving sooner than that, they offer a speedy emergency replacement with a limited lifespan.

Remember, the US embassies are closed on the weekends and holidays except for life or death emergencies.

Medical emergencies

The best way to prepare is to make sure your insurance policy covers international travel. If it doesn’t, take out secondary international health insurance. There are tons of great companies that offer protection for trips of any length.

If it’s not a critical emergency, call the US Embassy for a list of all the hospitals in the area. If you’re on a gurney headed into an ambulance, the most important thing you can do is make sure they have your basic information (name, age, nationality, emergency contacts) and proof of insurance.

You’ll note that all of the problems above can be minimized by bringing some key documents with you. Instead of lugging around copies of passports, lists of bank phone numbers and a full medical history, I have it all stored on a flash drive that hangs from a chain around my neck. If you’re interested in creating an emergency flash drive, don’t hesitate to contact me and I can walk you through the process and what to put on it.

Now, on to the potential political problems.

Martial Law

At the lower end of the danger spectrum are countries under martial law. Lots of countries with martial law are perfectly safe to visit, and don’t impact traveling much more than a potential curfew. This is especially true of countries that have been under martial law for a while.

In fact, lots of places with less-than-savory governments are fine to visit so long as they’ve been stable for a time. Obviously each country has different circumstances, and you should check the State Department’s list of political conditions in each country along with travel advisories. Knowledge is power, so do your research before getting on a plane.

Collapsing Government

These truly dangerous situations can arise because of a government coup, military uprising, civil war, or war with a capital “W.” In the midst of true crises, the State Department is pretty vague about what they can do.

Here’s a rule of thumb: head to the embassy, but proceed with extreme caution. Once inside the embassy, the State Department will make every effort to assist US citizens in evacuating, including coordinating with the Department of Defense if necessary (remember Saigon?).

At the far end of the danger spectrum is the truly horrible: the country has dissolved into chaos and the US embassy has been taken hostage or overrun. I am not a political expert, nor do I work for the State Department, so take this with a grain of salt, but I would run like hell to the nearest border and seek political asylum.

Next time: A much happier topic, like how to make the most of an early spring.

Julianna Satterly is a Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy graduate who worked as the Editor in Chief of her college newspaper at Washington and Lee University for three years. She’s lived in three states, visited 28 others, and has toured 13 countries. Contact her at juliannasatterly@gmail.com, or on Facebook or Twitter @jsattz.