Documents

You should carry your passport with you at all times, because you may be asked to show it as identification. A passport is also necessary to cash travelers’ checks, and may be needed to buy airline tickets.

If you lose your passport or if it is stolen, contact the nearest embassy immediately They can issue you a temporary replacement. This process is much easier if you have a photocopy of the picture page of your passport. Carry at least one copy with you in a very safe place, like in a money belt, and have one copy at home in a very obvious place, like taped to a friend’s refrigerator door. If your passport gets lost, you will have a copy of the relevant information with you to take to your embassy. If the copy gets lost as well, the home front can fax you a copy of that same information.

You can do the same for credit cards, but don’t carry this copy with you in Europe unless it is absolutely necessary. If your credit cards get stolen, they can be canceled by the person in your home country. Other things you might want to copy and leave behind are travelers’ check serial numbers, airline tickets, train passes, and any other documents you may lose.

You will be juggling a number of documents during your trip: a passport or identity card, train passes, airline tickets, and so on. If you don’t need something day to day {like airline tickets or backup credit cards), I recommend keeping it out of the way as much as possible, preferably in some kind of folder or cover that is tied to the inside of your main pack - an old checkbook cover is good for this.