The Woes of the Lost Passport - by Tammy Berman

I would like to inform our readers of a possible way to avoid a hassle while traveling internationally. This is what happened to me.

I was traveling from Dulles International Airport to Fort Lauderdale to board a Princess Cruise. While going through the security line in Dulles, TSA (Transportation Security Agency) "lost" my husband's passport which was placed in a grey bin that went through the x-ray.

When checking in at Princess Cruises, we were not allowed to board even though we had a copy of the passport. We were informed that with a copy of a birth certificate, we would be permitted to board. No, it didn't make sense to Princess either as a birth certificate doesn't even have a picture! We were told by Princess that they take their orders from immigration. Having a copy of the passport did save us $150.00 at the passport office as they did not have to do a search in obtaining a replacement passport.

My advice: take a copy of your birth certificate and your passport when traveling. You could also scan them into your computer or Google docs to have with you at all times. One addition. I am not saying this would work for international land travel or be accepted by foreign immigration officials. So be careful.

The extra expenses (flying to meet the cruise at the next port, new passport, 3 nights in a hotel, food, cabs, rental car) almost doubled the cost of the cruise.