It would be better if such situations did not happen to anyone, but everything is possible in life, and when you are informed and know how to act, consider the issue to be half resolved.

The online school of English EnglishDom will help you prepare for any force majeure abroad. In the application, you will learn useful words and phrases that will help out in a difficult moment, and in a lesson with a teacher in a digital textbook, you will be able to simulate a situation and speak out options for solving a problem in English. Thanks to technology in teaching, it’s possible to prepare for almost anything.

What to do if money and documents were stolen from you while traveling, read our article.

Do not panic

Without this, of course, nothing. Take pity on yourself for ten seconds, exhale and turn on the “act” mode.

Block the card

If you have stolen not only cash, but also credit cards, first of all, block the cards so that no one can pay with them.

Relatives or friends can send you the required amount through the money transfer service. Ask a reliable local person, for example, the hotel administrator, for permission to issue a transfer in his name, since you will not be given money without a passport.

Write a statement to the police

Go to the nearest police station and file a theft report. All this is necessary to obtain a certificate of confirmation of the loss of documents and things. You will be asked to write what happened, where and under what circumstances. You will need to tell everything in the smallest detail and at this moment you will once again see how important English is in travel.

Here are some phrases to help you explain:

• Could you tell me where the nearest police station is? – Could you tell me where the nearest police station is?
• I would like to report a theft. – I would like to report theft
• I suspect that my wallet has been stolen in a bus. – I suspect my wallet was stolen on the bus.
• I have lost my bag with my passport and money in it. – I lost my bag with my passport and money.

Contact the embassy

Go to your country’s embassy or consulate. Get a certificate of return or apply for a new passport (if you are abroad for a long time or, for example, have moved (s) for permanent residence. Usually the passport has to wait about three months. The consulate will tell you all the details).

Return Certificate – This is a temporary document that replaces a passport if it is lost or expired abroad. The certificate allows you to stay on the territory of the country in which you are, and also gives you the opportunity to return to your homeland. It is better to check with the employees of the consulate about forced transit through other countries. The certificate is valid no more than 30 days from the date of registration. And during this period you need to have time to fly home.

Upon returning to Ukraine, you will need to contact the department for citizenship, immigration and registration of individuals, hand over a certificate and get a new passport.

Get help from local or expatriates

If you have been stolen before checking into the hotel, and you have not paid for your accommodation in advance, couchsurfing will help. Surely you know how it all works, but just in case, we will remind you. On a special site you can meet local people and ask for a free overnight stay.

There is also a chance that expats from your country will help you. They can be found in Facebook groups, for example, “Ukrainians in Seoul”, “Ukrainians in Kazakhstan”, etc.

Preparing for a possible force majeure: what should be done before the trip?

Of course, we really hope that your documents and money will not go anywhere, but nevertheless we advise you to play it safe before the trip. So that in case of force majeure the issue is resolved faster, before traveling:

• Find out and write down on paper the addresses, phone numbers, as well as the working hours of the embassy or consulate of your homeland in the country of destination (or in the nearest country in case with exotic).
• Save your friends and relatives’ contacts offline.
• Scan your internal and foreign passports – including pages with valid visas. Don’t forget about the driver’s license and the child’s birth certificate. Forward all this to yourself and a close relative by email. Make sure you remember your email password and you can log in from someone else’s device. Print copies of passports and put them in different places of hand luggage and baggage. After the flight, take a photo of the entry stamp or entry visa and also send it to your mail.
• Take a couple of photos 3.5 × 4.5 cm with you, so that you don’t run around looking for a photo studio later.
• Pack your international passport, internal passport and driver’s license in separate bags (so that if you lose one document, others will remain).
• Do not take only a card or only cash on your trip. And don’t keep everything in one place. Spread your money in different pockets.

Of course, be careful while traveling, but at the same time enjoy every minute of your vacation, soak up the beauty and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the city. EnglishDom inspires you to learn English, thanks to the classes in this online school, your journey will be as comfortable and rich in experience as possible. Register using the link and get a free trial English lesson with a teacher via video link.