Valuable Papers on the Cruise

A 19 day Transatlantic cruise naturally requires a passport and other forms of identification. Also required are credit cards, possibly travelers cheques, and health records. You might also want to include prescriptions for any needed medications.

If these important documents and cards are somehow lost, replacement may be somewhat difficult. If you lose your passport and drivers license, how will you get it replaced? How can you fly without identification?

One solution that was suggested on one of the cruise websites was to get a usb flash drive, sometimes also referred to as a thumb drive or a pen drive. In an encripted area of the card, you store photocopies of all of these important documents. Items may be documented by photocopying or photographing. In any event, remember full size color copies of a passport, social security card or divers license are illegal. Check before you photocopy.

As far as medical records are concerned, the best advise is to check with your doctors. They will know what information you should take along.

I am going to photgraph all documents I think I might possibly need, and prepare a PowerPoint presentation showing and describing the process. Naturally, they will be stored in an encripted area on the drive. I don't want to provide an opportunity for "instant idenity theft" on my keychain.