My story and the reason for starting travelemergency.org

Prologue. 

My wife and I are traveling to France (NCE) through NY (JFK) from Vancouver (YVR).  We have decided to tack on 3 days in NY to take advantage of the connection and see a play and some sights.  We are leaving Vancouver (YVR) on July 2006 traveling to NY on July 2006 then onto Nice France through Frankfurt.  Initial flight time is 14:30.  The initial reason which initiated this trip is a conference my wife is going to attend in Monte Carlo Monaco.  The conference starts on July 27, 2006 and ends on July 31, 2006.  From Monte Carlo we plan to rent a car and drive around the South of France until August 9, 2006.  After that, fly back to Vancouver.

Chapter 1 

We arrive at the airport in plenty of time to get through security and board the plane.  I have a Nexus card, which allows me to get through US customs quickly by using the Iris scan machine.  My wife is in the regular line and asks me to take one of her conference boxes so she wont be over the allowance.  No problem. 

The eye scan machine is on the fritz but finally plunks out the appropriate documents.  I turn to get to security and a US Customs officer asks me to follow him.  Sure, standard procedure I assume.  Under the watchful eye of three RCMP and other Customs agents he takes my customs declaration and asks, "What’s in the box"?   "I think its Inukshuks,” I answer.  He then proceeds to fire question after question about the purpose and contents of the inukshuks and my box.  He checks with his supervisor and they hold an impromptu conference just out of my earshot as they peer at me though out.

Apparently, I haven't filled out the correct checked box on my customs declaration for commercial goods and this has become a federal crime and meets the zero tolerance regulations of US customs to confiscate my Nexus card.  He then wants to search the box and my luggage as well as confiscate my card.  I remove the card from my wallet while he rummages through my stuff.  I hand him my Nexus card and put my wallet and passport to my left with the passport within the wallet.  He takes my nexus card and puts it in a drawer that is exclusively for confiscated material belonging to undesirables and the unwashed masses who cannot figure out how to fill out customs cards. 

All the while people are filing behind me and bumping me on their way to security.  He says that I can now repack my stuff.  I proceed to repack my luggage and re-tape and reseal my wife’s box.  I get everything done and start toward security.  As I get to the place where you put your checked bags on the aircraft I do the panicked "Where is it" pat down.  Unfortunately it is fruitless.  I run back to where the Customs agent interrogated me and searched my stuff and look there to no avail.  I am 100% positive this is where I last put my wallet/passport/boarding card.   I go back to where I have put my luggage (One has already gone down the conveyer) and search everywhere.  I ask them to return my checked bag so I can search it.  They refuse to do this for security reasons.  They agree to search it for me and this proves fruitless.  No wallet, No passport and No boarding card. I'm f***ed.

Chapter 2

We decide to decline to board this flight and figure things out and board a later flight.  I don't need a passport to get to NY so the thought is to get a few facts in order, then get to NY and get an emergency passport from he Canadian Consulate for onward travel to France (where I do need a passport). 

OK.  Now, strangely enough while at Vancouver International airport I have somehow been technically or magically, but not physically transported to the USA.  Not sure how this works but I have to go through Canadian Customs without a passport or any ID to get back into Canada.  You would think this would be easy as my wallet was stolen in front of three RCMP and various US Customs agents; I have also filled out an RCMP file for my stolen stuff and have been walked back by an Air Canada representative who attests to my story. 

No, not so easy, actually really frustrating and difficult.  It must have taken me 1.5 hrs to do this.  I have no ID and it gets difficult proving who I am and why they should allow me into Canada, even though I really never left.  Finally after getting more and more belligerent after the time wore on and they kept sending me to different places within Canadian customs I was allowed to come back to Canada!

Chapter 3

So after talking about it and figuring out our options, calling foreign affairs Canada and leaving a message with them we decided to book a flight that night and travel to NY and chance getting a passport from the Canadian consulate in NY. 

We would arrive the next morning early and would be able to see the play (Faith Healer) with Ralph Fiennes.  We took a nap and were off to the airport once again.  Because it was a late flight we didn't have to go through US Customs but would have to in NY (JFK).  We had put our bags on the flight and were about 5 minutes from boarding when we received a call from a gentleman at Foreign affairs Canada. 

My wife spoke to the gentleman and it was stated that onward travel passports might not be issued from the NY Canadian consulate.  He said it was the exclusive prerogative of the Consulate whether they would issue a passport for onward travel.  Apparently these passports are only issued if there is a death in a family and the death certificate must be shown.  If I did get to NY and wasn't issues a passport for onward travel I would have to travel back to Vancouver, get a passport and then purchase a ticket for a flight to France to meet my wife.  We opted not to board the plane.  So we had our checked bags removed from the plane and went home. 

At this point I was doubtful that I was going to get anywhere.  No passport, No wallet, No ID, No Credit Cards.  No Luck

Chapter 4

The next day, my wife was up bright and early determining what was needed to get me a passport in one day on a Saturday.  Just so you know it can be done.  It's difficult, it's frustrating but it can be done.  I credit my wife completely for her tenacity in getting this done.  Quite simply she doesn’t take no for an answer.  Thank you. 

OK.  Long story short at about 2pm I had a new passport, a new Drivers license (the paper interim one) and a ticket on a flight to NY at 10pm that night.  So we would arrive a day and a half late to NY.  We would miss the play but would be able to enjoy NY.  We flew at 10pm and arrived in New York at about 7 am. 

Epilogue

The Hotwire reservation was messed up at the Hilton in NY but in the end we were able to figure it all out.  I had cancelled my American express and Visa cards when I found out the wallet had been stolen.   In my wallet was about $4000 Canadian in a combination of US dollars, Canadian dollars and Euros.  My Starbucks card with $50.00 on it, Drivers license, bank card and my Amex and Visa cards. 

My experience with Amex was stellar.  I spoke with an American express representative and he arranged for me to pick up a replacement card in NY at the American express office. I can't say enough about my experience with Amex.  Visa was a different story.  The people at Visa international are very difficult to deal with and my experience was terrible.  My card arrived in Monte Carlo with two spelling mistakes for my name.  In the end we had an excellent time in the France.