When traveling abroad, the last thing you want is to run into all kinds of problems!
Losing your passport, losing your luggage, or even losing yourself—what if you suddenly fall ill? You really wouldn’t know what to do...
Don’t panic. For several common emergencies during overseas travel, the editors at Explore Travel Tips will teach you how to calmly handle them step by step!
1. Lost Passport

First and foremost, try your best to prevent your passport from getting lost:
✪ Keep it in your bag. After using your passport, it’s best to put it back in your bag right away instead of holding onto it.
✪ Have someone keep it for you. When traveling with a group, except when needed for entry and exit inspections, it’s best to leave it with the tour leader for safekeeping.
✪ Leave contact info. Fill in your address and phone number in the “emergency contact” section on the last page of your travel document. This way, if it’s found, the finder can contact you directly.
✪ Store separately. Don’t flaunt wealth while shopping abroad. Don’t keep your passport with your wallet—losing both can be a huge hassle.
✪ Make backups. Before going abroad, make copies of all your documents and IDs. This is very important. The best method is to photocopy your ID card, take photos of your passport and visa pages, as well as your household registration book, and save a set in your email for emergencies.

If you really do lose your passport, don’t panic:
▶ Step 1: Search first, then report it
✪ If you realize your passport is missing, stay calm and retrace your steps. Did you leave it on the bus, at an attraction, or in your hotel? If it was stolen, your cards may have been dropped nearby. Going back along your route might offer some hope.
✪ Once you confirm that your passport is indeed lost, go to the local police station as soon as possible to file a report. In many tourist destinations, this is a standard part of local police or immigration procedures. Usually, you’ll get a police report on the same day.
▶ Tips on reporting the loss
✪ Before filing a report, prepare copies of your passport and visa in advance.
✪ The police report serves as one of the key documents for later passport replacement and proving your legal entry and stay in the country. It’s also required when applying for an exit visa with the local immigration office, so be sure to keep the report safe.
▶ Step 2: Getting a travel document is easier than replacing your passport
✪ After losing your passport, you need to apply for a new passport or a travel document at your country’s embassy or consulate in the host country to return home. You’ll need to present a police report of the passport loss and a copy of your passport when applying.
✪ Replacing a passport usually takes 15 working days, which is often too long for short-term travelers. It’s recommended to apply for a travel document instead. A travel document serves as a substitute for a passport and holds the same validity. Normally, embassies take four working days to issue a travel document, or just two for urgent cases. A travel document is valid for two years.

▶ Tips on travel documents
A blank travel document can only be used to return home and must be used along with a copy of your passport and the police report of the loss. In some countries, even with a travel document, you may not be allowed to exit and must apply for a new entry visa at the immigration office. Additionally, there is a customs checkpoint between Hong Kong and mainland China, so travelers with temporary documents cannot enter via Hong Kong. It’s best to fly directly back to your home country from the place where you reported the loss.
2. Lost or Damaged Luggage at the Airport

How to avoid losing luggage and reduce losses:
✪ Don’t check valuables. When packing, separate your belongings and do not check valuable items, as airlines will not compensate for such losses.
✪ Write in English on luggage tags. Be sure to include your name and contact information in English on your luggage, making it easier to be found at the airport. Even if it’s lost, airlines can return it to you based on the luggage tag.
✪ Add personal identifiers. Add unique markings to your suitcase, such as bright stickers or a scarf, to help distinguish it and make it easier to find if lost.
If your luggage is really lost, don’t panic:
▶Step 1: Report the Issue
✪If your luggage is delayed, damaged, lost, or items inside are missing, immediately bring your flight ticket (or e-ticket), boarding pass, baggage tag, and ID to the airport's baggage inquiry office (LOSS AND FOUND OFFICE) to file a report. Work with staff to fill out the "Baggage Irregularity Report."
✪When making an inquiry, you will need to show your baggage claim tag, boarding pass, and passport. The baggage inquiry office will usually contact the airline you flew with to locate your luggage. Normally, the airline’s system can track where your baggage is.
▶Step 2: File a Claim
✪Even if your baggage is not lost but is delayed for a long time before being returned, the airline is obliged to cover the cost of daily necessities. This may be reimbursed with receipts or within a fixed amount, depending on what the airline agrees to.
✪Whether your luggage is lost or damaged, each airline has specific compensation policies, and the amount varies by cabin class. For damaged luggage, you can have it repaired and claim reimbursement with a receipt or ask for compensation. For lost luggage, compensation is negotiated according to airline regulations. If you purchased luggage insurance, you may claim additional compensation from your insurance provider.
▶Claims Tips
✪For lost or delayed baggage, you must contact the local airline office within 21 days at most, or within 7 days for damaged baggage. Otherwise, your right to claim is considered waived. (The countdown begins from the date the baggage is delivered to the recipient.)
✪The following situations are considered the passenger’s responsibility, and no compensation will be provided:
①Failing to check in or check luggage on time (airlines require passengers to complete check-in and luggage check-in procedures 30 minutes before departure)
②Checking in prohibited items
③Checking in valuables such as cash, tickets, or important documents. (Airlines explicitly state that valuable items should be carried with you)
3 Getting Lost

Group Tours:
✪Follow the arrangements of the tour leader and guide during sightseeing, stay with the group, and do not leave the group without permission.
✪Take note of the tour leader’s and guide’s mobile phone numbers in case you need to contact them after leaving the group.
✪Remember the license plate number of the tour bus and the location of the parking lot, so you can find your way back if you get lost.
✪If you cannot contact or find the tour bus, you can take a taxi back to the hotel on your own, ask the police for help, and contact the tour leader immediately.
Independent Travel:
✪Prepare your destination in advance, including accommodation and travel routes.
✪Keep your phone accessible, and download navigation apps (such as renting a mobile Wi-Fi or using Amap in advance).
✪Always take the hotel’s business card with you—it contains the address and phone number, which will help you find your way. Many hotels also provide local attraction maps, so having one is always a good idea.
4 Dealing with Sudden Illness

It’s wise to carry essential medications when traveling. Who can guarantee they won’t get sick during the trip? When you feel unwell, the medications you have on hand can be a lifesaver. Some must-have medications include cold remedies, motion sickness pills, antihistamines, berberine, and band-aids. Heart patients should definitely bring nitroglycerin tablets. It’s also not excessive to carry a thermometer if possible.
If you experience discomfort or need emergency assistance, following the correct procedure is key to receiving timely, accurate, and effective aid.
✪If you’re traveling in a group, you can contact the tour leader or the local receiving coordinator. If you need to go to the hospital, report the incident to your domestic insurance company and keep all medical receipts for reimbursement upon returning.
✪If you’re traveling independently or face an emergency, you can directly call the local emergency number.
✪Contact the Chinese embassy or consulate in the country you're visiting. The Chinese embassy or consulate can help provide a list of local hospitals and notify your family or employer back home. If you need to return to China for treatment, with the consent of the local hospital and the relevant airline, the consulate can assist in liaising with airlines and arranging accompanying personnel.
5 Emergency Contact List

Chinese Consular Service Network: http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/. Before your trip, be sure to check this website for a wealth of travel information, including practical details about your destination and up-to-date safety alerts—very useful indeed.

“0086-10-12308” — you must remember this number when traveling abroad. It’s the 24-hour hotline of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Global Consular Protection and Service Emergency Call Center. If you encounter any situation overseas where you need assistance from your home country, dial “0086-10-12308.” After the call connects, press “0” then “9” to be directly transferred to a human operator. (How touching the care from our homeland is!)

Chinese Embassy in the United States: 1-202-3282516
Chinese Consulate General in New York: 1-212-2449392
Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles: 1-213-8078008
Local emergency number: 911
When you encounter situations abroad that you can’t handle on your own, be sure to seek help from the Chinese embassy or consulate in that country to protect your rights and interests.

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