By Cheri Sicard
Losing your wallet while on the road during an RV trip. It was not something I had thought much about. Until it happened!
The day started normally enough. It was near the start of Week 2 in my long, long RV trip. I stopped for gas, got back in the truck and motored away toward my next destination.
I stopped for fuel again about 125 miles down the road. That’s when panic set in.
I reached into my purse for the smaller change purse that contained my credit cards and driver’s license and it was not there!
I searched everywhere in the truck. The small leather pouch was nowhere to be found. Somehow it either fell out at the last stop or my pocket was picked at the previous stop.
Some factors were in my favor. Nonetheless, I spent the next few hours in automated phone hell trying to get everything sorted out.
However, I discovered that I could have made things easier on myself had I prepped in advance… just in case.
It could have been worse
What was most in my favor in this unfortunate situation was that I did not lose my ENTIRE wallet. That really would have been a nightmare to deal with, including AAA, health insurance, my Mexican residence card, several credit cards and debit cards, and more.
Thankfully, I had put my business and personal credit cards along with my driver’s license, and about $20 cash, in a small leather pouch for times when I did not want to carry a purse.
I was lucky. I did not lose much cash and I still had my ATM debit cards in another place, so I had access to money.
The biggest heartbreak was my brand-new lifetime National Parks pass, which was also in the pouch. I had only used it once.
This is something I will replace, as it is an incredible bargain. If you are a senior, $80 for the lifetime pass gets you half-price camping spots at federal campgrounds as well as free admission to all national parks for everyone in your vehicle!
Dealing with the aftermath of losing your wallet while on the road
Turns out it was a wise thing to not always carry around all the cards you won’t need on a particular journey. Or all of your cash in one place.
Therefore, I highly advise travelers to edit the content of the wallet they carry day-to-day to the bare minimum.
Credit card companies are easy to deal with and will put an immediate stop to card activity. As I had past billing statements in my RV, I had the numbers to call. But if I hadn’t, it would have been that much more difficult (see tips below). Credit card companies will also express mail you replacements.
We checked, and whoever had found my cards had not used them. I arranged for new cards to be sent to my friend’s house in Colorado, where I would be the following week.
The DMV on Friday afternoon proved far more difficult. Getting through to a party that could help with my dilemma proved impossible.
As much as I didn’t want to, I drove on without a driver’s license, vowing to deal with it as soon as I reached my next destination.
The following Tuesday, things at the DMV had calmed down. I quickly got through to a live person, and the problem was solved.
While the DMV will not mail out a duplicate license for security reasons (at least in California), you can get a paper certificate that will be a suitable stand-in until you can get back to your home state to get the license replaced.
Tips for dealing with and preventing a lost wallet while on the road
My experience with losing my wallet while on the road could have been much, much worse had I not implemented most of these tips. However, it could have gone smoother had I implemented all of them.
In fact, had I double-checked for my wallet before pulling out of that gas station, perhaps none of this would have been necessary.
• As stated above, NEVER put ALL of your cards, IDs, and cash in one place. Only carry with you what you need.
• Keep a list of credit card and card account numbers, and the numbers to call should they ever be lost. Keep this in your RV separate from your wallet.
• Keep a photocopy of your driver’s license in your RV. Or have a photo of it on your phone.
• Check to make sure your wallet is still with you before hitting the road after paying for things like fuel, food, tickets, etc.
• Keep your wallet in a place where pickpockets cannot get to it, and stay aware of your surroundings, especially in large crowds or when interacting with strangers.
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RVDT2744
This why I love my apple watch. I rarely have to take out my wallet to use a credit card, I just tap my watch to pay. It never leaves my wrist. I don’t have to remember to retrieve my credit card and put it back in my wallet.
I have an app on my phone that does not upload the data to the cloud. Further, all the data stored in the app is separately encrypted from any other file on my phone. Yes, the app has provisions for locally backing up the data.
ALL my accounts are stored in the app, that includes websites, financial accounts, health accounts, contacts for the preceding, vehicle VINs and plates, and my various forms of identification. My spouse’s phone has a backup copy.
If documents are lost, I know how to deal with them, passwords are protected, and if either my spouse or I are incapacitated or die, the survivor can continue.
I periodically scan the front and back of everything in my wallet.
I have paper copies of all credit cards, licenses and other info which could be lost to include both front and back. I keep them in a fire safe at home and in a fire resistant safe in the motorhome. Lose your phone – might as well lose the cards! Access can and will be figured out. Like the phone I found on a shelf in a clothing store – no info so I called the number and the girl was several miles away – but showed up within the hour to retrieve it. (Didn’t even say “thanks” – took the fone and left!) The ME generation!
Nice of you to do the decent thing but why add snarky remarks
Hi Sherry: I trust you are referring to the ME gen. This girl was about 18 or 19 and totally not thankful which seems to be in the fabric of younger folks these days. Sort of made me wonder why I called her – I could have just thrown it in a dumpster or drove over it – I did not expect nor would I accept a reward – however, a simple “Thank You” would have been nice! Also, my Canadian born wife was with me and she had some choice thot’s as well; but she, as I, were raised differently. We were in our 60’s or 70’s at the time.
👍That reminds me of when I gave a generous wedding gift to the daughter of a friend of mine several years ago. I never heard anything from the daughter, so asked my friend if she had received the gift. She asked her daughter about it, and yes, she had received it, but according to the daughter, it was no longer necessary to thank someone for a gift, or even acknowledge it. Say what?! The mother was shocked and very apologetic for her daughter’s rudeness, especially since that was not how she was raised. Have a good evening/night, Doug. 😀 –Diane
Years ago we were on a 3,000-mile RV trip to Ontario and the UP of MI. At our first fuel stop, 300 miles from home, I realized my wallet was safe at home–money, credit cards, driver’s license–but of no use to me. I called the one son who lives near us to Fed-Ex just my driver’s license because we had passports and my wife had her cash, credit cards, Lifetime Senior Pass, etc. He sent it to a Fed-Ex pickup counter at the last gas station-general store-post office before crossing the Canadian border from Minnesota. Before sending it, he photographed both sides and E-mailed the photos to me. Two days later, my license and Loonies were in a new Canadian-flag wallet (cheapest one at Walmart!).
I use auto pay a lot. If my credit card got hacked I had to call all those accounts to give them the new number. Now I use one credit card for all auto pay accounts and only auto pay and another for my daily purchases. The auto pay card never leaves the house and in 4 years has never been hacked. Big time saver!!!
Having found a fellow campers wallet here is an important tip, add to your wallet a note that has emergency contacts. That way the person who finds you wallet can get in touch with you or someone you know to facilitate the return.
This is an excellent idea
About 25-years ago I left my wallet on top of a gas pump at a Flying J in Florida…but I was lucky. A good samaritan found it AND my business card inside. He called my office and explained what happend. The receptionist called me..we were about 45-minutes from the J at the time…and gave me the finder’s phone number. I called him, we turned around and headed back north while my new best freind headed south, We met and I had my intact wallet back and my new friend was $50 richer. From that point forward I only took my credit card and Flying J card when I pumped gas.
🇬🇧 How do. Make a donation?
Hi, Thomas. If you want to make a donation, just go to this page. Thank you! Have a great day! 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com