Travel talk: Embassy, hotel to the rescue

Further to your story on lost documents, I had a two-night stopover in Kuala Lumpur and at 11 pm was preparing for an early start on the next leg to London. I was checking everything and realised I did not have my wallet, which contained my passport, cash and credit card. I rang the hotel desk, told of my plight and was asked to come down.

The night manager was just so helpful. First we tried to cancel my credit card.

Next the hotel used its van to drive me to the Tourist Police who are there for just such a need. It was midnight and the hotel staff and the police were all courteous and helpful. Kuala Lumpur is trying to boost its tourist trade and touches like Tourist Police work so well.

The policeman took my particulars and provided me with as many copies of the official document as I thought I would need. This listed all the things I had lost and my story of how I lost them. I showed it to the New Zealand Embassy staff for a passport, to the airline for a replacement ticket and to customs at KL and London, and sent a copy to Visa card and to the insurance company. Next morning I took a taxi from the hotel to the New Zealand Embassy. Staff there were very helpful and treated me so well.

When I decided to travel I found out that gold cards give free travel insurance, so I signed up for one. And, along with my driver's licence, I had tossed my classic visa card into my suitcase - just in case.

So accidentally, and without a thought for my possible needs, I had a spare credit card, and the numbers of my passport (on my airline travel card), credit card and driver's licence. Quite enough ID to smooth the way past possible problems.

The embassy sent me with its car and driver to get some money out of a hole in a wall and also to have a passport photo done. It cost triple the price of an ordinary passport, but it took only a couple of hours to get the new one. And, anyway, the insurance covered all my extra costs and losses.

From the embassy I was also able to ring my daughter in London to explain my delay and assure her of my well-being.

I cannot speak highly enough of the help and care I got from both the Federal Hotel in central Kuala Lumpur, and from the staff at the NZ Embassy.

And though nobody told me before that trip, on any future trips, I shall certainly have copies of documents and a spare credit card. And less luggage.

Sylvia Bryan.

* We welcome your letters along with travel-related questions and tips. Send them to travel@nzherald.co.nz or write to: Travel editor, New Zealand Herald, PO Box 32, Auckland.