Photocopies of entry/exit stamps are also useful if you have a tax with federal or state tax authorities.
Kramer, on your next trip to the US you might think about ordering copies of your birth certificate, and having one along with you when you return overseas. Makes dealing with US consular offices [-]easier[/-] less difficult. Keep another copy in the US with relatives.
Agree with you on travelers checks – less relevant every day.
I’ve always relied on a family member for emergency. They have been reliable but not always punctual. The xoom idea is good because it does not depend on anyone else.
Identification. If you’ve lost all your things, how do you identify yourself in an emergency. You could get a passport card and keep it separate from your passport. It won’t replace the passport for travel purposes but it should work fine for identification. This is my current plan. I keep expired passports for the same purpose. I used an expired driver’s license for years. The combination of the passport photocopy and another valid credit card might do.
Michael, more good advice. I just looked into the passport card. It looks like around $55 fee plus mailing costs plus I need to send my passport book in with the request. Since my time in the USA is normally limited, that means I need to pay $60 extra for an expedited application. So will probably not pay the $120 or so dollars just to have one more backup ID but I will get one next time I add pages to my passport or renew it. I do have two USA driver's licenses (one no longer valid) and an expired passport, so having these along could be handy.
I may only have one copy of the birth certificate, I will have to see on that when I return to the USA. Again, ordering copies are quite expensive and there are strict guidelines due to fraud. For sure, I will take a copy of it, though, and take a picture.
I am also planning on getting one of these:
Pacsafe Anti-Theft Bags & Travel Security Products
PacSafe travel safe for locking passport and a couple of cards up in the hotel room when there is no safe. Just be sure not to forget about it and leave it behind!! Another reason never to keep everything together.
I was thinking that traveler's checks could be a good backup in case international communications are down. But there is apparently a lot of fraud with them and I wonder if they would even cash them in such a situation. I have been carrying around the same traveler's checks for 3 years now. I have cashed in part of the original stash I bought a few times, and it seems like there were some difficulties each time.
Paypal seemed to have a send money internationally option on one of their online menus, but I have not investigated that yet.
I still don't have evidence of anyone successfully wiring money to themselves using a credit card except for one guy who did it, he changed his name slightly so that it went through. (as in his credit card did not have his middle name but he sent it to himself with the middle name added, this was using Xoom). It sounds like you can't always count on this, or really any of these methods, they are all tools, things to try in an emergency. Just like investments, it is best to be diversified and knowledgeable.
Another thing to have handy is a list of American consulates and embassies in your country(s) of destination along with contact info, both written down and online so it is handy.