Page 323 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Pacific Northwest

PR A C TIC AL INFORM A TION  321

by moves for deportation; emergencies, trip cancellation
penalties are especially severe and interruption, theft, and
in the US. loss of valuable possessions.
A minimum of $1 million
medical coverage is
Lost or Stolen Property
recommended, especially
Although the chances of if you are traveling to the US.
retrieving lost or stolen items Insurance for luggage and
are slim, it is nevertheless travel documents can be
important to report missing arranged through a travel
items to the police as soon as agent or the airline. Emergency
possible. Be sure to obtain a dental, out-of-pocket, and
copy of the police record in loss-of-vacation expenses are
case you need it for an generally covered by separate
insurance claim. policies. Ask your travel agent
Vancouver police officers on duty Before leaving home, make or insurance company to
photocopies of important recommend suitable insurance;
Law Enforcement
documents such as your also check with your credit card
The Portland and Seattle passport, driver’s license, credit company (see p322).
police departments are present cards, and identification cards;
in these cities on foot, on keep one set of photocopies DIRECTORY
horseback, motorcycle, and in at home, another set with you. Emergencies
cars. Neighborhood security Should you lose your
teams, made up of citizen passport, contact your nearest Police, Fire,
volunteers, also patrol on embassy or consulate. Visitors Ambulance
foot in some areas. Outside do not generally need a new Tel In major cities call 911;
metropolitan areas, there are passport if they are returning
county police and sheriff’s directly to their home country elsewhere, dial 0.
offices to assist you. British and so may be issued a Hospitals
Columbia is policed by the temporary one. However, if Tel Call 411 for directory
Royal Canadian Mounted you are traveling on to assistance.
Police (RCMP); some another destination,
municipalities also have you will need to replace Embassies and
their own police forces. your permanent Consulates
In addition, you are passport. Report
likely to see security lost credit cards and Links to US Embassies
officers from private traveler’s checks and Consulates Worldwide
security companies as soon as you ∑ usembassy.gov
in airports and notice them missing;
public places, and American Express, Links to Canadian
on Vancouver’s MasterCard, Visa, Embassies, Consulates,
down town streets. and Thomas Cook and High Commissions
It is illegal to comment all have toll-free call Worldwide
on or joke about bombs, centers open 24 hours ∑ international.gc.ca
guns, and terrorism in a day, seven days a week.
places such as airports, If you have a record of Lost or Stolen
where it is possible to the traveler’s checks’ Credit Cards and
be arrested or removed numbers, replacing Traveler’s Checks
from a flight for an them should be fairly
off-the-cuff remark. straightforward and American Express
Drinking and driving new ones are often Tel (800) 869-3016 for credit
is taken very seriously issued within 24 hours. cards, (800) 528-4800 for traveler’s
in the Pacific Northwest, A park ranger For items lost on public checks.
and it is illegal to carry transit or in a taxi, MasterCard
open alcohol containers contact the lost-and-found
in a vehicle. However, you departments of the appropriate Tel (800) 627-8372.
may carry previously opened transit system or taxi company. Thomas Cook
bottles of alcohol if they are Tel (800) 223-7373
inside a bag, stapled shut, and
carried in your trunk. Police Travel Insurance Visa
checks for impaired drivers Travel insurance is essential Tel (800) 847-2911 for credit
are increasingly common. when traveling. Consider cards, (800) 227-6811 for
Narcotics users can face purchasing insurance for traveler’s checks.
criminal charges, followed health and medical

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