It doesn't take a thief for you to lose your phone on holiday. How often do we hear stories of people leaving their phones in taxis, cafes, trains etc?
Here is a simple travel tip that might get you reunited with your phone or iPad quicker. If your phone is stolen or is picked up by someone with the clear intention of keeping your phone, then your only hope is to use a tracking App such as the Apple 'Find My Phone'. Even with this App, there is no guarantee that you'll get your phone back.
What if you accidentally misplace your phone in a taxi or at a cafe where the staff are honest and happy to return it? How do you get it back quickly? Anyone who finds your phone normally won't be able to access your phone and even if they could, who will they contact?
It's all very well and good to say, it's easy I'll just call the phone until someone answers it. Yes, that's the obvious first-choice option once you've realised it's lost. There are although some things to think about. Firstly, with global travel, many people have their phones in Airplane mode for multiple reasons. Secondly, you might not realise your phone is missing until well after you have moved on from the location.
What's on your locked screen?
On your next trip, try saving an image as your 'Locked Screen' with a few details on it. Just simply your name, an email address and an alternative phone number of someone you are travelling with. You could even add the words 'REWARD OFFERED' as an additional incentive for someone to return your phone.
It's a simple and easy way for someone to contact you quickly without the need of accessing your phone and personal information.
(Sample 'Locked Screen' image)
Imagine leaving your phone at a cafe, you walk off on your journey. In some cases, this might be across town, back to your hotel or a taxi to the airport. Whatever the direction, it would be far more beneficial to be notified ASAP after leaving the cafe rather than waiting until you realise it's missing and calling your phone. Worse still, it could be in the hands of a taxi driver who just dropped you at the airport. They're not going to wait around until you call the phone. But if they had another contact number to call?
If you're in a situation where you are on a flight or the alternative number is uncontactable, having an email address will help you get notified of your lost phone. Hopefully, you haven't gone too far, but if you have then receiving an email from the good samaritan is a good piece of mind knowing you'll be able to recover your phone, even if it's at a later stage.
It's simple and easy to do
Making your own image is easy to do in applications like Microsoft Word or Apple Pages. You can be as creative as you like with colour and text, but it's as simple as;
Create some text in a document
Screenshot the image in a portrait shape
Email the image to yourself
Open the image from the email on your phone
Save the image to your photo library on your phone
Go to 'Settings' > 'Wallpaper' > 'Choose a New Wallpaper' > pick your image > 'Save as Locked Screen'
This is also recommended with iPads as well. In that situation, you can obviously use your own phone number as a contact. When you get home, it's just as simple to change the image back to your favourite photo.
When we travel, I always try and make the recovery of items, such as luggage, phones and other devices as easy as possible. Items create a stressful situation and can ruin your holiday. Just a little Travel Tips like this might just mean the difference between being reunited with your phone quicker and with less stress.
Want a free template to make it even easier?
Yes, making your own is easy, but if you are using Pages on an Apple Mac, then here's a free template as seen in the above image. It's 100% free, with no sign-ups, and no information needed. Just download the below Pages file and change the John Citizen and contact details to your own. Our BookDirect logo is in the template, but you can easily remove this as well, if you want to, we don't mind. The template is designed in the bottom two-thirds of the screen so it doesn't interfere with the display of the time and date of your phone.
About the Author
The author of this blog, unless otherwise noted has no affiliation with any property or business linked in this article. Unless otherwise noted, there is no free accommodation or payment from any businesses. The information contained in this blog is strictly the views of the author and not professional advice. The author of this BookDirect blog is a travel and tourism professional with over 30 years of experience in international hotel management, global travel, short-term rental management and a tourism awards judge specialising in accommodation and attractions.
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