The what-if pouch

A recovery kit, not a survival kit. For the ordinary ways travel goes wrong.

what goes in it

• A photograph of your passport data page, saved offline and printed
• Photographs of any visas
• A backup payment card, different network from your primary, PIN you remember
• Cash worth one to two days of your own spending
• The three phone numbers, written on paper
• A medical card: blood type, allergies, medications, emergency contact
• A spare passport photo

the rule

It lives somewhere different from your wallet and your phone. Every single day. The specific place matters less than the consistency. One theft, one forgotten bag, one bad afternoon should never be able to take both.

It is not a second wallet. The moment you start spending from it, it has stopped being a backup.

my medical card

Fill this in, cut it out, and keep it in the pouch. Write the local-language version underneath before each trip.