Burgled in Barcelona and Other Lessons Learned

It happened to me.
I typically like to highlight the fun of our various adventures, incorporating the history and beauty of places, as well as giving some things to consider when hiking or exploring. That said, I would be remiss if I didn’t share some of the less glamorous aspects of travel abroad. For as idyllic as travel is, especially European travel, there are certainly some things to consider. And there are many things that can go wrong, especially when journeying for the holidays. So here is a raw and honest look at the misadventures that we experienced on our trip to Spain.

To start, getting to Barcelona proved to be more of an adventure than I had anticipated. While I have had some issues with domestic flights running behind, I have been very fortunate with my international travels. Unfortunately, my run of good luck with on-time flights seemed to run out with our latest holiday excursion. When we arrived at LAX on December 23, we were greeted by some not-so-great news: our flight from Los Angeles to Munich would be delayed by just over an hour. This doesn’t sound like much, but because time was tight between our anticipated landing and our connector to Barcelona, and we would have to clear customs in Munich, it was recommended that we push our departure from Munich. We ended up being rerouted, having to go from Munich to Frankfurt before heading to Barcelona.

There was one stroke of good fortune: we were upgraded to business class for the final leg of the flight. This came with a delicious meal and increased leg room, and it was indeed a treat for the kids. But it seems that this is where our travel mercies would end. We landed in Barcelona at 23:05 Christmas Eve, rushed to the rental car counters in terminal one of Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport, only to find that Hertz was closed- after we had called before leaving Los Angeles to confirm that they would be open till midnight to pick up our reservation. We had only one option- Sixt- and they only had cars with manual transmissions and the largest vehicle would only seat five. Though this was problematic for our family of six travelers, we were pretty well out of options. Michael began the process of renting the car, and I decided to go use the restroom since to would take a while to get the paperwork in order. After being warned that Barcelona was notorious for pickpockets and thieves, I handed my backpack to Mike, figuring it’d be safer than walking around like a turtle with a heavy bag and making myself a more tempting target.

Welp, that was a misjudgment on my part. Michael handed the backpack off to 18-year-old Nate, who apparently placed it on the ground in front of him. I returned to the rental counter about 3.5 minutes later, only to be told by Sami that my bag and Michael’s backpack had been stolen. At first I thought the kids were messing with me; after all, we had literally just been warned. But after doing a quick count of backpacks and hand luggage, I knew that I was indeed being told facts. And that was when panic set in. In addition to my work computer and jewelry being in my backpack, my wallet with all my cards and California driver license were in the bag, as well as my pouch with medical necessities like my inhaler and Epi-pen. But the worst feeling of all was the fact that my passport along with those of the kids were in my bag- and now it was lost.

In tears and panic, and on the advising of the rental agent, we headed up to the second floor to the office of the Policía Nacional to file a report. As we were on the escalator ramp, I realized that I fortunately kept my phone on me. With shaking hands and limited presence of mind, I put blocks on my credit card and called my banking companies to report my debit cards stolen. This meant that I would not have access to funds on the trip, but I could also prevent further damage to my accounts.

But even with the agitation and anxiety, we were able to buck up and divide and conquer. Michael was still able to make the report. And thanks to the photos I had taken of our passports and IDs on my phone, I had a backup that could be documented in the police report. Sami FaceTimed her sister and brother-in-law with updates on what was going on so they could better prepare for our arrival. They had secured an AirBnB for the night when we found out how late we would be, figuring that it would be safer to stay in Barcelona rather than making an unfamiliar 1.5 hour drive to the countryside with its winding roads and hills. After filing the report and returning to the rental counter, we were finally able to head to the AirBnB, making it to within a couple blocks of the apartment before my phone died. But by then, Emily and Mees had found us, and they were ready with snacks, water, and the number for the U.S. Consulate in Barcelona.

While I was able to find some dramatic, ironic humor in the situation, I felt horrible. I got very little sleep between the early hours of Christmas Day and the brightness of 8 am Christmas morning. At that point, I think I was starting to realize my ‘victim’ status. Our passports were gone, along with other items of monetary and sentimental value. Silly as it seems, Chris the Puppy, the plushie that had accompanied many of my adventures since 2019 was also in that bag, as well as my planner and journal. So many things gone. Feeling sluggish and like crap, I still had to roll out of bed and make sure the younger kids ate breakfast and help Emily, Mees, and Michael to pack up the apartment to get ready for the drive to Girona. Working together, we made it happen, and we were able to problem-solve to safely get everyone to Girona when we only had a five-seat car along with luggage and groceries. Mees would accompany Nate and Sami on the trek to Girona by high-speed rail, and Michael- the only one who could drive manual, and the only one who could legally drive anyway now that all my identification was gone- would get Emily, me, and all our stuff to the villa.

In what seemed a Christmas miracle, the Policía Nacional called while on the autopista heading away from Barcelona. As Michael was driving, Emily picked up the call. It turned out the police had found my bag. Unfortunately, as expected, both our work laptops were stolen along with the charging cables and my Airpods. My jewelry box was also gone, adding to the losses my favorite Tiffany pearl and several other necklaces and earrings of both monetary and sentimental value. But my wallet was still in the bag, along with my driver license, international driving permit, and various cards. I would also be getting back my planner and journal, Michael’s library book borrowed from the San Marino library, and his Rose Parade planning folder. Chris the Puppy and my medical items would also be returned to me. In a way, the thieves were rather considerate in their burgling: they took the items of value and consolidated them into Michael’s backpack which was never found, and organized the things they didn’t deem valuable into my more bulky backpack. Unfortunately however, our passports were also gone, and we lost our bag of snacks, which had in it three full, unopened bags of Target’s Favorite Day trail mixes. The thieves did indeed make off like bandits and were eating good after a full day of thievery- #targetstyle. All things considered, while I was sad about the losses, especially the Tiffany pearl necklace and my favorite pairs of earrings, at least we got some of our things back. And Chris the Puppy would see another day to continue adventuring with us.

We had to plan the next couple days of our trip around our visits to the U.S. Consulate in Barcelona, which according to the website, is one of the oldest United States consular presences in the world. Barcelona’s consular office covers the regions of Catalonia, Aragón, and the small independent Principality of Andorra, and was established in 1797, not long after the United States itself became a nation. Unsurprisingly, the offices were closed on the 26th for the Christmas holiday. So on the 27th, we started off for Barcelona before sunrise to make sure we were in the front of the line. It took about an hour-and-a-half after the consulate opened for us to apply for emergency passports, even being about fifth in line. But even this was not too bad. After filing our forms, we spent part of the day in the city, shopping and doing some sightseeing. We then took the scenic route back to Girona, stopping at beautiful beach towns along the Costa Brava. While still feeling a bit icky about the whole thing, we were able to have some lovely adventures. We had to return the next day to pick up the passports; however, we were planning on going to Barcelona anyway for a paella cooking class and for the siblings to spend some quality time seeing the city’s historic landmarks and the big Sephora with a slide. So this ended up not being an inconvenience, other than making a stop at the consulate, and thankfully, the pick up was pretty easy.

Some things to consider:

Situational awareness is very important no matter where you adventure. While Barcelona especially is notorious for theft, this could really happen anywhere. There were a series of missteps that lead up to the thefts of our backpacks, and I believe part of the issue was the fatigue of travel and the lateness of the hour due to the delays. Unfortunately, this was used to our disadvantage. Be sure to keep all important items, such as wallet, phone, and passport close to your person, and not in a back pocket that would be easy to pick.

We knew that holiday travel, especially an arrival on Christmas Eve was going to be tricky. We learned last year that many European cities pretty much shut down in the afternoon for the Christmas holiday. Fortunately, after living in Prague for over the past two years, Emily knew to plan ahead, which is why she and Mees arrived ahead of us. They were able to have groceries and a place for us to crash ready. As Emily irreverently put it, we ‘should not have waited until Mary was ready to start pushing to complete travel plans.’

As American citizens, it was relatively easy to get information regarding emergency passports. We were fortunate there is a Consulate General office in Barcelona, which was not too far from where we were staying. While there was some inconvenience, it could have been worse. If you have the very misfortune of having to go to an embassy or consulate while traveling abroad for a lost or stolen passport, be sure to have your passport number written down and your social security number accessible (memorized is good). Also, any form of ID would also be helpful. We were not allowed to bring our cell phones or other electronic devices in. Fortunately, the police report had our passport numbers, and I had memorized our social security numbers.

The emergency passport took 24 hours to issue, and there were specific hours for filing as well as pick up. At time of publishing, the cost to replace our passports was $165 for ages 16 and up. We were also given instructions to get the emergency passports turned in for regular passports. After we returned home, I sent in the paperwork in preparation for our trip this summer. For Sami, this was opportune; she would have needed a new passport anyway this year. For me, I am losing time, as I had six years left on the old passport- plus my collection of visa stamps from the past several years. It was also nearly $500 USD we had not anticipated spending on this trip, but was absolutely necessary to get home.

The emergency passport is limited to one year, and is not accepted for entry in all countries. For me, as long as we were able to clear passport control in Zurich and gain entry into the United States, we were good. If you are continuing on in your travels, be sure to check the specific entry and exit requirements for the countries you are visiting. It would suck to have spent the time and money and still get stuck.

The information above is specific to American passport holders traveling in Spain. For travelers who hail from other nations abroad, there are about 80 diplomatic agencies in Barcelona. For more information, your country’s embassy or consulate website is likely the best place to consult.

While not wanting to dictate how families should handle finances, I was thankful that Michael and I have separate cards. While we do have a joint account, we also have separate credit accounts. This was really good, because when my cards were stolen, we were still able to access his credit cards. For some transactions, Emily and Mees were able to pay, and because I still had my phone, I was able to transfer funds via Venmo and our banking apps.

The Policía Nacional were able to get ahold of us because of the information on my Turkish Airlines luggage tag I keep on my work backpack. It was not something I really thought about since my first trip through Istanbul when I put it on the bag more for kicks and giggles than anything else, and then left it on in the years that followed. I figured it was good to keep it as a distinguishing marker so that a plain black bag doesn’t get mixed up, especially when I’m traveling for work. I didn’t know it would come in so handy, and I am glad that Michael had written his phone number on the tag. Thus, having all luggage and personal items labeled with current information is a good idea.

There were many lessons more learned on this particular trip. Perhaps the most important lesson for me was the confirmation that when we work together as a family, we really can grow in resilience and perhaps paradoxically, even closer as a family. While I am still feeling a bit raw from the experience, I have faith that one day, this will be a story told with laughs and some dramatic interpretation. Because life is an adventure- and sometimes misadventure- meant to be shared.