Ciao Reader!
I never thought I’d be the one frantically searching for a lost phone in a foreign city, but that’s exactly what happened to me in Pisa.
Here’s the story…
We had just picked up a family member from the Pisa airport, and after a quick taxi ride to the train station, I was ready to hop on a train back to Lucca.
😱 As I reached into my purse to grab my phone for the train tickets, my heart dropped. My phone wasn’t there.
I suddenly remembered I had placed it on my lap when fastening my seatbelt in the taxi, and it must have slid off my lap onto the floor.
Panic set in.
My entire life—tickets, reservations, contacts—was on that phone, and we still had two weeks left in Italy with 12 family members to coordinate!
After frantically trying to call my phone using my sister-in-law’s, checking with the local traffic police, and even having other taxi drivers radio the whole fleet of taxis in Pisa, I felt hopeless.
We missed our train and reluctantly decided to take another taxi back to Lucca, convinced I’d never see my phone again.
🚕 But then, our new taxi driver asked a brilliant question: “Have you tried to ping your phone with the Find My app?”
It hit me—I had completely forgotten I could do that!
I quickly called my daughter back in Lucca, and she used her phone to locate mine.
She found it and pinged it, even with the volume off, so the taxi driver could hear it! My daughter was even able to tell me exactly what street my phone was on at that very moment! 👇🏼
🎉 Thanks to some quick thinking and the kindness of the Italian taxi drivers, 15 minutes later, my old taxi driver pulled up to the station, waving my phone out the window.
The relief I felt was indescribable—I never thought I’d see it again!
So why am I telling you this?
Because this could happen to any of us, anywhere. Whether you’re in Italy or back home, losing your phone is a nightmare.
This is how you can be prepared.
- Set up the Find My app (or equivalent):
- Share your location with Find My: Make sure you’re connected with someone you trust who can locate and ping your phone if you lose it.
- Mark it as lost: If you lost your iPhone or think it might be stolen, Find My can help protect your device, accounts, and personal information. You can also completely erase your phone through the app to protect your personal data.
If you're worried about losing or dropping your phone while traveling (as I clearly should have been!), here are a few handy products that I’ve purchased since then to prevent this from happening again:
- Phone Lanyard: This crossbody lanyard keeps my phone secure (prevents it from slipping on the floor!) when I’m traveling by train or taxi.
- Crossbody Bag: I love this beautiful bag, and the front pocket fits my phone snugly and makes it super easy to grab.
- Silicone Phone Case: The slight grip of this silicone phone case helps prevent my phone from slipping.
If this ever happens to you I hope these tips will save you a lot of stress!
Ci sentiamo presto! (We'll talk again soon!)