Nashville: The Case of the Lost License

The title of this post kind of gives it away, but I lost my license while traveling to Nashville.

My dad woke up nice and early to give my wife and me a ride to the airport. He dropped us off and gave us hugs goodbye.

I had my license when going through security and put it back in my pocket after the body scanner.

We found our gate and my wife left to go to the bathroom while I got her a bagel to eat at an airport deli.

Soon enough our plane arrived. We boarded and watched some movies while flying out to Tennessee.

We got off the plane in Nashville, walked to the baggage claim, and waited for our bags. It took awhile so I went to the bathroom by the baggage claim.

After getting our luggage we went over to the rental car location and got in line for our car. Once we got to the front I dug around in my pockets and realized, “My license isn’t here!”

Thoroughly searching my pockets, wallet, backpack, and the folder I kept our travel reservations in revealed nothing. No license.

Going to the lost and found by the baggage claim, nothing.

Going back into the bathroom I’d used while waiting for our luggage, nothing.

Talking to the airline lost and found and getting them to search the plane we were on, nothing.

Out of options, my wife ended up being the driver for our trip.

We got to the hotel and I tried a few more things to at least locate my license and secure a replacement.

I called the San Francisco airport lost and found to see if my ID fell out by that bagel place and someone had turned it in, nothing.

I contacted the California DMV and after negotiating their phone tree for about an hour I got them to send me a temporary license by fax to our hotel.

The license did not arrive next morning as they promised, so I called again and they sent it within a few hours.

With the temporary license we returned to the car rental place to get me added as a driver.

California Temporary License — You didn’t think I’d post my license information on the Internet, did you?

Unfortunately, a temporary California driver’s license does not come with a picture. Without a picture the rental car people were unable to “verify my identity” right as it says on that piece of paper there.

And of course my picture on my student IDs was no good. The dozen or so insurance, credit, and debit cards I have in my wallet wouldn’t do. My wife vouching for me wouldnt cut it. A picture of an expired license on my phone wasn’t good enough either. Apparently the only thing that can verify my identity to the satisfaction of the rental car company is the one thing I lost.

Please note that not even TSA is this strict. I still plan on flying home and as their website states, security will ask me extra questions and it’ll take longer, but I should still get through.

In the meantime my wife has gotten to practice her driving skills (I’m usually the one that drives) and I’ve gotten to practice my navigating skills (she’s the one that usually navigates).

It’s worked out so far! The last hurdle to jump is getting through TSA, then we’ll be home free (quite literally).

-GoCorral