Last year, I left my bank card in an ATM in Valladolid, 6 hours before my prepaid bus to Merida. The ATMs give you money then your card but at home, in Australia, you get your card before the money. This wasn't my first trip to Mexico and I was well aware of this. I was just distracted.

My plan to work around this was to set up a Western Union account and send myself money. There were no fees on the first transfer and an OK exchange rate. Initially, my bank blocked my attempts, thinking it was suspicious. After calling them, we sorted it out and I transferred 13000mxn. I withdrew this from the closest Western Union branch, which was a shady looking pawn shop. The walk home felt uncomfortable, I was very anxious and my hostel was the other side of a small red light area.

My bank suggested 3 weeks to get me a new card (but I also had access to the new digital card). That coincided with me landing in Bogota. So, I ordered it to my first hostel in Colombia. It feels like the story should have an epic climax here, but it all went super smoothly. Smoother than I expected losing a card abroad. It arrived in an envelope inside a fairly tamperproof envelope, I felt safe that it hadn't had its details taken. I continued travelling for another 3 months before having to head home.