Lost my laptop in a coffee shop in Lisbon and had to start over

I was at this busy place near Time Out Market and got up to grab a pastry. Came back 5 minutes later and my bag was gone with my work laptop, passport, and charger. Had to spend 2 days at the embassy and borrow a friend's old Chromebook just to submit my freelance deadlines. Has anyone else had their whole setup vanish like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

michaeltorres1mo ago

Went through this exact nightmare in Barcelona last year. I left my backpack at a cafe table for maybe 90 seconds while I went to grab napkins and someone just walked off with it. Had my passport, a brand new MacBook I'd bought two weeks before, and my whole life pretty much. Spent three days at the consulate, had to cancel all my cards, and ended up buying a cheap Android phone just to get my two-factor codes back. Worst part was losing a months worth of client notes and drafts that I hadn't backed up yet. Still get paranoid every time I sit down in a cafe now.

anderson.piper29d ago

Oh man. It's like a rite of passage for anyone who travels with expensive gear. You get up for one second and the universe just decides to humble you. @ellioth37 is right, it changes you. I'm now that weirdo who loops my backpack strap around my ankle even when I'm just sitting at a table eating a sandwich. I had a laptop get snatched from a hostel common room in Rome while I literally was pouring coffee two feet away. Had to explain to a client that their quarterly report was on a machine now with some pickpocket in a different country.

ellioth371mo ago

Did you ever get paranoid about it long term? I used to be one of those people who thought leaving a bag for a minute was totally fine but after my phone got swiped at a food court I pretty much changed overnight. Now I take my bag with me even if I'm just going two steps away for a napkin.