At this moment in time we were supposed to be nearing Gatwick en route a few days in Barbados. I’d arranged the trip to coincide with Rosies birthday and we’d both been really looking forward to a few days in the sun.

We were woken by the alarm at 4:20am and quickly got ready to head for the first flight of the day, the 06:25 Edinburgh to Gatwick that was the start of our journey. I was just getting ready to put the bags in the car when I had a final check of my passport – but where was it? The bottom of my stomach fell…

Given how much I travel for work the passport is something I take great care over. It has “its place” in my bag and never leaves except to be given to immigration officials. When I travel without my usual bag the passport is replaced in “its place” as soon as I return home. It’s never out of my possession – so where was it? Even odder, where was the old, defunct passport (with the still valid visas) that wasn’t even removed on our last trip?

After ransacking every concievable place it could be, in the house, the car and all the bags from our last trip, it was nowhere to be found. Phone calls to every airport we last visited and the companies that flew us have turned up no sightings.

As a result of my carelessness we’ve missed the holiday. There is a dark mood of depression filling the house and Rosies eyes that will take a long time to clear. Even worse, I know I’m to blame 🙁

I’ve tried everything, phoned everyone I can think of and am sitting desperately hoping for a solution that deep down I know will not come. Knowing what happened to my passports would help in some small way, but I know nothing can make this right.