Long-Term Survival

You need to survive in the short term with food and shelter. But you also need long-term survival, which means you may need to get some work done. The most important thing for many people is the ability to send and receive e-mail. So make sure your phone can get work e-mail via an installed application or an online e-mail service.

One of the most battery-saving ways to send e-mail through a phone is with Jott, a free service that records your voice and transcribes it into text, which you can send to yourself or to your contacts. By setting up contacts in advance, sending e-mail becomes just like leaving voice mail.

You can also use Jott to update Google Calendar, just by talking. Incidentally, it's a great idea if possible to use Google Calendar or some other online calendaring site, or at least synchronize your regular calendar with one of them. That way, you'll always be able to access your business appointments no matter what.

You can also find computers in hotel business centers, airports and in random locations at cybercafés. If you had the foresight to keep backups on your phone, you'll be able to access to your data through the same standard USB cable you use to charge the phone.

You can also use services like SugarSync to gain access to literally all your files and data. But you'll have to subscribe and set it up in advance.

Getting Out Alive

Airport check-in and airport security need to see your identification before they let you fly, so how can you get out of the city without ID?

The little-known truth is that you can fly domestically without it. (In fact, there's an entire blog devoted to flying without ID.) Just make sure you arrive at the airport earlier than usual—three hours before your flight is safe—and explain your situation both to the check-in desk and to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) people.

They may resist and deny your request, but they'll almost certainly accommodate you eventually. TSA will probably subject you to additional screening. But remain polite and persistent, and you'll get your boarding pass and make it through security and on that airplane home.