Hi Alison -- it happened to me. I decided to take my chances on
a trip to Italy that began with a stop in London. I arrived at the
counter at the airport and was promptly told my passport was too
damaged and not valid and I would not be allowed to board the
plane. After a major freak out, the agents at the British Airways
counter at JFK said -- fine, you can get on the flight but you're
not going to be allowed to enter the country once you land in
London and they are going to put you on the next flight back which
you will have to pay for.
Decided to go for it. In the airport, found a store selling
crazy glue which helped a bit. I was able to enter the country, and
then travel from London to Naples and then Naples to London and
back to the U.S. but not without being questioned at every single
point extensively. It was scary and made me uneasy every day of our
trip we had to go to an airport (which is not a great experience
under even the best of circumstances). Once I got back to the
States I got a new passport right away. For $100 bucks I never have
to worry again. Well-worth the money and effort to gather the
proper documents. I would say go get a new passport, stat!
better get a new passport to allay your fears once and for
all.
