Dealing with emergencies while travelling preparation · Preparation in Dealing with emergencies while travelling
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Preparation in Dealing with emergencies while travelling
Preparation in Dealing with emergencies while travelling
Health insurance Carry your insurance card with you. Inquire about what coverage you have internationally: most likely you will need to take out specialist travel insurance. In some countries, medical costs are very low. However, many overseas hospitals will insist on having payment for services before providing (or continuing) medical care. Having an insurance card may show the hospital that you have sufficient resources to provide medical care, even if you have no money on hand.
Medevac insurance Medevac means "Medical Evacuation". This is the process of chartering a special jet with medical personnel to bring you back from wherever you are to the nearest country with decent medical care or your home country, where medical care may be better and where your friends and family can be near. The price of this can be extremely high if you're crossing oceans: $500,000 is not uncommon, and many insurers recommend having coverage of up to $1,000,000. Medevac coverage or a separate Medevac policy is a good idea, particularly if you are going to spend a long time abroad.
Important phone numbers There is no substitute for knowing the emergency phone numbers of the country you're in. Carry in your wallet the local phone numbers for emergency services, such as ambulance or police. On GSM phones, the number 112 is guaranteed to connect to emergency services, no matter what country you're in. In a pinch, you can also try 911, which many countries forward to the local number. Travel insurers often have a 24 hour reverse charges helpline. Also carry the phone number of your country's embassy and your credit and ATM card issuer (they may even have a reverse charges number) so that you can report a card stolen or find out why it isn't working.
Leave copies of your plans with someone at home. They should have your itinerary, copies of your identity documents and details of your insurance policies. You should give them an idea of how often to expect contact. This will help them find you and/or get you consular and medical assistance if you can't get it yourself.
Carry money wisely and in multiple forms Carrying all your money in one wallet can wreak havoc on your trip if the wallet is lost or stolen. Spread out your money, both on your person and in your bags. Furthermore, try to have multiple financial resources available. For example, a budget traveller might take a supply of cash for most ordinary purchases, keep an ATM or debit card for cash withdrawals, and carry a credit card or two for emergencies or to buy airline tickets. Each of these (cash, credit cards, ATM card) can themselves be a separate means of getting money. Keep them in safe places, but split between your bags and your person.
Know the lingo Be able to say, "I need help, Please call police" in the local language (or carry a card with the words in local script).
Know yourself, know your locale Emergency response standards and medical care vary enormously around the world. Be realistic on what you can handle. In dangerous countries, such as war zones, know where it is safe to get help.
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Dealing with emergencies while travelling Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.