Traveling abroad is an exciting adventure that can turn into your most treasured memory – unless it is ruined by an emergency situation. Major natural disasters, terror attacks, transport accidents – these are just a few examples of the ordeals tourists might have to endure when traveling overseas. Some even choose to cancel their long-awaited voyage altogether, losing money on flights and hotel reservations.
From travel insurance and personal alarm service, this guide features a quick rundown of key facts to know about handling life-threatening situations while traveling overseas. Travel safely, armed with these practical tips from the field.
Do Your Research
The first thing you can do to get yourself ready for any emergency is to know how to contact key people and authorities. Save addresses and phone numbers of your embassy and local hospitals – and not just on your phone but have them written down on paper, easily accessible in your pocket. Another important thing is to write the contacts down in the local languages, seeing that you might need all the help you can get from the locals.
Monitor your travel destination for any potential hazards
If only emergency situations could be predicted, overseas travel would become so much safer and enjoyable. In the meantime, try to get as close as you can to identifying locations you should avoid visiting. These could be certain regions or city districts known for street violence outbreaks, or cities with raving public protests and deteriorating infrastructure.
Install a personal alarm service
Luckily, modern technology is right there at your fingertips to help you stay in touch with people that can take care of you when you’re in trouble. A mobile app like a personal alarm service is an absolute must to have on your phone. Such service works in a simple and straightforward way, acting as a kind of red emergency button. It alerts your contacts that you might be in danger if you haven’t been able to connect for a certain period of time.
Buy a travel insurance
Contrary to the common belief, travel insurance doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, some options will only cost you a few dollars per day, while still allowing to compensate you for all sorts of expense: from stolen possessions to emergency healthcare.
From now on, come prepared to meet any emergency situation head-on with these handy and easy-to-do tips.