Traveling is supposed to be carefree and fun. But problems, and sometimes tragedies, can arise when least expected. It is important to protect yourself in case of problems, before they happen. This is not only vital for you but also your loved ones, as well.
Here are four things to be sure to do before traveling into any foreign country:
- Get international health insurance: A friend of mine had a horrible experience happen to him that I think will help prove this point. While traveling in Bariloche, Argentina his body became racked with pain and he had to go to the hospital. He went to the nicest one in the town. The nurse escorted him quickly to a doctor who gave him the news that he would need to have his appendix out as soon as possible. They could operate immediately. That is, until they found out he didn’t have local or international insurance. He had a credit card, cash and insurance in the United States but none of it was of use to the hospital. They couldn’t accept payment other than insurance. He had to go to the local hospital that was run down, crowded and not entirely sanitary. If he had purchased International health insurance he would have been accepted in the hospital of his choice thus avoiding a not-so-great situation.
- Always travel with copies of emergency contact information: I have another experience that helped me to learn this one. I was an Emergency Medical Technician for a mountain bike race in Costa Rica. On the second day of the race one of the racers didn’t show up for the start. I found him in his room unconscious, near death. He had depleted sodium levels because of over exertion and needed immediate attention. But because he was unconscious we were not able to find any information on him. The hospital would not work on him until we had a valid credit card number and had talked to kin. We finally found a number on a scrap piece of paper tucked deep in his wallet. If it wasn’t for the little, torn piece of paper I am positive this man would be dead. Always have your information and next of kin information with you at all times. It could be your voice when you are unable to speak.
- Always make a photocopy of your passport: this is an important lesson and one that is not fun to learn the hard way. If your passport is lost or stolen and you have no way of proving your identity, the time and frustration of replacing it will far exceed the time it took to make a photocopy. Having proof in the form of a photocopy can save hours of headaches.
- Let your credit card company know that you are traveling: It can be embarrassing and frustrating trying to pay for something only to find out that your card had been denied. Why? Because you didn’t let Mastercard or Visa know that you were going abroad. Foreign purchases raise a yellow flag of possible fraud when expenditures show on your report. Just let them know ahead of time and they will make a note on your file.
These are a few pointers that will make any traveling experience more enjoyable. Happy traveling!