How do you prepare for things going wrong overseas?
October 20th, 2009No matter how perfectly you try and plan your trips, things can go wrong…
…the trick is to be prepared to solve the problems quickly when it happens.
Obviously having your Mobal World Phone is a great way to help solve problems, but do you have any other tips of how you prepare for potential problems…
Leave your tips as a comment below…
November 2nd, 2009 at 6:24 pm
ALWAYS be prepared in case you lose your passport. Take at least one photocopy of the first two pages and keep them separate; take another government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license, kept separate from your passport; and keep a list of the U.S. embassy telephone numbers for all cities/countries to be visited. If you lose your passport, call the embassy for instructions, then go early in the morning (most replacement offices close before noon), take at least $100 in cash, and leave or check ALL baggage, camera bags, etc., some place else–the embassies will keep only small items such as cell phones while you get your temporary replacement. (Consulates cannot give you a replacement, but can accept applications; the replacement will be sent to your hotel address.)
November 2nd, 2009 at 6:40 pm
We recently took an Asian cruise. We took every kind of medication one could possibly need. The county travel clinic even prescribed medications so we were able to cover traveler’s diarehhea, colds, flu etc. We had received the hepatitis A and B shots and typhoid innoculations before leaving as suggested by the travel clinic. Ones private Dr. cannot give these so it is a good idea to contact a state or county travel clinic to see what may be needed in certain areas of the world. We took wraps for spains, and masks for clean air. We were lucky in needing none of these things, but it is best to be prepared for anything one can think of.
November 2nd, 2009 at 6:46 pm
I always worry about illness in a strange place. I carry cold pills, anti-diarrhea medicine, mosquito repellent, antibotic prescription, etc. I’ve never had a problem and medical care is usually available, but prepare for the worst as they say. I also carry the number and email address of medical folks at home.
If you are taking prescription(s)drugs, carry them in the original bottle. And don’t put them in your checked luggage…which might get lost. I absolutely believe in travel insurance after my mother fell in Africa and had a $3000 plus hospital bill…paid with her credit card. Her travel insurance paid ever cent of the bill! Keep all the receipts. You will enjoy your trip more if you are well prepared!
November 2nd, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Travel medical insurance is a must. Accidents happen and if you need to be flown out or hospitalized, the expense could diminish any future travel plans once you recover from your injuries.
November 2nd, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Always leave another copy of your passport or other important documents back in the US with someone who can send them via email or fax in case everything gets stolen or destroyed. That is a life saver.
Before you leave contact your bank & credit card companies to let them know you will be traveling abroad — especially if you don’t do that often. I know people whose banks have suspended transactions for them due to concerns about fraud.
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Don’t be misled by the those who who tell you to decline travel insurance! Illnesses, accidents, medical emergencies and inconveniently expensive mishaps (lost luggage, travel delays, missed connections) DO happen on vacation just as easily as at home….and they can happen to our loved ones back home as well, which means we may need to cut our own vacation short to get back in a hurry. When these problems occur on a vacation abroad, your own resources can be limited (who is responsible? who do you call? how do you pay?). A travel protection policy gives you access to a 24-hour worldwide phone number you can call for assistance and advice if you need emergency surgery on your ankle because you stepped off a curb the wrong way, or if your mom back home has a stroke and you need to get back there NOW, or even if you simply miss your flight and need to change your ticket and stay an extra night. Could you afford to pay out of pocket for the broken ankle or to take a loss on all your hotel and touring reservations and re-purchase an airline ticket to fly home immediately? Travel protection gives you peace of mind and resources at your immediate disposal to handle any unexpected emergency that threatens your vacation. Most travel protection policies can now be customized so that you only pay for the protection that suits your needs. Don’t leave yourself stranded and without resources if an emergency should dare to rear its ugly head on your vacation.
November 3rd, 2009 at 2:03 am
I’m tempted to give a pat answer like “duct tape,” “bungee cord,” “antibiotics,” “ATM card,”etc., but in truth, no matter how prepared you might be, there is always something unforeseen lurking out there. Therefore, I suggest that one should take with him a flexible spirit, a stoic attitude, and a merry heart. These have seen us through: being stranded late at night on the island of Crete without a car (long story) and having to completely re-work our itinerary around public transportation; a bad case of shingles at the beginning of a month-long driving trip; lost luggage in Turkey; our ticketed airline went bankrupt three days before our overseas flight; and numerous other irritating events, none of which made us cancel our trips and which led in some instances to an even better experience. Yes, take precautions as mentioned above but, above all, be flexible and creative.
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:09 am
When my husband fell down a flight of stairs in our Venice hotel, we had to navigate our way via water bus to the local hospital and then find the emergency room in a maze of buildings. Be sure that you know the local words for “emergency”–fortunately our guide book contained them. Add emergency to the list with hello, good morning, thank you, etc.
November 10th, 2009 at 4:52 am
Put a copy of your itinerary in each piece of luggage with your international cell phone and hotel telephone numbers in case of lost luggage. Our luggage was set aside twice on one trip and my red ribbons with plastic hearts caught everyone’s attention so much that as soon as I described my standard black luggage but with the red hearts, they knew exactly where it was.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:28 am
I recommend “The Wordless Travel Book” by Jonathan Meader, published by Ten Speed Press. It’s a small, plastic-coated booklet that has pictures of things you might need to say/ask. Such as hospital, restroom, food, taxi, ambulance, police, church, hotel, whatever. It’s actually very thorough and has some real specific stuff in it. (I guess if you’re actually living there — I mean who needs a muffin tin or vice grips on a trip?) Obviously it’s best to know key words in the language of the place(s) you’re visiting, but that’s not always practical if the language is relatively obscure, or you’re just passing thru, or you’re visiting quite a few countries on your itinerary. Like everything else listed above, it’s just insurance. It’s lightweight, it fits in your pocket, and it don’t need batteries.