Sooner or later some travelers will encounter emergency situations abroad. Dealing with serious injuries, illnesses, attacks, or even just running out of funds is never a pleasant situation. However, a little preparation beforehand can help you better prepare and cope with the situations that life throws at you.
Prepare
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- medical insuranceUsually carry your medical insurance card with you, if you have one. Ask about your international insurance coverage: most likely you need to purchase travel insurance. Medical expenses are very low in some countries. However, many overseas hospitals insist on paying service fees before providing (or continuing) medical services. Even if you don't have money on hand, the details of your insurance policy can show the hospital that you have sufficient resources to provide them with medical services. existEuropean Union, The European Economic Area andSwitzerlandCitizens of any EU/EEA country are treated like locals in any emergency, which usually means cheap or even free medical care because they hold a European health insurance card (most of these countries You can get it for free).
- Medical evacuation. This process is to charter a special plane and medical staff to take you back from any place to the country closest to you. It will provide you with decent medical services. The medical services there may be better, and your friends and family can. Accompany you nearby. If you are performing this service across the ocean, the $500,000 cost is not surprising. Many insurance companies recommend a maximum insurance coverage of $1 million. Medical helicopter coverage or a separate medical helicopter policy is a good idea, especially if you are going to spend a long time abroad.
- Nothing compares to your countryEmergency numbermore important. Please remember the police and ambulance numbers of the country you are visiting. On a GSM phone, no matter which country you are in,112This number is guaranteed to be connected to emergency services. In a pinch, you can also try to dial911, Many countries forward to local numbers. Travel insurance companies usually have a 24-hour reverse toll hotline. Also bring the phone number of your country’s embassy, as well as your credit card and ATM card issuing machine (they may even have a reverse spending number), so you can report similar credit card theft or find out the credit card The reason for the failure.
- Leave a copy of your plan with someone in the family. They should have your itinerary, a copy of your identification document and the details of your insurance policy. You should tell them the frequency of contact. This can help them find you, or if you can't find it yourself, you can seek consular and medical assistance.
- Please spread your money to various places as much as possible. If your only wallet is lost or stolen, then it will be a very unpleasant experience. For example, a budget traveler might bring some for most daily shoppingcash,useATMordebit cardWithdraw cash and bring one or twocredit cardTo deal with emergencies or to buy air tickets. Each (cash, check, bank card, etc.) itself can be used as a separate withdrawal method. Put them in a safe place, but put them between your bag and your body.
- Know how to useLocal languageSay "I need help, please call the police" (or prepare a piece of paper in advance and write this sentence in the local language).
- Know where you are. Emergency response standards and healthcare vary greatly around the world. Be realistic about what you can handle. In dangerous countries likeWar zoneOr tropical diseases, earthquakes orbad weatherWhere the incident occurred, please prepare and act accordingly, and know where you can safely get help.
- Please understand the local laws, you are all responsible for understanding and observing the local laws, and ignorance is rarely accepted as an excuse for breaking the law. Unless you haveDiplomatic immunityIf you are arrested for violating the laws of a country, you will have to go through the local judicial process. In general, you will be punished according to the local laws, even if the punishment is more than you were convicted of the same crime in the country The punishment received was much harsher.
Medical emergency
- If you are suddenly injured or attacked, please seek help as much as possible. If you can, dial the emergency service yourself. If you are injured, go to any clinic or hospital as soon as possible. Once your condition stabilizes, you can transfer to hospital at any time.
- If your condition is stable, you have some time to make a wise choice of which hospital to go to. Call the embassy or consulate of your country and ask about the hospital recommended by the embassy or the hospital used by its staff. Even in third world countries with poor health care, there are usually only a few hospitals that meet international standards. Please find out where they are. Your insurance company can also make recommendations.
- Otherwise, please inform your family as soon as possible.
natural disaster
- The foreign environment usually means risks that you have never experienced. In our country entry, the safety section usually mentions what kind of dangers you may encounter.
- For weather phenomena, check what time of year is the best time to access and track weather reports. Things like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions can happen surprisingly, but the authorities usually know when there is a serious risk (the worst accidents happen at any time in decades).
- If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t know how to act, chances are you will do something unwise. Know in advance what to do when a disaster occurs and prepare accordingly.
Assault and robbery
- See:stay safe
Even if you think they will not take any action, you need to report to the police because you need the police report to process any insurance claims. In a third world country, if you are not sure about the reliability of the local police, you should first report the situation to your embassy or consulate. This may help you notify the police and assist, if you need help, you can also notify your family.
In extreme emergency situations, most countries provide services such as shelters for battered women and shelters for the homeless. These services are generally not recommended (because they are for local residents), but if your only other option is to sleep on the street, just ask, because they are better than nothing.
Traveler assistance
In the U.S., Canada and Australia,Traveler AidCan provide assistance to travelers who need any form of assistance. Volunteers work at the counters in many airports. They can answer regular questions (for example, what is the most convenient or cheapest way to travel from the airport to the city center), and sometimes provide referrals to other social service organizations or emergency services Serious crises such as poverty, homelessness or human trafficking.
What can your embassy do
- See:diplomatic corps
The quick answer is far below your expectations - especially, they will never pay a penny for any expenses caused by the emergency - but their assistance is still valuable. These services can also be provided by consulates and related countries (e.g. embassies for citizens of the Commonwealth and European Union).
- If you lose your passport, your embassy can make a new passport for you, usually very quickly. You usually need a police report, and a copy of the lost passport can be very helpful. This will charge a certain fee. Please note that sometimes the quick passport conversion is temporary. Once you get home, you may need to convert to a regular passport, which will cause a certain degree of trouble.
- If you have reported that your passport is stolen or lost and you find it again afterwards, do not try to use it again. In order to prevent passports from being misused, Interpol’s database will record all stolen/lost passports. Anyone who tries to use these passports to enter a country will be very suspicious.
- If you are the victim of a crime, your embassy can help you contact lawyers, translators and police. They will not pay any fees.
- If you lose all your money, in extreme cases, your embassy may arrange to send you home. This is the last resort (they will try to contact friends/relatives and ask them to wire the money first), and when you come back, you will have to pay for these costs with a profit.
- If you are arrested, you have the right to obtain consular assistance. This means that the embassy can provide you with a list of lawyers and translators and contact your family. The embassy cannot pay fines or legal fees, cannot help you get out of jail, cannot interfere with the judicial process of the host country, or try to protect you from local laws.
- If you are hospitalized, the embassy can notify the insurance company or your relatives. They can't pay the bills for you.
- If you die, the embassy will confirm your identity, contact your relatives and collect documents. They cannot pay for expenses such as funerals or transporting the remains.
- If there is a sudden outbreak of war or very serious civil unrest, the embassy may organize evacuation flights for you, other citizens, and others for whom they may be responsible. Whether this will happen depends on the judgment of your government, but at least, they can help your family understand your latest situation and provide you with some emergency travel arrangements when you want to go home.
If you have the citizenship of the country where you are currently located, even if you are also a citizen of the country where the embassy is located, the embassy usually cannot help you with legal matters.
Alms
- See:currency
Assuming someone is willing to send you money, there are several ways you can receive money at a critical juncture.
- Send someone directlydepositorwire transferMoney to your bank account. Then use your bank card to withdraw money. This is the lowest cost way to get money. Suppose you have someone willing to deposit to you, and you have your own account!
- Western UnionNot the cheapest way to send money, but it is popular because of its convenience and the fact that Western Union has offices in many cities around the world.
- Credit card available throughATM(If you get a personal password) or pick up cash in person at a participating bank branch (in many countries, it is becoming more and more dedicated to ATMs). Before attempting to do this, we strongly recommend that you contact your credit card company and ask about the charges at your destination and participating banks. Many credit card companies charge a 3% advance payment and calculate interest from that date.
- Federal ExpressAnd other courier companies officially refused to mail cash in the envelope. But because the delivery is very reliable, many people choose to send the right amount of money in an overnight envelope. Delivery time is generally one to five days, depending on your location. Please note that this may be illegal in some countries.
- OCS Trust AccountIt is an official service through which American citizens can receive money sent by friends or relatives through the American Embassy. The fee for an OCS trust account is $30, plus wire transfer fees. This method allows the remitter to specify exactly how to use the money: for example, if the remitter specifies that the money is used to buy a flight home, then the money is used for the purchase, not for other purposes. Due to fees and complexity, OCS trust accounts are usually only used in extreme emergency situations, such as the recipient cannot go to the bank or Western Union office in person.