Traveling often means leaving your comfort zone, but there are also a lot of scenarios in which things could take a turn for the worse. Travel emergencies can sometimes take a turn for the worse, and when that happens, you need to know how to respond to the situation in question. With that in mind, here are the top six travel emergencies that you may encounter on your voyage, as well as a tip or two on how to handle them with the greatest efficiency.
1. Missed flight
Missing a flight is something that can happen even without you doing anything wrong. On your way to the airport, your car may break down, a cab driver may suffer an emergency, or you might get stuck in a traffic jam. Then there are the reasons that are completely your fault like forgetting your flight, getting lost in time, underestimating the distance to the airport or just getting late. If any of these things happen, chances are that you will be able to reschedule your flight with a slight fare adjustment. However, you have to call the airport and do so as soon as possible. Some airlines also have a flat tire rule.
2. Lost ID or passport
The next item on the list of travel nightmares is the lost or misplaced passport. The immediate course of action would be to go to the embassy or consulate right away. The contact info is available online but, just in case, when traveling abroad, it might be a good idea to write the contact info on a piece of paper and memorize it on your phone. This way, you can rest assured, knowing that you can respond in a matter of minutes after you realize they’re gone. Due to the nature of this accident, these instances are treated as an emergency.
3. Vehicle malfunction
If you find yourself in a foreign country or just far away from home, the last thing you want is to have any kind of problem with the vehicle in question. This is especially true if you’re traveling in your personal vehicle. For instance, imagine setting out from your home in Perth and traveling all the way to Sydney in order to have your windshield crack. Such a repair would probably be routine back at home since your car would have an overnight cover, and you would know which serviceman to go to. Fortunately, in the age of the internet, you can easily find a reliable windscreen repairs Sydney service and contact them. Explaining your emergency is supposed to facilitate things.
4. Medical assistance
A medical emergency is always a top-priority matter; however, abroad, it will not be so simple. Your personal physician is far away, your medical card is absent (and in a potentially different language), etc. First, you should check if your medical insurance has a representative abroad. Second, you can still pay for medical care, which is why you should always have an emergency fund of sorts. Keep in mind that in some countries, emergency care is free of charge, but you can’t afford to hope for the best.
5. Lost money
On the road, the majority of people rely on cash payments. You can’t bring enough food to last you the entire journey and chances are that you’ve paid only for the initial part of the accommodation. If you don’t have a return ticket because you had no set plan on when you’ll return, you’ll be in a desperate situation if your money gets stolen. For starters, you should never keep all your cash or your cards in the same spot (wallet, pocket, etc.). Second, you should have an emergency stash at your accommodation (well-hidden). If things are desperate, contacting the embassy is always an option.
6. In need of a legal assistance
Accidents happen, and when spending time in a foreign country, you might break a law you didn’t even know existed. So, what do you do when you’re in legal trouble in a foreign country? Like we’ve mentioned previously, in these types of situations, contacting your embassy or consulate in that country would be the best course of action. From there on, they can provide you with advice and even legal counsel.
While handling each of these situations is more complex than described above, the key of this post was to show you that there’s always a solution to the problem. There’s always a course of action to follow in order to get home safely and mitigate the damage of an on-road emergency. This way, you can set out on the journey with a greater level of confidence. Such a thing would help you enjoy the journey a lot more.
