No matter how well you plan for your trip will sometimes be confronted with an emergency when traveling abroad. This can be scary when you are in a foreign country,and you do not have family and friends around.
An emergency abroad can paralyze your trip,and you can find yourself stranded with nowhere to go. Emergencies take different forms; it can be a terrorist attack, landslides, floods, disease outbreak, election violence, or political unrest. You can find yourself in the middle of all this.
While it is hard to know what kind of emergencies might come up in a country, you can follow the tips listed below to keep yourself safe before help comes.
Travel Advisories
You can know which countries are a terrorist threat by following travel advisories issued by your government. The State Department can advise against visiting a country or from going to certain areas of a country. Your country is well versed with global terrorist threats to offer insight into what is going on in a particular country – take their advice keenly. When visiting a foreign country inform your embassy of your arrival so that they can look for you in case of evacuations. When visiting Brazil ensure that you have applied for your Brazil e visa click here for more information.
Be informed on Current affairs
You should regularly watch news from across the globe. This keeps you informed on what is going on around the world. Countries that suffer from political unrest often have polarized elections going on. It would be wise to avoid these countries until political temperatures have subsidized. Natural calamities while considered emergencies are not difficult to predict. Certain regions in the world are more prone to hurricanes and tornadoes than others. You should do your research online on some of these calamities so that you are not caught unawares.
Stay out of trouble
You can do this by staying informed on trouble spots in your travel destination. Avoid these areas. If you get caught up in skirmishes, call your embassy. Your embassy website often has information on how to keep yourself out of trouble.
Carry money in multiple places
Avoid carrying all your documents, Identity cards, ATMs, and cash in one place. If your wallet or backpack gets lost, you will find yourself in a dilemma. Avoid withdrawing a lot of money when you are not familiar with a city – there could be pickpockets watching you.
Medical emergencies
Carry your personal information when traveling abroad. This will help in rescue efforts should you fall sick and become unconscious. Check with your medical provider whether they provide evacuation cover. Should you fall ill while abroad, inform your embassy or consulate on the hospital, you are in. If you are in a stable condition call your family members as soon as possible. It is also vital that you select a suitable hospital for treatment.
Robberies and Assault
The local police deal with robberies,and you will need to make a report with them first. Should they turn out not cooperative you can inform your consulate or embassy. Filing an offense with police will help you with follow up. The police will also help you if you have lost your passport or ID. When traveling abroad avoid streets known for gang violence and pickpockets. Hotel staff and your consulate will help you with this.
Learning basic local language phrases
It is vital that you learn some basic local language phrases such as help, thank you or hello. This phrases not only help you make a bond with the local people but they came in handy when you are in an emergency. It also helps you when you are purchasing items in the local stores. In the 19thcentury, you needed to get a translator or buy a book to learn the local dialects. In our age, all that you need is to download an app,and it can do the translation for you. Learning these phrases will help you when you get lost, when there is a natural calamity like a flood. Note down the most essential phrases so that you do not forget them.
Have Emergency cash with you always
ATMs can go offline during an emergency,and if you do not have available cash, you can find yourself stranded. Convert your cash to the local currency as soon as possible. Ready cash will help you navigate through the city during an emergency. However, do not withdraw a lot of money because this will attract the wrong kind of people. You can leave some cash in your hotel room safe in case your wallet gets stolen. Avoid walking unfamiliar streets with expensive jewelry – lock them up in your room.
Make Extra copies of essential documents
It is paramount that you make photocopies of your most important documents like passport, ID, driving license among others. This will come in handy when you lose the originals. You will also need some form of identification when you are filling a report with the police. If you happen to lose your passport when traveling overseas the first step is to get an abstract from the local police. Inform your embassy who may require you to fill out some forms. They will often issue you with a temporary passport while you wait for another passport to be processed back home. Every embassy has it set of rules and conditions for getting a temporary passport,but many follow the procedure stated above. If you are planning on traveling to Brazil ensure that you get your Brazil e visa online. You cannot enter Brazil without this document.
Conclusion
Smart Traveler enrollment program can be scary when an emergency occurs. To be on the safe side ensure that you are familiar with current affairs and have visited your State Department website for any travel advisories. Carry with you emergency numbers that can be used to call your next of kin in case you are unconscious. Inform your embassy of your arrival so that they can keep you in mind during emergency evacuations.
