When you’re planning a trip, getting injured probably isn’t on your itinerary, but it happens sometimes. Dealing with the after effects of an injury is difficult enough when you’re at home but those challenges are doubled if it happens when you’re abroad. But if you plan for it properly when you’re organizing your trip, you can make it far less stressful. Here’s how to deal with getting injured when you’re traveling.
Image SourceGet Insurance
This is the most important piece of planning that you need to do before you set off. If you don’t have travel insurance and you get injured, you’ll end up having to find a hospital and pay a lot of money for any treatment that you need. Make sure that you take out a comprehensive insurance policy that covers you for both illness and injury while you’re away. It’s also worth paying a little extra for a policy that will refund you the rest of the accommodation costs if you have to cut your trip short.
Have A Plan For Getting Home
If you get a serious injury while you’re away you might end up being in hospital for quite a while. Spending that time in hospital abroad causes all sorts of problems. The doctors don’t have any of your medical history so treating you is harder. If your family wants to stay out there with you that’s going to cost a lot of money as well, but they can’t just leave you alone. Check out the air evac links page to find out how you can get medical evacuation services. They’ll be able to pick you up and transport you back to a hospital back home where it’s easier to get treatment and your family can be close by.
Know The Dangers Of The Country
The best way to deal with injuries abroad is to avoid them in the first place. That’s not always possible but you can take steps to reduce the risk. Before you go to a country, look into what dangers are there. For example, if you’re going to a country with a lot of colorful wildlife there’s a danger of insect or animal bites that you should be aware of. Or if you’re going to a country with extreme temperatures, take measures to protect yourself against that. You should also work out where the nearest hospitals in the area are so you can get there quickly should one of you get injured.
Learn The Language
If you do end up getting injured, you’ll need to get yourself to a hospital right away. Knowing where it is is a good start but if you’re seriously injured you’ll need an ambulance. That means speaking with operators that might not necessarily speak English. It’s always handy to learn a bit of the language anyway, but it’s particularly important that you learn a few basic phrases that you’ll need if you’re calling an ambulance.
Nobody likes the idea of planning for an injury while they’re away, but if it happens and you’re unprepared, you’ll kick yourself.
