Just like at home, we’re prone to experiencing emergencies while traveling. Unfortunately, dealing with these emergencies while on a trip is much more difficult than tending to them at home.
Here are five helpful tips for managing common travel emergencies.
1. Carry multiple copies of important documents in case you lose them
Print a photocopy of your government identification, passport, and other credentials. You should also take pictures of each of these forms of identification. If possible, sign up for mobile apps that allow you to present IDs, passports, and the like to necessary parties without needing anything more than your smartphone.
Further, bring along two different debit cards with you, each of which is attached to a different bank than the other. Make sure each checking account has enough money to sustain you throughout your travels. This way, you’ll be able to pay for things using a physical debit card in the event that you lose one of them.
2. In case of a medical emergency, take out a loan
If you don’t have enough money to cover the cost of medical emergencies while traveling, consider logging online and searching for an unsecured medical loan as a means of financial assistance. You could be sent the loan money as soon as the next business day.
3. Utilize mobile payment apps like Samsung Pay or Apple Pay
Mobile payment apps can be tied to various forms of payment to help you securely pay for things without having your bank account information, a physical debit or credit card, or cash.
Criminals often target foreigners because they don’t know much about the areas they’re visiting. As such, criminals benefit from having a home-field advantage when they target tourists. In today’s day and age, many credit card numbers are stolen using skimmers and keypad logging devices.
When shopping abroad, you’re statistically less likely to notice these skimmers and keypad loggers. As such, to stay safe, you should seriously consider signing up for mobile payment apps like Apple Pay and plan on using them when traveling.
4. Last-minute cancellations of hotels and other accommodations
Although travelers think that they have binding agreements with the hotels from which they purchase rooms, though this isn’t true in almost all cases. To prevent getting stuck with rooms of abysmal qualities or having to stay in hostels, look to home-sharing platforms like Airbnb to make sure you’ll have somewhere nice to stay in the event your accommodations get canceled at the last minute.
5. Only consume sterilized, sealed water that is filtered by reverse osmosis while traveling
Although most countries’ public water supplies are clean, every region’s water contains a different profile of bacteria and other microorganisms. These can pose a threat to the stomachs of those from other parts of the world.
You’re most likely not used to the profiles of public water sources in other countries. As such, only consume the safest forms of water. This is the best way to prevent getting food poisoning or otherwise getting sick.