While getting injured in general is never a fun experience, getting hurt while you’re traveling or on vacation can really be a bummer. Not only is it likely that this will ruin or at least put a damper on your trip, but you’re also not near your normal doctor or in the comfort of your own home while you recover.
Luckily, getting hurt on vacation, be it through a car accident or some other type of problem, doesn’t have to derail your entire trip or your life back home. To show you how you can best roll with the punches in this type of situation, here are three things to do if you get injured while traveling.
Know When You Need Immediate Help
In many instances, you might be reluctant to actually seek medical help if you get hurt while traveling. Especially if your injuries are minor or you assume they’ll take care of themselves in a few days, it makes sense to just wait it out until you get home.
However, there are a few circumstances where you’ll need to seek immediate medical help, regardless of where in the world you might find yourself. According to TravelInsuranceReview.net, situations where you should always seek medical help as soon as possible include getting bitten or scratched by a wild animal, being in a car accident, any type of sexual assault, or having a fever over 102 degrees Farenheit accompanied by diarrhea or blood in your stool.
Have A Plan In Place For Dealing With The Basics
Getting a minor illness or injury can happen to your anywhere. Because of this, it’s important that you’re prepared for how to deal with these types of issues when you’re away from home.
To help you with this, Yahoo! Health advises that you create a plan for what you’ll do if you get minimally sick or injured when you’re traveling. This should include bringing basic medications with you for things like allergies, headaches, scrapes or cuts, upset stomach and more. Just keep these first aid or emergency supplies in your travel bags so you’re always sure you have them with you wherever you go.
Contact Your Embassy Or Consulate In The Event Of Emergencies
For bigger medical emergencies, it can be hard to know what you should do, especially if you’re in another country and don’t even know where to go.
If you find yourself in this type of situation, the CDC shares that the best thing for you to do is to call your embassy or consulate. At the very least, they’ll be able to speak with you in your native language and give you advice on where to go or what doctors to see. And if you need help with an evacuation from the country, they can assist you with this as well.
To help you be prepared for anything when you travel, consider using the tips mentioned above to know how to respond to getting hurt or sick when you’re on a trip.