How to Find Help in a Foreign Country

International travel is always an exhilarating experience. That excitement, on the other hand, can be quickly sidelined when crisis situations arise overseas. Pre-trip planning will send you off thoroughly prepared for a variety of emergency scenarios. Having done your travel homework will greatly reduce stress and save time if you need to find help in a foreign country.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Explore the Internet for information on a variety of resources in the area you will be visiting. Print contact information (address, phone, email, website) for the nearest U.S. Embassy, western-style medical and dental facilities, airports and train stations, as well as public transportation routes and schematics.
2. Prepare three sets of vital trip information. Put one in your carry-on, one in your checked luggage, and one to leave behind with a stateside contact. Be sure to include copies of the photo page of your passport, your visa, your travel insurance documents, extra medication prescriptions and your airline and other transportation tickets.
3. Check the travel and business section of the U.S. State Department homepage for travel updates on your destination. This website contains a wealth of information for Americans traveling overseas. Brief yourself on issues such as lost passports and visas, travel tips, and strategies for handling a large range of unfortunate events. Add the Hotline for American Travelers phone number, [phone], to your packets of information. Take a moment to register yourself online with the U.S. Embassy in your travel country.
4. Enroll in a comprehensive travel insurance plan. Most medical insurance policies do not cover illness and injury overseas--check your personal policy. Investigate travel insurance options on the Internet that will provide adequate medical coverage, medical evacuation and transport of remains in the event of death. Travel insurance will also provide assistance with lost travel tickets, lost travel documents, and trip interruption. Purchase of a travel insurance policy must be done before the traveler leaves the United States. Travel insurance is very inexpensive and well worth the extra investment.
5. Plan for communication needs, both in-country and to contacts in the States. Explore the Internet for an inexpensive calling plan that your stateside contact can use to reach you overseas. Once at your destination, purchase an affordable calling card that can be used to call the States from where you are. Also prepare yourself with a local calling card or tokens for public phones in the city you are visiting.
6. Make the U.S. Embassy your first point of contact in a foreign country if trouble develops. While the Embassy will assist as much as possible, there may be situations in which you need to seek the help of others as well. Acquaint yourself with a good translator and trusted driver who can assist in a crisis. Use all resources available to you through your travel agency and hotel.
7. Be prepared to pick up and go quickly, whether the need is medical, lost documents, crime-related, political unrest, terrorism or natural disaster. Put together a "grab-and-go" bag that contains all the necessary documents, tickets, and information you need. This bag might be your carry-on or a back pack. It should include a change of clothes in some situations, snacks, medications, water and anything vital to survival and departure. If you actually live overseas, birth certificates, school records, immunization records, banking information and the like should be included. The U.S. State Department website contains evacuation plans for U.S. Employees and the American Red Cross that outline what needs to be in your possession when displaced or leaving a country under unexpected circumstances.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep a copy of the Berlitz Phrase Book with you in the language of your host country.