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What if the worst happens?

There is another post where it is assumed that the RS guide will take care of you in the event of a medical issue. It that is true or not you have to ask RS, but most on the forum travel more than just RS tours. So ......

You are an experienced traveler, so you and your husband didn’t leave home without travel medical and evacuation insurance.

Upon arriving in London, about 10am, your husband saw the prices and had a stroke and fell to the sidewalk. After a few minutes of listening to you screaming, someone called for an ambulance.

The ambulance driver a fine Scottish lad shouted out the name of the hospital and the ambulance sped away. Neither you, nor any of the English present at the site understood a word the Scotsman said.

SCENARIO A
Fortunately the med team stabilized your husband, but he remained unconscious. The nurses searched his pockets to determine who he was. They found a Texas drivers license, a photo copy of a passport, 22 euro (why euro?), an ATM and a credit card, an unmarked plastic room access card and a locked cell phone with a low battery. They have no one to contact so they just keep working on your husband and hope for the best. Sure, yuu signed up with the US State Deprtment and they have emergency contact information, but do you really think the doctor has the time to try and figure out who to call, or even knows that's an option?

You tried calling his phone, but he was in no shape to answer. You didn’t know what to do so you started to return to the hotel, but didn’t have the room key. In the $75 taxi ride you thought to call the US Consulate, but you didn’t know the number. Your phone didn’t have data (only your husband’s phone did to save $50 on the trip), so you would need the hotel Wi-Fi to get online and find the consulate number. At 11:45 you had the number and were making the call. Three transfers and 15 minutes on hold and you had a real person. “Sorry ma’am, you need to come to the consulate to file a report”. 1pm you are at the consulate. Now 3 hours after the incident began. Another 30 minutes of waiting, 30 minutes of paperwork then back to waiting. After an hour you are told that you husband was located. Now, 3pm and you are in another $75 taxi to the hospital. You arrive at 3:30pm. So for 5.5 hours you had no idea if he was even alive.

“Does your husband have private insurance,” you are asked. Yes, but the paperwork is “maybe” in the hotel in the luggage. You are told he will be fine but maybe should be taken home to the states if you have insurance for that…. You do, but not sure he ever printed it out. Somewhere in the email on his now dead phone.

SCENARIO B:
In addition to the Passport, ATM and credit card, room key card, and cash, the nurse found in your husbands pockets a card that said “IN EMERGENCY” which had your emergency contact information and called you immediately. There was also a QR code to a link to a cloud folder with all the insurance and additional emergency contact information in the event you could not be found. Even information on medications taken, conditions, doctors.

The nurse called you and then scanned the QR code and gave the information to the doctor.

In the event that was overlooked, the lock screen on his phone said: “In case of emergency or finding lost phone (50€ reward) call +1 999 555 1212” that being your phone number. Your phone’s start up screen has your husband’s phone number and you both have international service and data.

AND FOR SINGLE TRAVELERS: If you end up in the hospital for several months, who pays the mortgage, who pays the phone and electric bills, taxes, medical bills, medical insurance .... who calls your relatives and friends, where is the Will? Who can dictate your medical care if you can not? Thats another cloud folder and another QR code.

Posted by
3235 posts

Good to know: On an iPhone it is possible to make a call to the emergency contact listed without having to unlock the phone.

Posted by
23177 posts

There are a few ways to do it on an Android too. But I like the in-your-face black lock screen with bold white letters for the emergency and found phone reward. AND the button too.

Some other excellent ideas here: https://firstaidtrainingcooperative.co.uk/set-up-emergency-contacts-on-android/#:~:text=Use%20the%20icon%20to%20the,them%20without%20unlocking%20your%20phone

Not so much an argument of what to do ... lots of options ... more of a reminder to do something .... anything.

Posted by
1276 posts

There would only be a finite number of hospitals that the ambulance could have taken someone. Easy to start making calls. Would have been less of a a timeframe than the scenario took to play out, using a near by Wi-Fi signal.
The scenario is of two parts, the wife finding where her husband was and the patient information to determine who he was.
Ambulances usually do not speed away. They gather info at the scene, at least mechanism of injury, what happened.
However, I do agree that the scenario B might be a good thing to have.
At least this whole problem occurred in London. Imagine if in no English speaking or not even in Europe. So it is not the “worst” happening.
Having experience with a stroke on a bus in Laos, and a broken hip in Taiwan - you figure it out. It is what you have to do.

Posted by
1253 posts

The "worst case" could happen to someone in their hometown, or on a trip in the US. What precautions do people take in their everyday lives for the worst case?

At my age (late 60s), and with my health issues, I no longer travel solo anywhere, not even in the US. If I am not with my wife on a trip, I am at least with one of my adult children (one who is a physician). I take every precaution imaginable in terms of sharing information with my travel partners.

Mr E brings up the very important phone issue. We have all family cell phones on an international data and cellular plan (Verizon). I find it amusing how people twist themselves into knots on this forum over this issue, scheming to save money. To me it is a primary safety issue: what do you rely upon at home for phones? Whatever it costs to have comparable connectivity when abroad, it is just part of the cost of travel to us.

Posted by
23177 posts

What precautions do people take in their everyday lives for the worst
case?

I think the most significant difference is when at home, most of us have a support group. In Tirana it is doubtful. Still, even at home, the basics are the same. The next 10 people that you talk to, ask to see their phone and see how many have the emergency contact set up. Ask to see the emergency information in their wallet. I would be curious how many are prepared at home or while traveling. This may have little impact on the person with the problem, but may have a huge impact on his loved ones who worry.

Posted by
656 posts

Excellent suggestion. I have all that information but it’s in a half dozen places.

“There was also a QR code to a link to a cloud folder with all the insurance and additional emergency contact information in the event you could not be found. Even information on medications taken, conditions, doctors.”

Posted by
8616 posts

I am a solo traveler now. When in Europe, my money belt is worn at all times & in my bedside tray at night. The passport in it has the emergency contact name & phone. Also, I have a Road ID bracelet that states my daughter’s name & phone.

(You’re at home and decide to go for a walk or bike ride. You fall. Do you have any ID or emergency info?)

Have you memorized at least a couple of relatives’ phone numbers if you had to call them? There was a person in a marathon in the US who fell and didn’t know numbers.

And for your last questions about single travelers, thankfully now all of my bills are on autopay, so none of those will be late. And my adult children know exactly where these vital documents are located & what to do. They also are signatories for my safety deposit box at the bank which contains my will & a paper with all of my current passwords for my phone, email, etc.

Mt. E, thanks for the reminder to include a small paper with my purchased travel medical insurance in my money belt, also.

A helpful hint about the hotel: since I switch cities often, I always take a photo of my room key. I use it to be able to ask for the number in their language & say it at breakfast. But the most help would be to show your passport to get into your room if your spouse has the key.

Posted by
9353 posts

this would be a great topic for an RS TV episode or maybe the Monday night travel series.

Posted by
831 posts

On our travels, I write out basic information on a stiff piece of paper cut to credit card size and held in our respective wallets. It includes our hotels by city and dates, our emergency contact in our home country, and each other’s name and cell phone number listed as travelling companion. As we do some separate activities and outings when we travel, this is something we have had in our wallets for years. I would do the same on a solo trip minus the travelling companion part.

Posted by
1183 posts

Having had something similar happen last year to my husband - except in a non-English speaking country and with two minor children in tow - the answer is, you take it day by day - hour by hour even - and throw yourself in the mercy and help of a lot of strangers, hospital workers, Uber drivers, hotel concierges, and people back home.

Posted by
510 posts

SCENARIO B: In addition to the Passport, ATM and credit card, room key
card, and cash, the nurse found in your husbands pockets a card that
said “IN EMERGENCY” which had your emergency contact information and
called you immediately. There was also a QR code to a link to a cloud
folder with all the insurance and additional emergency contact
information in the event you could not be found. Even information on
medications taken, conditions, doctors.

Another option is an emergency id bracelet, dog tags, shoe id, or a plate attached to your watch/fit-bit, etc.

RoadID

And for a yearly fee, you can create a profile with them that would be accessible to emergency personnel where you can list medications and other pertinent information that won't fit on the id.

Posted by
510 posts

After I received my RoadID, I showed it to my PCP and asked if he were the attending physician in the ER and I showed up unable to speak for myself, did it provide useful information.

He really liked the ID and suggested that having information for accessing MyChart or whatever your hospital system uses would provide your medical information. I'm just not sure if I would have to be conscious and able to remember my log-in and password for that.

If travelling with a partner, make sure they can.

Also make sure that whoever you've listed for emergency contacts in whatever format know that you are going out of town so if they receive a call from a strange number, they'll answer it.

Posted by
3837 posts

Lots of great ideas…I hope people think about what they themselves would do in such scenarios.
As I’m solo on a good part of my travels,I do all the usual things such as leaving copies of passport, important papers, my itinerary with details of accommodation, bank cards and travel insurance for the people at home..
I find out ahead of time where the Canadian embassies and consuls are, and bring a note of their addresses and phone nos in the places I’m traveling to.
I register myself with the Canada gov’t travel site.
I also find out and note where the nearest local hospitals with an ER and the local English speaking doctors are.
I make note of local emergency phone numbers for Police, Fire and Ambulance.
In cooler months I have a paper in a tiny ziplock bag with notes of where I’m staying at the time, 100 dollars worth of the local currency, my emergency contacts at home, my travel insurance info, and any allergies, plus any meds I take.
This goes under the insole of my shoe.
Can’t do that with sandals, so that’s all in my underclothing money belt along with my passport.
I put all phone numbers of places I will be staying at in my phone before traveling: apartment hosts’ and hotel numbers.
Small first aid kit with OTC pain and cold and sinus meds to last few days, bandaids, an Ace bandage etc.
When I’m solo, before I go out for the day I leave a note in my hotel room or vacation apartment stating that day’s date, and my plans for the day.
If I didn’t come back, it gives a start as to where to look for me!
Some people might think all this is overkill.
Not for me…I like to be ready for anything!

Posted by
23177 posts

The other brand is Medic Alert and I see they now sell QR Code bracelets and necklases, etc. Again, its a subscription service and they have live people who will answer the phone if the doctor calls. But I like the QR code as its something everyone knows and doesnt depend someone wantng to call a phone number. https://www.medicalert.org/ I used then for close to 20 years because of a issue that I have. Finally I realized that because I had a cloud account I didnt need to pay for the service and with my own file I could provide the information I thought important. Use RoadID or MedicAlert or do-it-yourself, as long as you do something.

Posted by
89 posts

This is one of the reasons Mary and I double down on exercise and diet prior to travel. We're probably in our best physical shape of the year just before boarding the flight.

Posted by
8616 posts

”When I’m solo, before I go out for the day I leave a note in my hotel room or vacation apartment stating that day’s date, and my plans for the day. If I didn’t come back, it gives a start as to where to look for me!”

SJ, you could also do this through TripIt. I give my adult kids a view of my TripIt when I am traveling. It’s easy to update it while you’re traveling with places or even notes, so they could view it. Of course, it also shows which gelato shop I likely will be stopping at that day - LOL! But they would have my train #’s, B&B names, etc, too, through TripIt.

Posted by
510 posts

Posted by S J Western Canada 04/23/25 08:51 PM

When I’m solo, before I go out for the day I leave a note in my hotel
room or vacation apartment stating that day’s date, and my plans for
the day. If I didn’t come back, it gives a start as to where to look
for me!

Great idea!

Also gives a definite date of the last time you were in a known place.

The hotel staff may not remember correctly if they saw you yesterday or was it the day before.