When Gabrielle Bartusiak and her staff learned of a US citizendesperate for help in Quito, they gathered information and developeda rescue plan with military efficiency. Within hours, Bartusiakboarded a flight for Ecuador's capital. Prepared for complicationson the ground, she brought a bag of medical supplies.
Bartusiak is president and CEO of Rescue Nurse International. Shetraveled to Quito to rescue an elderly woman who had broken her hipon vacation.
Rescue Nurse International handles about 30 emergency transportsper month - the college student who fell from a second-floor windowin Barcelona, the man who suffered heart problems in rural Vietnam,the woman who struggled with respiratory issues in Utah. Nurses flyanywhere at a mo ment's notice and accompany stable patients home,making sure they receive whatever care is needed during the trip.
"We do what's called bedside-to-bedside care," said Bartusiak."When people have assistance plans, they don't need to stress overthe details. That's what we're here for."
Traveling should be fun-filled and worry-free. But vacationersleave behind the predictability and convenience of home. Travel canbe complicated by unforeseen crises - medical emergencies, canceledflights, lost luggage, natural disasters, political turmoil. Intough economic times, amid less sympathetic airlines, a dreamgetaway can devolve into a logistical challenge or worse.
Knowing how to handle travel emergencies can salvage a trip or,in the most dire situations, save a life. Preparedness can make ahuge difference.
"We find that people spend more time looking for dinnerreservations than finding out where they should go in the event of aproblem," said Mike Kelly, CEO of On Call International, a providerof travel assistance. "People should spend a little more time ontheir departure plan. Figure out what's going to happen if mom getssick at home, what's going to happen if you lose your passport."
Specialists familiar with all kinds of travel emergencies canprovide advice worth packing away for your next trip.
Medical emergencies
At On Call International, a typical day might include handling amedical evacuation off Antarctica, a motorcycle accident in Hawaii,and a tour bus crash in Russia. But there was also the teenager whodeveloped heart valve problems in France. And the pregnant woman whodelivered months early in Singapore.
Medical emergencies frighten travelers because of theunpredictability, cost, and varying quality of foreign health caresystems. Without the benefit of assistance plans or trip protection,medevacs can range from $35,000 for a commercial flight with a nurseescort from Europe to $125,000 for a specially-equipped private jetdeparting from the same place.
Travelers are advised to think through their plans and use commonsense. If you have a cardiac history or other health concerns, get acheckup and inform your doctor of your travel plans. If you are aparent sending a child abroad, make sure your own passport iscurrent. No one wants to encounter passport issues with an injuredchild overseas.
Get the recommended vaccinations for foreign travel. (Websitesfor the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the WorldHealth Organization post the latest international health warnings.)Make sure you have easy access to money. Locate hospitals near yourhotel. Pack an extra week of medications in your carry-on. Bringpractical shoes to guard against broken bones.
Politics and nature
When the US Department of State exhausts all evacuation optionsduring a foreign crisis, it turns to the Department of Defense.Noncombatant Evacuation Operations, or NEOs, extricated US citizensfrom Lebanon four years ago, when political violence led to air andsea blockades, and from Haiti after the January earthquake.
Violent political demonstrations, terrorist attacks, earthquakes,and other disasters can create chaotic, life-threatening situations.Getting accurate, timely information is essential.
The State Department's Office of American Citizen Services andCrisis Management recommends that information gathering begin beforedeparture. Enroll trips with the department at www.tra vel.state.govto get security updates overseas. The website also posts country-specific information, embassy and consulate contacts, and travelwarnings and alerts.
In addition to the State Department's offerings, other countrieshave their own websites with security information for travelers. TheInternet makes English newspapers at your destination readilyavailable. And don't discount social media as a potentiallyvaluable, real-time information source.
"I always tell people to become a media junkie, because you don'twant to be caught off guard," said Michelle Bernier-Toth, directorof American Citizens Services, a unit of the State Department."Also, stay in touch with the embassy or consulate; get theinformation from them on what's happening.
"We will assess the security situation and give our bestrecommendation. It might be, `Hunker down, avoid crowds, make sureyou have food, water or medicine' or it might be, `This is a goodtime to consider leaving the country.' We will make sure peopleunderstand there are commercial options available or, if not, whatcontingency plans we're making for American citizens in thatcountry."
Additionally, insurance plan administrators can distributecrucial information. During the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, OnCall International had 27 clients trapped in the Taj Mahal Hotel. Asgunmen knocked on doors telling hotel guests it was safe to comeout, On Call staff told clients with text messages to stay put.
Trip interruptions
When volcanic ash from Iceland disrupted air travel this spring,the insurance industry boomed. For good reason. Travel insuranceoffers the best protection against trip interruptions, especiallyfor vacationers subject to the capriciousness of airlines and mothernature.
"If you were buying your airline ticket for a particular trip andyou or a family member became ill and couldn't travel, the airlineprobably would've looked kindly upon you 15 or 20 years ago," saidJudy Sutton, director of product management at Travel InsuredInternational, Inc. "They would have taken your doctor's note as afree pass to rebook for another flight another time. Airlines don'thave the privilege of offering you that kind of courtesy anymore.It's economics."
When faced with paying for a missed vacation, the economics oftrip protection are favorable. Prices depend on the length of thetrip, destination, and coverage included. With Travel InsuredInternational, the most popular plan ranges from 4 percent to 9percent of a traveler's total trip cost. On Call Internationalprovides single trip coverage starting at $55, yearlong coverage($225), and academic trip coverage ($45).
As with all insurance policies, it is important to read the fineprint. Be clear about what constitutes a "covered expense." Ingeneral, travelers should be as informed as possible. Websites likewww.insidetrip.com relay on-time statistics and rate general flightquality.
And know your rights as a traveler. For passengers stranded inEuropean airports by volcanic ash, European Union regulationsentitled them to meals, overnight accommodations, and reimbursementfor alternative travel arrangements.
"We can solve people's problem, rebook, do everything then andthere on the computer," said Nancy Greenfield, director of LeisureSales at Garber Travel in Chestnut Hill. "They don't have to standthere with 100 other people, wait to get to the front of the line,then find out they can't fly out for the next four days becausenothing's left."
Lost or stolen
Lost your passport abroad? It's no big deal, according to theState Department.
"Losing your passport should be the least of your worries," saidBernier-Toth. "It is an inconvenience, but we can certainly help. Itis something that we do every day."
When you realize your passport has been lost or stolen, the StateDepartment advises filing a police report. Then, contact the nearestembassy or consulate to get either an emergency passport or a full-validity passport book. Issued within days, an emergency passportallows a traveler to reenter the United States. A full-validity booktakes a week or two to turn around.
Pack color copies of your passport and travel visas in your carry-on luggage separate from the originals. The copies can expedite thereplacement process.
Unfortunately, the Department of State doesn't retrieve lostsuitcases, but there are ways to ensure baggage issues don't ruinyour journey.
Buy suitcases that look distinct. Take a picture of your luggagefor easy description. Pack a carry-on with all essentials.
"You have this precious carry-on and you really need to think outexactly what's going to be in that carry-on," said Jessica Good,owner of Passport a travel boutique in Cambridge. "You need tothink, If I was going to lose my luggage, what are the things Ireally, really need? Or, What are the things I can't buy there?"
Good is looking into tracking devices for checked luggage. In theevent a suitcase with the device is lost, it can be locatedelectronically.
A traveler in trouble can use any help available.
Shira Springer can be reached at springer@globe.com.
08emergency.ART
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий