As much as we all hate to have them, emergencies are part of our everyday lives. And even more so, a part of most travel adventures to the USA.
But the best way to ensure that your trip to the USA is without an emergency is to prepare for one and plan ahead.
Get your travel health insurance
Due to the urgency and anxiety that characterizes most travel adventures, it is not uncommon to see people burning out and getting stressed, most especially those with pre-existing health conditions. But in order to plan ahead for the possibility of this, you may want to look into the different travel health insurance options that are there. The U.S. is a very vast country, and regardless of how short or broad your adventures are in the country, you’re likely going to be doing so much of road trips and eating outside.
So in order to ensure that you’re properly covered in case of any health emergencies, you should look into your travel health insurance options.
Know where your country embassy is located ahead of time
Although no one hopes to encounter accidents, disasters, or loss of documents during their travels, it is still a good idea to plan ahead for one. And one of the best ways to do this is to locate beforehand your country’s embassy in the U.S.
At the point of writing, the U.S. currently has approximately 178 physical embassies situated across the country. So, the chances are that your country’s embassy is one of them.
Knowing this beforehand will help you so much in the event that you ever misplace any of your travel documents or have a reason to seek refuge in case of an unforeseen emergency.
Knowing the necessary emergency phone numbers
The U.S. is so great a country that the safety and well-being of foreigners are just as crucial to the government as those of the citizens. So regardless of whether you plan on staying in the U.S for some time or just visiting briefly with your ESTA USA (a type of visa that makes it easy to travel to the U.S.) visa, you can always expect to enjoy some of the benefits that the country’s citizens enjoy.
And one of these is the availability of a 24/7 emergency helpline. But, of course, your ability to leverage this opportunity will always depend on whether or not you know about them.
Although the 911 is the most common emergency phone number in the U.S (movies and music use that a lot), it is not the only helpline in the country. Go online to research the relevant emergency phone numbers peculiar to the state you’re visiting. You can follow this link to learn about them.
Research where you can get local help
Although you have a primary reason for visiting the U.S. and much of your pre-travel plans will be dominated by all the details of this motive, you still want to give a little attention to the little things that will make your journey hitch-free. And one of those is a list of places where you can get local help in the event of one.
Make sure you know where local clinics, hospitals, and help centers are in your local area of destination. This will also give you peace of mind knowing you know exactly where you need to go if you have an emergency and can get there on your own.
Plan for extra expenses
Perhaps for any reason whatsoever, you’re not able to purchase travel insurance, keeping extra funds in place for expenses that may or may not come up during your trip is pretty essential. For all the greatness of the USA, it is still a pretty expensive country, and the best thing you can do to ensure that you don’t get stuck on cash is to prepare that little extra cash.
Always keep your ID on you
Irrespective of your motive in the U.S., always keep a means of your identification close to your pocket. Even if just a piece of paper that contains valuable information about you, having your ID close-by can provide all the essential details needed in the event of an emergency.
Research the area
Although it is said that the U.S. is a safe country, there is nothing wrong with it if you constantly look over your shoulder as you go about your adventures in the country. Researching the part of the USA you plan on visiting before your visit will help you understand the prevailing crime rate in the region, what to expect, and what the security level is.
