Traveling Abroad
When you travel to a different country, you typically have to do a lot of planning. Not only is it necessary to make sure that you’re dressed for the right climate, but you also need to have the correct paperwork. With borders becoming even more stringent on paperwork and keeping those who aren’t native to the country out of them, you need to make sure that your paperwork is in order and official. However, even for those who do their best in attempting to plan for everything, emergencies can still occur. In some cases, those emergencies can quickly become a worst-case scenario. For the motivated individual, there are steps that you can take to ensure that you are ready to handle any disaster when in a different country. This article will go over those scenarios and what you can do to overcome them.
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No Money
Picture this. You’re in the country of El Salvador, or India, or maybe even Colombia. You’re having a great time exploring the culture and learning the history of the country. However, in your exploration, you tread where tourists don’t typically tread. As a result, you were robbed. Or, perhaps your wallet was lost and in that wallet was every cent that you owned. Perhaps you were faced with fees that you didn’t expect and now you’re left with nothing after having paid those expenses. Whatever the exact reason may be, you are out of money in a foreign country. This can be quite the panic-inducing situation to find yourself in. Luckily, there is a solution. You can still have a money transfer performed from someone you know at home to give you more money.
For those who aren’t familiar with money transfers, basically, it’s the same thing as money wiring. Someone adds money from their account to yours. You’re able to access that money. Depending on what country you’re visiting, if they don’t accept the currency of your nation, you can then use your money at a location that does money conversions. Of course, you’ll also have to pay that person back when you return home. Money transfers are a quick and easy way to have the money back in your wallet so you can either return home or continue with your trip.
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Lost
One of the biggest fears that many travelers face is becoming lost in a foreign country. This is especially true if you’re out traveling away from local cities and towns and are, instead, hiking through the country. However, it is also possible to become lost within the city. You may get left behind by your tourist group or perhaps you missed or took the wrong bus. Because everything is unfamiliar to you, it’s understandable that you’ll feel panicked and scared.
In this situation, it’s always a good idea to have a local map with you. If you’re not fond of carrying physical maps on your person, then have one downloaded on your phone so even if you lose an Internet connection, it’s still right there.
If traveling by a map isn’t a strong suit either, then you need to start asking the locals. You’ll quickly discover that they can point you in the right direction or at least offer another solution that can help you find your way. In the event that the locals don’t speak your language, you should always have a translation book on your person so you can communicate with them.
One solution to prevent getting lost is to travel with a friend or find a buddy in the tour group. By becoming responsible for one another, the other person can inform an authority if you are missing or hurt. Finally, always tell someone where you are going to be. Even for those who are hiking, you give them a day-by-day itinerary of where you’ll be hiking. This can help narrow the search zone when authorities are looking for you.
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Kidnapped
Another worst case scenario when traveling is if you are kidnapped during your travels. In this case, it’s always a good idea to let others know where you are and where you are supposed to be. Travel in groups and always travel with a friend or a chosen buddy.
