Nobody wants to think about travel emergencies, but they can happen.
Most commonly, these are situations where someone has gotten sick or a flight has been canceled. In other cases, they have been weather-related emergencies, such as a hurricane or tornado.
But what do you do if traveling to an area and a more unlikely travel emergency-such as an earthquake or a coup-were to happen? For example, in 2016, the FAA banned commercial and private aircrafts from flying to Turkey after nearly 3,000 suspects were rounded up after attempting a military coup. Just recently, a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit Jaco, Costa, a popular tourist spot. What would you do if you were traveling to these destinations?
These emergencies aren't exactly on your mind when packing your sandals and sunscreen, but they should be, and you should be prepared just in case.
Pete Canavan, a university public safety authority and the author of The Ultimate Guide to College Safety, breaks down travel emergencies into three categories: knowing, preparing and practicing.
"Knowing what can occur near you or to you is the first step," said Canavan. "Awareness is of paramount importance. Preparing for that contingency is the next. Know what you would do, where you would go, who to contact, etc. Practicing what you would do if that were to occur is the third. If you have practiced what you would do, it will be easier to execute your plan."
All three steps should begin before you even check in at the airport.
"Check out the area you are traveling to with the US State Department for any travel warnings, immunizations, etc.," said Canavan. "If you are going to an area of social unrest where the possibility of a coup exists, know where the nearest embassy is, as well as their address and phone number so you can get immediate help if you need to leave. Global and regional concerns could explode into riots, social unrest and economic turmoil, so do your homework ahead of time."
Having the right embassy emergency contact for daytime and after-hours is vital too.
Jacquie Whitt once traveled with a group of high school students to Peru, and that included a student who hailed from Cambodia. Unfortunately, the student exchange organization set up her US visa and travel documents incorrectly.
"I trusted they knew what they were doing, but when it came time to return to the United States, she wasn't allowed to board the flight," said Whitt of Adios Adventure Travel in Virginia Beach, Virginia. "We were minutes away from our midnight takeoff when I found out she and I had to stay in Lima. I asked the airline agent to book us a hotel near the embassy to make it easy to go back and forth as we sorted out the problem."
On October 1, 2017, a gunman opened fire on a crowd during the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas, killing 58 people and injuring 546. This is not a situation that you think of when you're packing to go to the city that never sleeps, but while most of this safety responsibility falls on the shoulders of the traveler, a travel agent should take some responsibility for their clients too.
"Following the Las Vegas shooting, many travel agents immediately contacted their clients to check in on them, their safety, etc.," said Laurie Sherwood, a partner in Walsworth LLP's travel, tourism and hospitality practice in Los Angeles, California. "This personal contact is so important. They were also able to reach out to family members/emergency contacts to reassure them. Having all of the contact readily available made this much easier."
Sherwood also advises agents to keep accurate records and have all necessary contact information readily available in case of an emergency.
"Provide accurate and detailed information regarding trips including the risks associated with the specific travel locations to travelers," she said. "Have a plan in place for dealing with emergencies."
Of course, the odds of these incidents taking place are slim, but at least you know that you're prepared, just in case.
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