Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
expiration date, you may be tempted to put off getting a renewal. Don't
do this. Unforeseen events, illness, or just a change of mind can easily have
you abroad with an expired passport. Passports become useless the day
they expire. New passports can be reissued at the nearest embassy or con-
sulate, but securing one can be time consuming and just another unnec-
essary headache. Always make several copies of the passport and place them
in separate pieces of luggage. In addition, make sure you have obtained
the necessary visas if the country of your destination requires them.
As soon as you have finalized your itinerary, give a copy of it to some-
one at home. Include all the phone numbers and e-mail addresses that
you can and arrange to check in with a friend or relative at regular inter-
vals. Checking in is particularly important. If you are missing for some
reason, no one will come to look for you unless someone knows there is a
problem. You also must use a bit of common sense while selecting your
own personal “lifeline” back home. Besides being a responsible individ-
ual, he or she should also be the type of person who can handle an unex-
pected crisis.
MEDICATION AND MEDICAL INSURANCE
What happens if you need medical attention while you are overseas? Sev-
eral years ago David took his wife on a trip to Malta, where he was to pro-
vide training for the Maltese police. It never occurred to them to check
to see whether their policy covered care while traveling abroad. (It did
not.) While government employees are traveling on orders, the local
embassy will provide medical care and access to the in-house medical serv-
ices. Dependents, however, unless they are traveling on orders as well, do
not qualify. On the return trip between Malta and London, his wife expe-
rienced excruciating pain from a sinus infection. They decided to stop
over in London and find a doctor. The hotel offered to arrange a house
call from a local doctor for the “reasonable” fee of £100. Or, they were
told, they could just walk down the street to the hospital. They decided to
go to the hospital. Although they had to wait a few hours, they were seen
by an excellent physician who treated David's wife and provided enough
medication to see them home. When David asked about insurance forms
for the payment, he was pleasantly surprised to learn about British social-
ized medicine. Treatment was provided courtesy of the British taxpayer.
However, had they been somewhere else, they would have had to pay out
