Yes, yes. I know that’s a gloom and doom title but let’s face it. It’s true. Every now and then bad stuff happens on good trips. One time a my friend traveling with us had her wallet with her plane tickets and her passport stolen. During our trip to Buenos Aires, we had our bank card stolen straight out of an ATM machine that “ate” it (hello, inside job!). I got deathly ill on a trip to Chicago and had to be taken to the ER. Most recently, on our way back from the Tope Festival in San Jose, our taxi got sideswiped by a bus and it seriously messed up my shoulder for a few days of the trip.
Stuff will happen no matter where you are which is why crisis management skills are so important. Here are some tips on keeping your cool when the worst happens:
- Take a class in First Aid. This is important for two reasons. 1. You’ll know first aid 2. The biggest skill they teach in First Aid after wrapping a tourniquet is how to stay calm in an emergency. Once you know how to focus your mind when it’s racing with a million thoughts you’ll be able to tackle anything from a lost wallet to a medical emergency.
- Know where to get help. If you’re headed overseas, know the location of the nearest consulate. Sometimes this won’t be anywhere close to you but you’ll know where you need to go.
- Find out how to say the words for help, police, “I have an emergency,” hospital, and others in the native language of where you’re going. I’m not suggesting you be fluent in another language but being able to communicate important words essential to emergency management along with a lot of pantomime will get you help faster
- Know your rights. Just because you have the right to an attorney here doesn’t mean you will where you’re going. Understand the local laws and how to get help if you’re a foreign citizen.
You never know what can happen and anything that can happen here can happen anywhere. Just like the bus sideswiping us in Costa Rica. It was scary (and thank goodness we weren’t in our rental!) but it’s something that could happen anywhere. The most important thing to remember is DON’T PANIC. Oh, and always know where your towel is.
