There is nothing scarier than when things go wrong on the road – after all, you’re far away from your friends and family at home and there are so many extra variables that make it scarier than normal. I’ve known a few people who have lost their wallets while traveling and been completely caught out, stranded in the middle of nowhere with no money. Dealing with travel emergencies is the last thing you want on your holiday. I always suggest carrying a spare credit card during your travels, but it can be challenging trying to discover the top credit cards for travel.
Expect the worst:
During my travels I’ve had a lot of bad things happen: I was stabbed in Indonesia, I had my camera stolen, my laptop screen shattered, I lost one of my ATM cards, I fell sick numerous times and I used both travel insurance and my backup cards to help bail me out. Even if you have travel insurance, they often require that you pay for medical treatment and are reimbursed, meaning that you need to have the funds to do so otherwise you wont get the treatment you need as fast as you need it. Preparing for the worst means that if it happens you don’t have to stress about how you’re going to cover it. You can focus on moving forward. It makes dealing with travel emergencies a little bit easier.
Find a good credit card:
When I was in Thailand, my friend entered in a Muy Thai fight. I told him not to, and I suggested it wasn’t the smartest idea, but he was set on it. Less than 10s into the fight, the opponent smacked him right in the middle of his nose, resulting in a pretty nasty broken nose. We had to leave the island and made our way promptly to a hospital so he could have a nose job. The operation cost just over $3,000 and he had two options: either pay and get the operation right away or wait for insurance to come through and risk his nose settling incorrectly, increasing the damage. Thankfully, he had a credit card and elected to get the surgery straight away. Now he’s not as ugly as he could have been if he waited.
How to choose a good travel emergency credit card?
It can be challenging finding the right travel credit card, but there are lots of online websites that allow you to quickly compare credit cards so you can find the best match for you. Look at the interest rates (you want a lower interest rate), what rewards, if any, the cards provide and what kind of limit you can get. This will vary considerably depending on what country you are from, what kind of limit you’re looking for and what your credit history is like.
I’ve always traveled with a credit card – I simply feel safer with it. Do you have any tips for dealing with travel emergencies? Share them in the comments below.
