How to Prevent Getting Injured While Traveling

When you’re on vacation, you want to throw caution to the wind. You want to immerse yourself in the new surroundings, eat all the food, and visit all the city’s hot spots. Unfortunately, sometimes you can get a little bit too free and start taking risks you never would otherwise. 

That risky behavior can cause you to get injured. When you’re in a different town or a foreign country, you may need to get medical treatment. Here’s all you need to know to help you navigate getting injured while traveling. 

Seeking Medical Attention During Vacation

Getting injured while traveling happens. It can be easy to lose yourself in your surroundings when you miss a curb or slip and fall on a wet surface. These will often be minor injuries that you can address with simple first aid, so carry extra bandages with you.

However, in some cases, you may need additional treatment, including from the emergency room. Below, we’ll discuss steps to ensure you get the right medical treatment when you’re injured on vacation.

1. Purchase Travel Insurance

No one plans to get injured while traveling, but you can prepare for the unexpected by purchasing travel insurance. This is especially important when traveling abroad. Most health insurance policies do not have international coverage, so you may be left with a hefty bill if you need medical assistance. 

Some countries have universal health care, which applies to international travelers. You will not need to pay exorbitant costs to access health care in these countries as the fees are more accessible. 

Travel insurance is optional but will pay for itself if you need treatment, cancel your trip, or experience other emergencies while traveling. 

2. Assess Your Injuries

Once you’re injured, it’s time to take a step back and assess your injuries. If possible, get somewhere safe and take stock of the damage. Minor cuts and abrasions can be treated with first aid. Clean and sanitize the wound to prevent infection, and place a bandage on it. Keep an eye on it for the next few days. If the injury isn’t healing or looks infected, it may be time to see a doctor. 

If the injury is more severe, go to the emergency room. If you can’t get there on your own, call 911 in America or look up the local emergency services number abroad. You may have to wait a long time once you’re in the hospital, so settle in. Notify your loved ones that you were injured and tell them where you are so they know.

3. Explain Your Injuries

Share with the nurses and doctors what happened. If there is a language barrier, use Google Translate or ask if anyone there speaks your language. While studies have shown that Google Translate is only about 57 percent accurate in medical cases, it’s better than nothing. 

Do your best to navigate the language barriers to get the correct treatment and avoid medical malpractice. If you can’t communicate, you may receive the wrong medication, your injury may not be adequately addressed, or you may not be diagnosed correctly. 

If you feel like you’re not being heard, ask for a new doctor or nurse or visit another location if available. You deserve medical treatment when you are injured, no matter where you are. 

4. Take it Easy

Once you’ve been treated, take it easy. While it may change your travel plans, focus on resting. Follow the doctor’s instructions on caring for your wound. If you notice any changes or the pain worsens, go to the doctor. 

Certain conditions can be life-threatening if not taken care of promptly, and infection can spread into your blood and cause sepsis. While you may not want to pay for the treatment, it’s better to be safe if you’re injured abroad and get it checked out. 

5. Engage Legal Services

Many tourists get injured while traveling, but if something doesn’t feel right about your medical treatment, talk with a lawyer. They can help you understand if you were fairly treated or if you have a legal case.

If you were visiting Chicago, you may have been walking down the Magnificent Mile and suffered a nasty fall. The cut requires stitches, so you went to an emergency room. Once there, you got medical treatment, but when you were seen at home, your primary care doctor noticed they didn’t remove all the debris, which prevented the cut from healing and caused it to get infected. This could be grounds for a lawsuit, and an emergency room lawyer in Chicago can help you run through your options. 

While just one scenario, these behaviors are more common than you think, so be vigilant about the care you receive. 

Conclusion

The best thing you can do if you’re injured while traveling is to stay calm and get medical treatment. You want to care for your health, no matter where you are. An untreated infection can lead to life-threatening consequences, so it is better to be safe than sorry!

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