Holidays can be the highlight of your year. There's nothing better than taking time off work to spend time in the sun with a family member or a partner. But no one thinks that they're going to get injured on holiday whilst they are eagerly sitting on the plane dreaming of laying one beach with a coconut in hand. However, sometimes the unthinkable happens, and accidents do happen on holiday. When this does happen, it can be stressful, scary and leave you feeling alone. But it doesn't have to be this way.
No matter what kind of injury you have, it can put a dampener on your holiday, but the sooner you can get fit and healthy, the sooner you can return back to your holiday healthy and happy.
So if you want to find out what to do if you do get endured on holiday and the steps you should take to get back on track, including insurance tips, how to communicate with foreign emergency service providers and what the steps are after you are better, read on so you can be prepared for whatever happens.
Contact your insurer early
If you do get injured on holiday, the first thing that you should do after calling an ambulance or getting yourself to a doctor is to call your insurance. This is where the importance of holiday insurance comes in. Although many believe that it is not important, insurance is as important as your passport when it comes to travelling, as in many countries even a small trip to the doctors can set you back thousands of pounds.
When you contact your travel insurance company, make sure to tell them about the situation so that they can pre-approve any medical treatments and make sure that they fall under your current insurance plan.
Get written proof
Once you start to receive treatment it is very important to ensure that you get any copies of medical reports, treatment reports, diagnostic reports and prescriptions so that you can show these to your insurance provider as proof of costs and proof of medical injury. You can usually get these easily by asking doctors to photocopy any of these proofs.
Reports the incident
If your injury happened at your hotel, on an excursion or involves a crime such as a theft or mugging, always report it to the local police and hotel management so they can confirm that the injury has occurred and react to it accordingly. This should always be written so that you can use it as proof and should have the date that the incident occurred as well as what happened.
Document everything
When the incident does occur, ensure that you document as much as possible. This includes taking pictures of injuries, the date it happened, and hazards that caused them. You can also collect accounts from anyone who has witnessed the event for further evidence, especially for multiple injury claims or more severe injuries which may take longer to heal.