By Scott Rains, Senior Advisor, [with]tv and editor of the Rolling Rains Report
Know Your Safety Net
Life is tough. (That's probably why you want to go on vacation in the first place!) Traveling with a disability can be a test of skill. Expect the unexpected, "what if" around worst cases, and then strategize about how to deal with what you discover.
Did you leave a copy of your itinerary with friends and family back home? Have you established a schedule for periodically contacting people back home? Do they know what to do if they don't hear from you? If you have friends or contacts at your destination, have you double checked to see that all contact information is up to date and correct? Do you know how your travel companion responds in an emergency? Have you discussed various emergency scenarios with him or her?
Does your personal insurance cover you while out of the country? Do you have travel insurance to make up the difference between what the airline will pay if they damage of your equipment and the actual replacement cost? Do you have necessary vaccinations, medicine, prescriptions, and letters of medical necessity? Are your money and important documents kept in a secure place?
Do you have multiple copies of information such as contact names and addresses or what to do if your credit card is stolen? Are those copies distributed between various carry-on and checked-in items?
First published at Suite101.com
Photo is of a smiling Scott Rains. He's wearing a casual white button down shirt. Black background. He sports a tidy salt&pepper beard and mustache.
