Traveling alone is not for the meek. It’s rewarding and one of the best ways to see the world. That said, if you do have a medical emergency when alone, it’s best to be prepared. Here are ten tips to make sure you can get home.
I have always been an adventurer. As part of my lifestyle as an actor I had toured 31 of the 50 states in just one year by car, doing shows with thousands of kids. Following tour, I started scuba diving. My husband and I traveled to the Yucatan Peninsula, Honduras, Hawaii, diving with manta rays, deep in caves and alongside wild dolphins. Then there were the backpacking trips where we hiked in 10 miles in the Enchantments of Washington State. I am no stranger to travel.
In my forties I discovered solo travel. And I love it. I had done short solo trips before, but my first long solo trip to Europe was pure magic. I spent four days in Prague, alone, and then 10-days with others at a singing retreat. Then two last days in Prague alone before flying home.
The next year I traveled solo to Paris, and the following year Ireland.
It was that next year, 2019, where I found the following advice the most helpful. My family had flown home after all of us had spent two weeks in Iceland, Scotland and Ireland. I stayed behind for a voiceover retreat. And… all alone… I had a life-threatening medical emergency. Essentially, my heart tried to explode.
Cork, Ireland
10 – BUY TRAVEL INSURANCE
I have turned in claims twice. Paid out twice. It does take a while and the big one had 100 plus pages of expense reports, but they paid me. In addition, they called every day I was in the hospital. They paid 100% of the hospital costs. They paid a major portion of all my expenses when I was stuck in Ireland for three more weeks.
9 – LEAVE AN ITINERARY
Leave an itinerary for everyone in case you don’t check in. I was able to yell out my husband’s cell phone number before they loaded me in the ambulance traveling from one hospital to the next one. That was the only way he knew where I was.
8 – AIRBNB
Stay at an Airbnb. Hotels are great. But it was the owner of my Airbnb room that also called my husband to let him know what was going on. They brought my bags to me. They returned my rental car.
7 – PACK LIGHT
Because your Airbnb hosts may have to bring your luggage to you. If it’s just a small bag or two, that’s helpful. Besides, packing light is great for running for trains during normal trips to Paris.
6 – KEEP YOUR EMERGENCY CONTACT UPDATED
Keep your iPhone updated with emergency contact info — also tuck in a piece of paper with loved one’s cell phones in your bag on top of clothes. Seems like overkill, but it would be helpful. I was conscious. For my next solo trip, I will do this. I will also have all my medications on that paper with the schedule too.
5 – TRAVEL WITH INTERNET
Travel with internet that comes with you. Like a Skyroam. I did not have to log in to have WiFi when I had my medical emergency. I was able to immediately type, “What’s the emergency number for help in Ireland?” It happens to be 999. And if you are in Iceland, it’s 112. You don’t want to have to find a WiFi hotspot if you are about to pass out.
4 – STAY AWAKE FOR A WHILE
If you don’t feel well, don’t just go to sleep. Get checked out. It’s okay to see a doctor overseas. You are solo on this trip. If you go to sleep, it might not be the best thing. If something feels off. Call. At the very least, tell the Airbnb people. Better yet call 999.
3 – CALL YOUR AIRBNB HOSTS FROM THE HOSPITAL
If you do end up in the hospital now call those Airbnb hosts. You now have family. I had several Airbnb hosts come see me in the hospital. One family that I stayed with the night before the incident brought me… nightgowns, face cream, strawberries, fizzy water. It was so helpful. And I was no longer alone.
2 – CONTACT FRIENDS
Find out if friends have friends in that country/town who can help you. It just so happened that my co-worker (from a past job) happened to have a college friend, who happened to live in Cork, who happened to need a house sitter. My husband and I had a place to crash for free for two weeks until I could fly home. Just wow.
1 – CALL FOR HELP
If you feel like something is not quite right, and you are traveling solo, promise me you will call 999, 112, or 911. Promise. I called and I am typing this list to you right now.
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Broken Wide Open is a solo theatre show featuring Shana Pennington-Baird telling her story about surviving an aortic dissection while traveling alone in Ireland in 2019. This is the first solo work for Shana Pennington-Baird(principal performer, playwright), who has over 25 years of professional theatre experience, including the Bathhouse Theatre under Arne Zaslove, the 5th Ave Musical Theatre, Cabaret Productions, Seattle Shakespeare Festival, Oregon Cabaret. Shana is the Director of the Seattle Voice Academy and an accomplished voiceover artist and audiobook narrator. Broken Wide Open will premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe Fest at the Forest Theatre August 21-26th, 2023.
