7 Travel Emergencies That Can Increase Your Budget
While travel can be one of the most freeing things on earth, it can also bring unanticipated costs. Emergencies can happen to anyone at any time—and they don’t always happen when you have a little extra cash in your pocket. That’s why we put together this list of emergencies that could arise while traveling and how much each of them might cost you.
If you miss a flight and have to pay for a new one, you may have to shell out hundreds of dollars. In addition, if you’re flying on an airline that has fees for changing your ticket, those fees will be taken from the difference between the cost of your original ticket and the cost of a new ticket.
If you miss a flight and need to stay overnight in an airport hotel, that could also cost hundreds of dollars. And if your trip requires taxis or other transportation between locations, those expenses could add up quickly too. Hence, if you don’t want to waste extra money, it is best to always be on time and never miss a flight.
Getting Sick in a Foreign Country
The most common reason for a travel emergency is getting sick while traveling. No matter how healthy you are, many things can happen while traveling that will make you ill—from eating food from street vendors to drinking water from the wrong faucet.
You should always have travel insurance before going on a trip, even if it’s just for a weekend getaway.
Travel insurance covers all situations that could arise during your travels. It will help cover costs associated with medical treatment and evacuation and the cost of canceling or changing your itinerary if needed.
For more travel emergency-related articles and tips, check out these great travel articles.
Sudden Weather Changes
A sudden change in weather can have a significant impact on travel costs. If you’re trying to book a flight or find accommodations, any forecast change can delay or cancel your reservation and force you to start from scratch. In addition, unexpected weather conditions could make it unsafe for you to travel, primarily if they affect your destination city or region.
For example, rainstorms or floods could lead to dangerous roads and downed trees that block driveways and streets. Flooding can also cause power outages that leave travelers stranded in dark rooms with no running water or electricity until repairs are made. All of these situations can be fatal and costly. One such example is the heavy snowfall in Pakistan’s Murree area, where the snow led to 23 deaths. Murree is a town on the outskirts of Rawalpindi.
Something as simple as knowing the destination’s weather can help you avoid such emergencies. Suppose you have planned a trip to Murree. Knowing Rawalpindi’s weather forecast before starting your journey can help you avoid such situations and the associated costs.
Lost Belongings
Losing your belongings is one of the most frustrating travel emergencies because it’s hard to anticipate and prevent. You can’t bring everything with you, so it’s common for travelers to leave some valuables behind in their checked bags by mistake—or for their checked luggage to get lost altogether. If this happens on your trip, be prepared for a much more difficult situation than you might have imagined.
If you lost your luggage at the airport, you might have to visit the airport for several days to try to find it. And if it is stolen outside the airport, that’s even worse because you might not even know the rules and regulations to get back your luggage quickly. Both the situations can lead to high added costs, be it to get back your luggage or pay for shopping the lost items like clothes.
Stolen Passport
According to the U.S. State Department, a stolen passport is an international traveler’s worst nightmare. If you lose your passport and need a new one fast—but can’t get one before your flight—you’ll have to pay for two flights: one for the return trip home because airlines will not allow anyone onto their plane without confirmed reservations, and another for getting back to where you were going on the original trip.
The costs of replacing a lost or stolen passport can be huge when traveling internationally, so it’s essential to take steps before leaving home so that if something bad happens while abroad, you’ll be able to minimize the impact on your finances as much as possible.
For more travel emergency-related articles and tips, check out these great travel articles.
Not Knowing the Rules of the Country You Are Visiting
You should be aware of many rules and regulations when traveling abroad. Knowing the laws can save you time, money, and frustration. Not knowing the rules and culture of the destination location can lead to emergencies. For example, you can’t kiss in Eureka or Nevada if you have a mustache. Similarly, you can’t wear high heels in Greece or camouflage clothes in some Caribbean countries.
Suppose you are in one of these countries and don’t know the rules; you might end up behind bars. Such situations can lead to additional costs and devastate your overall experience.
Renting a Car While Abroad
Renting a car while abroad is expensive. It’s not uncommon for the cost of renting an economy car in Europe to be more than $100 per day. In some countries, including Greece and Italy, you may even need to pay extra for insurance coverage.
You might also need to pay for the gas if you rent a car that does not include the gas prices. Gas prices vary from country to country and, in some cases, can exceed $6 per gallon or more. Make sure you’re prepared with cash or credit cards that don’t charge foreign transaction fees so that you don’t end up paying high exchange rates on top of your regular purchase price.
Conclusion
I hope this article has insight into how you can increase travel costs. Traveling is a beautiful experience, but it’s essential to be aware of the potential pitfalls that can happen when traveling abroad.
While these emergencies might be rare, they can happen. And if they do, these emergencies can add hundreds of dollars to your expenses. Luckily, most issues are preventable by planning and doing your research.
For more travel emergency-related articles and tips, check out these great travel articles.
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About the author: Trent (IMDB | Youtube) has spent 10+ years working on an assortment of film and television projects. He writes about his experiences to help (and amuse) others. If he’s not working, he’s either traveling, reading or writing about travel/film, or planning travel/film projects.
