For those of you who care, I just got back from a cruise. For those of you who do not care, I just got back from a cruise. And yes, it was amazing. It was hot, I have a tan, and I snorkeled with a squid, barracuda, and lots of beautiful fish. Also, I gained mucho pounds. Mahi Mahi or Veal Parm? I'll have both thank you.
Anyway, enough about how my week was better than yours. I wanted to post some discussion points with regards to traveling. The back story is that my wife's cousin became sick on the second day. The ship has some medical facilities, but they are somewhat limited. By the 3rd day they were expecting UTI, but that evening they discovered she had appendicitis. Our ship was docked in Progresso, Mexico. She was driven to the local hospital for surgery, and is still there. Her husband and toddler are back home with the rest of us. Her sister stayed to help and communicate.
1) Always take a passport if you leave the country, even if you don't have to. She has recovered from surgery and is well enough to travel home, but had to wait for a temporary passport. On that note, big shout out to the U.S. State Department. They provided valuable service I don't mind paying for as a taxpayer. They sent someone to the hospital to assist with the paperwork, and she will be on her way home tomorrow night.
2) On that note, don't travel to places where we don't have diplomatic relations with the government.
3) Cash is king. They didn't have much (neither did we) and this caused some interesting problems. A Mexican ambulance is sort of like a taxi, apparently. When they got to the hospital, they were expecting payment for the trip on the spot. When she was told her insurance wasn't accepted, they were told the $100 cash they had would be good enough to start the procedure. (I know. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? How much do you charge to finish the procedure?) Still haven't heard how much the final bill was. A somewhat better off family member gave her a credit card to help with expenses, and that is how she will be traveling home.
4) On a related note: is your health insurance good where you are traveling? If not, you might want to be prepared on some level for an emergency, or go somewhere else.
5) Have a family care plan in place, especially if you travel with children. Her husband made a split second decision to stay on board with the baby instead of go with his wife to the hospital. Would I have done that? I don't think so, but I won't criticize him for doing what he thought was best for his family. But it might have been easier if he had considered the possibility beforehand. I know I hadn't thought about it until after this.
Maybe you have a comment, or would like to bring up further discussion. But I thought this might help someone.
Anyway, enough about how my week was better than yours. I wanted to post some discussion points with regards to traveling. The back story is that my wife's cousin became sick on the second day. The ship has some medical facilities, but they are somewhat limited. By the 3rd day they were expecting UTI, but that evening they discovered she had appendicitis. Our ship was docked in Progresso, Mexico. She was driven to the local hospital for surgery, and is still there. Her husband and toddler are back home with the rest of us. Her sister stayed to help and communicate.
1) Always take a passport if you leave the country, even if you don't have to. She has recovered from surgery and is well enough to travel home, but had to wait for a temporary passport. On that note, big shout out to the U.S. State Department. They provided valuable service I don't mind paying for as a taxpayer. They sent someone to the hospital to assist with the paperwork, and she will be on her way home tomorrow night.
2) On that note, don't travel to places where we don't have diplomatic relations with the government.
3) Cash is king. They didn't have much (neither did we) and this caused some interesting problems. A Mexican ambulance is sort of like a taxi, apparently. When they got to the hospital, they were expecting payment for the trip on the spot. When she was told her insurance wasn't accepted, they were told the $100 cash they had would be good enough to start the procedure. (I know. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? How much do you charge to finish the procedure?) Still haven't heard how much the final bill was. A somewhat better off family member gave her a credit card to help with expenses, and that is how she will be traveling home.
4) On a related note: is your health insurance good where you are traveling? If not, you might want to be prepared on some level for an emergency, or go somewhere else.
5) Have a family care plan in place, especially if you travel with children. Her husband made a split second decision to stay on board with the baby instead of go with his wife to the hospital. Would I have done that? I don't think so, but I won't criticize him for doing what he thought was best for his family. But it might have been easier if he had considered the possibility beforehand. I know I hadn't thought about it until after this.
Maybe you have a comment, or would like to bring up further discussion. But I thought this might help someone.
