When planning an exciting international trip, most of us don’t dwell on the possibility of things going wrong in the destination country or what to do in case of a national emergency. This is because, in a perfect world, you could travel to any country in the world and have an amazing time with no worries. No medical emergencies that require you to have to purchase travel insurance, no national emergencies, no natural disasters, no civil unrests, no terrorist attacks, no altitude sickness if you’re hiking a mountain, no pandemics that could cause the shutting down of borders – just an all-around smooth vacation where you return home as planned.
But that is in a perfect world, and recent events have shown us how imperfect travel in our world can be, and just how quickly an entire country, or even continent, could be shut down for several reasons. And if you are vacationing and caught in the events happening around you, things can escalate enough for you to need emergency evacuation back home. From natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes to civil unrests like protests and riots – there are plenty of things that can go wrong from the time you step into your destination country to the time you depart.
What it means is that we should be prepared for almost anything when traveling. We should learn all we can about our destination before our trip. We should keep up-to-date with government travel advisories for general guidelines. For the most part, the most likely emergency you might face while traveling would be a medical emergency ranging from simple ailments like traveler’s diarrhea, altitude sickness, motion sickness, jet lag, to more complex issues; hopefully, your travel insurance covers all you need. But what about those isolated but real times when your life could be in danger for many other reasons beyond your control? What should you do and where should you go?
Embassies vs Consulates
Most frequent travelers know the terms embassies and consulates. Even though most people use embassies and consulates interchangeably, there are some differences. Knowing these differences would help you identify where to seek help in case of an emergency.
Embassies
An embassy is a permanent diplomatic mission of one country in another country. An embassy represents the home country and handles all diplomatic issues for that country, including negotiations and preserving the rights of the citizens of the home country living in the host country. There is typically only one embassy of a country in a host country, and the highest-ranking official of an embassy is called an ambassador. An ambassador represents the interest of the government of his country in the host country and is often appointed by the highest office of government. Even though there are few exceptions, most embassies of different countries tend to be concentrated around the same area in the host country and are often found in the capital of the country you’re visiting. Although an embassy deals with diplomatic issues and maintains foreign relations between the home country and the host country, they can take on other roles, including processing visas, voting, birth registrations of citizens abroad, passport renewals, and other duties, depending on the situation.
Consulates
Consulates, on the other hand, are smaller than embassies and could be seen as satellite offices for embassies. Most countries tend to have several consulates in big touristy areas of the host country, especially if the host country is expansive. Most times, consulates are not located in the city where the embassy is located. Consulates are overseen by the consul generals who are also considered the chief diplomats. Consulates do so many things, including issuing tourist visas to people seeking to travel to their home country, taking care of expatriates and migrants, and also helping you in emergencies when you are visiting that country. Even though a consulate might offer slightly different services than an embassy, when you are traveling abroad, both of these are interchangeable with services they can offer you in times of an emergency, so you should contact whichever.
Location and Contact Information for Embassies and Consulates
Even though you never expect to have any diplomatic problems or any other issues that might require the intervention of a consulate or embassy, it’s good practice to make note of the nearest consulate offices when you’re traveling to an international destination. Make sure to have the location and contact information for both the embassy and the closest consulate located in the country you are visiting to ensure you have the help you need in case of an emergency. If possible, save the contact information on your phone or any other places you can quickly access it. Keep a hard copy of this information with your other travel documents in case your phone gets lost, stolen, or stops working while you are traveling.
Enroll in STEP Before You Leave
Most people also don’t enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) before traveling, and some might not even have heard about STEP. Granted, no one plans to run into a national emergency when going on a fun trip, so STEP might sound like overkill, but enrolling in STEP could make a significant difference to your safety and security when traveling abroad. The STEP program is a free service to US citizens and nationals living or traveling abroad. When you enroll in STEP, it alerts the embassy in the country you are visiting that you are in that international country. This service allows you to receive notifications about any safety issues from the embassy as well as makes it easier for them to contact you in any type of emergency, including civil unrest, family emergency, natural disaster, and even an emergency that might affect diplomatic relationships between your home country and the country you’re visiting.
Steps to Take During a Natural Disaster
If you are alerted that a natural disaster such as a hurricane or a wildfire is going to occur in the area you are visiting, you should attempt to relocate to somewhere safer, and if possible, try to return home. Unfortunately, most natural disasters may not give enough lead time to evacuate beforehand, so you may end up needing to stay in place. In such situations, please follow the instructions of the local authorities. If you are injured or require emergency assistance, you should contact the consulate first, or the embassy if it is closer. If you are not injured or in immediate danger, then you should just do what you need to in order to stay safe and plan to evacuate as soon as you can. Always make sure to keep up to date with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines about how to be safe during earthquakes, extreme heat, floods, hurricanes, landslides, mudslides, lightning, tornadoes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, and extreme winter weathers.
Steps to Take During Civil Unrest
No one wants to be in a place where civil unrest is taking place when they are traveling. Like natural disasters, civil disorder can start without much warning. It’s best to avoid travel to areas prone to civil disturbances in the first place. But if you do find yourself visiting a place that suddenly feels unsafe, try to get to a safe area. If the situation is spiraling out of control and you are unable to get to safety, contact the nearest consulate for advice. They might not be able to immediately evacuate you but will most likely tell you to shelter in place and try not to bring attention to yourself. Though by contacting them, they will know where you are, and as they monitor the situation, they will know when to step in to rescue you if and when possible, or at the minimum, guide you better on what to do to keep safe. Stay informed, don’t bring attention to yourself, carry your official identification at all times, and do not participate in activities.
Steps to Take During a Terrorist Attack
Most people do not willingly travel to a destination under immediate or pending terrorist attack; however, by researching the destination country and being proactive prior to traveling, you can reduce your risk of traveling to a potentially unsafe country. Learning some basics about what to do if you are caught in a terrorist situation will increase your chances of survival in the case of an attack. If you, unfortunately, get caught in a terrorist situation, the steps you will take during a terrorist attack are similar to the ones you would take for civil unrest. You want to stay where you are if it is safe to do so. And if it is not safe and you’re able to get to somewhere safer without endangering your life, then your goal will be to do that. If you are traveling with family, be sure to establish a meeting place ahead of time and get there only if it’s safe to do so. And just like in other serious circumstances, you should consult the consulate to let them know where you are and if you are safe or threatened. They will instruct you on steps to take to keep you safe until you can safely return home.
Steps to Take During a Medical Emergency
Hopefully, you won’t have a medical emergency while you are traveling internationally, but if you do, you should know where to go for medical treatment, especially if you’ve purchased good travel insurance that covers most of your international medical emergencies. Unfortunately, different countries have different qualities of medical facilities, and not knowing where to go could be the difference between living and having a serious, life-threatening health risk. This is where the local consulate can be helpful because they can direct you to the best medical facility for your needs. There are many things you could do to reduce your chances of preventable medical emergencies while traveling, including learning how to travel like a pro, eating right, clean eating, and managing jet lag, but unfortunately, you may still run into an unplanned crisis. The consulate can also alert family members back home about your medical emergency, as well as help you secure the funds to pay for your treatment if necessary.
No one plans to have emergencies of any type during travel, but when you’re crossing international borders and traveling so far away from home, anything can happen at any time. Embassies and consulates are there to make sure we are protected in times of unexpected, life-threatening emergencies. Knowing who to call and where to go when emergencies happen can keep you safe until you return home. And doing some research on your intended international destination, keeping all emergency possibilities in mind, can help you be prepared for an unexpected but dangerous situation.
Casey Barbles 
Jeff Yelton 