Emergency Guide: Rights, Embassies and Help When Something Happens Abroad

Nobody plans a trip around what might go wrong. But the travellers who stay calm when something does are usually the ones who sorted out a few details in advance. Theft, discrimination, a medical scare, an awkward run-in with local authorities: each becomes far less frightening once you know who to call and what the first move should be. This guide walks through the contacts worth having and the small bit of prep that keeps an incident from snowballing into a crisis.

Your embassy and consulate: the official point of contact

When a problem gets serious abroad, your country's embassy or consulate is the place to turn. They handle a fairly specific set of situations: a lost or stolen passport, genuine emergencies, serious illness, and any contact with local police or courts. They cannot pay your hotel bill or get you out of jail, but they can advise you, point you to the right people, and help your family reach you.

• Passport gone: If your passport is lost or stolen, the mission can issue an emergency travel document so you can get home. These are usually turned around fast, often within a business day or two, though you'll normally need to appear in person with a photo and proof of citizenship.
• Emergencies: In a real crisis, consular staff can advise you and connect you with the right local contacts.
• Reaching relatives: In certain cases the mission can help establish contact with your family back home.

Note down the address and the out-of-hours emergency number of the responsible mission at your destination before you leave, and save them offline. Searching for that information mid-emergency, on a phone with no signal, is exactly the situation you want to avoid.

Know the local emergency number before you land

The number you dial for an ambulance in one country won't work in the next. Across the EU and a handful of countries beyond it, 112 reaches police, ambulance and fire, and you can call it from most mobiles even without a SIM card. Switzerland, Iceland and South Africa accept it too. It is not a global standard, though: in the United States you dial 911, in Australia 000, in much of Asia the number changes from country to country.

Look up the right number for your destination and memorise it, or at least keep it written somewhere you can reach without unlocking a dead battery. If you're piecing together your wider trip, the best apps and tools for queer travel include several that store emergency contacts and country numbers offline.

Local LGBT organisations

Many destinations have organisations that work directly with queer people. They know the local terrain, speak the language, and can often help faster and more precisely than a general helpline. Depending on where you are, they offer advice, referrals to queer-friendly doctors or lawyers, and support after an experience of discrimination.

A little research before you go pays off here. Check whether there are relevant contact points at your destination and save their details offline. This matters most where the legal and social situation is unsettled. Our overview of how to read a country's LGBT situation correctly is a good starting point for working out what kind of support you might need on the ground.

Theft and loss

Theft happens to plenty of travellers. It's annoying, rarely the end of the world, and usually manageable if you work through it in order.

• File a report: Report it to the local police. You'll often need that confirmation for an insurance claim.
• Block your cards: Get stolen bank and credit cards blocked straight away. Keep the blocking numbers saved offline, not only inside the phone that might also be gone.
• Documents: If your passport went with the rest, the embassy or consulate is your next call.
• Insurance: Report the loss to your travel or contents insurer and submit the police confirmation.

Keep copies of your most important documents separate from the originals: digitally in secure storage and as a paper printout tucked somewhere other than your wallet. That way you can still act even if everything else walks off. A smart packing list for queer trips usually factors this in alongside the rest of your kit.

If you face discrimination

Your safety comes first. Get out of the situation and somewhere safe before you think about anything else.

• Safety first: Leave an uncomfortable situation if you can and find a safe place.
• Get support: Local LGBT organisations can advise you and help with what comes next.
• Document it: If it's safe to do so, record what happened. That can be useful later, whether for a complaint or for insurance.
• Involve your accommodation: For incidents tied to where you're staying, you can turn to the management or the booking provider.

Don't forget that you're allowed to lean on people emotionally too, whether that's your travel companion, someone you trust at home, or a counselling line. A rough experience weighs a lot less when you're not carrying it alone.

Medical emergencies

In a medical emergency, quick and clear action counts. The work is best done before you travel, so you're not researching coverage while someone needs a doctor.

• Emergency number: Memorise the local emergency number or note it offline.
• Travel health insurance: Clarify what your policy covers before the trip and keep your insurer's emergency line ready.
• Medication: If you depend on medication, carry the active-ingredient name and a doctor's certificate so you can get help faster on the ground, and check the import rules for your destination.
• Queer-friendly care: Local organisations can often recommend doctors you'll feel comfortable with.

Solid travel health insurance is one of the most worthwhile preparations of all, and it takes a lot of financial and organisational weight off your shoulders in an emergency. It's worth knowing what queer travellers should check in a policy before booking, especially around cover for partners and pre-existing conditions.

Your half-hour emergency plan

The best emergency is the one you've already prepared for. None of this takes long.

• Note the address and emergency number of your country's mission at the destination.
• Research local LGBT organisations and save their contact details.
• Keep the emergency number and your card-blocking numbers ready offline.
• Make copies of your most important documents, digital and on paper.
• Leave your travel details with someone you trust at home.
• Save the local emergency number and your accommodation's address offline.

Half an hour, and the whole list is done. What you get back is a quiet sense in the back of your mind for the rest of the trip, which leaves you free to focus on the reason you went in the first place.