[roadkit]

I travel overseas quite a bit for the Government, so I may take stuff like this for granted, but it's important for people travelling overseas to know how to get in touch with the U.S. Embassy/Consulate in case something goes wrong. I'm surprised by how many people I speak with who don't even know the phone # of the Embassy when they travel abroad.

Do yourself a favor and check out the State Department website: www.state.gov

Here's the link for the Frankfurt consulate (there are others throughout Germany, you can get the links on the State site):

http://frankfurt.usconsulate.gov/

Here's a little story about why knowing this info is important:

My cousin's husband was abroad a couple of years ago and was in an accident on a sailboat. He broke his neck and was taken to a hospital in the Canary islands. He was all ************ed up to put it mildly. My cousin flew there immediately (still took a couple of days). When she got there, it was a mess. Nobody in the hospital spoke much English, she didn't speak Spanish and they were basically clueless about what to do. I got a call from her Mom who was obviously in a panic. I got the name of the hospital and her cell phone #. I called the US Embassy in Madrid, and while I was still on the phone they had someone call my cousin, they spoke to the doctor and at the same time they had a team from the US consulate on the way to the hospital. Within an hour they had people at the hospital who could translate, etc. BTW, he's fully recovered.

I certainly hope nobody needs such assistance while visiting Germany, but as they say: "Better to have and not need, than need and not have."

Just take the phone number of the Embassy/Consulate closest to where you'll be and put it in your pocket.

[Galaxian]

Thanks man .

[TeamUSA]

Good post and good thought. Always find out where that US Embassy or Consulate is located.

[MarioKempes]

Good advice, although in Germany I doubt you will have any problems.

[JoeSoccerFan]

In addition make a copy of your passport picture page and store it somewhere else. It'll make it easier to get a replacement in case it's lost or stolen.

[Palermo10]

This is just another entry in a long list of posts that are helpful but will be lost among ALL the helpful threads on BS.

Maybe in May we can combine all the important information and print it out, or I'll just come to you guys when I havent read up on my info

[roadkit]

Originally Posted by Palermo10

This is just another entry in a long list of posts that are helpful but will be lost among ALL the helpful threads on BS.

Maybe in May we can combine all the important information and print it out, or I'll just come to you guys when I havent read up on my info

I was thinking af putting a shorter post in one of the stickied threads to remind people. Hopefully nobody will need it but you never know.

[mad4footie]

Under the catagory of better to have it and not need it: Americans covered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield can go to www.bluecares.com and get a list of hospitals in Germany that would be covered by most Blue Cross Plans. A lot easier to just hand over your insurance card instead of your credit card if you had an emergency.

[roadkit]

Originally Posted by mad4footie

Under the catagory of better to have it and not need it: Americans covered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield can go to www.bluecares.com and get a list of hospitals in Germany that would be covered by most Blue Cross Plans. A lot easier to just hand over your insurance card instead of your credit card if you had an emergency.

Good point - I need to check with Aetna to see if they have the same sort of coverage.

[ChangeT]

Originally Posted by JoeSoccerFan

In addition make a copy of your passport picture page and store it somewhere else. It'll make it easier to get a replacement in case it's lost or stolen.

Just a thought, get it scanned and upload it to your favorite web site (yahoo, email, etc.), you'll always have access to it.