We had a great time on our guided tour of Ireland last fall – but for about a day and a half, I decidedly was NOT having a great time. In fact, I was having a miserable time.
Yup, I got sick. The lovely 24-hour version that makes the sight of any kind of food (to say nothing about the idea of spending a couple of hours on a bus with a bunch of other people) sound miserable. The kind of sick where you just want to crawl in a hole curled up in the fetal position and not move for 24 hours.
Except I couldn’t do that. We were in Ireland, at Blarney Castle. And there I was, sick.
Other than feeling awful though, there was one thing I *wasn’t*, and that was worried.
Because, despite being in a foreign country and being mindful that I didn’t want to end up in the hospital dehydrated, I knew I was well taken care of (beyond the care of my hubby of course).
I had two things in place that set my mind at ease about the situation.
First, we were traveling with a wonderful and experienced tour director who jumped in to help. She called ahead to our next hotel to have our room ready when we arrived (hours before everyone else’s) so that I could go rest the minute I got there. And then she arranged with room service to provide me with what I needed to get well. She continued to check in on me periodically for the rest of the trip, offering help whenever I needed it, and I have to truly say that knowing that she was there – especially if I got worse – was a relief. I knew that I had someone familiar with where we were in Ireland and who could advise and advocate for me. She was a godsend.
Secondly, I had travel insurance. So I knew that, if for some reason this ended up not being a quick virus, I would be covered for any medical expenses that might come up. Thankfully that wasn’t an issue but knowing that I was protected financially if it did happen was a relief.
Having our wonderful tour director looking out for me, along with the peace of mind of travel insurance protection meant that I could concentrate on resting and recovering. Which thankfully, only took a day.
Ultimately this was a minor illness (despite not feeling that way at the time) but had it been a major illness or injury, I would have felt the same. I wasn’t alone and had someone experienced to help, and I was protected by travel insurance.
No one wants to get sick or injured when traveling. But knowing that if something does happen, you’ll be taken care of – means that you can cross that worry off your list!
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