Local and international travel has been consistently expanding and becoming easier over the past decade because of faster jets, quicker and more comfortable traveling time, and relative ease in securing travel documents. However, there will always be that hanging threat of a mishap, accident, or act of terrorism/crime that cannot be ignored.
Just this past July 3, an American, Howard Mills, visiting China on a business trip and traveling with his wife, got stabbed and died. The man who attacked him has a history of mental problems; he was not a terrorist or criminal. Incidents like these happen; the problem is not avoiding travel but being prepared and avoiding certain places. One of the most essential travel preparations one can do when traveling to a foreign country would be to get travel insurance. In the case of Mrs. Mills, her problem aside from the death of her husband was getting him repatriated to the U.S. and completing the travel documents, police reports, and medical certificates in a country where English is not spoken by the majority.
In the same manner, cases like the recent theater shooting in Colorado exposed a community to an unbelievable tragedy. No one expected it. Just as it happened here, it can also happen elsewhere. Within days of the Colorado heartbreak, a Japanese national went berserk in Manila, killing one and wounding several others. In Thailand, tourists are being targeted by criminals posing as taxi drivers, transvestites, or concerned locals. London, the site of the Olympics 2012, just charged the “Black Madam,” a British citizen of administering illegal silicone injection on a tourist who wanted enhancements on her body.
Whether the travel reasons are business, pleasure, or medical, it pays to get that added security of travel insurance. None of the victims expected to be victims. Almost all crimes on tourists and visitors are random but it shouldn’t stop anyone from enjoying the thrill of seeing a new place and meeting people from different cultures.
