With China’s increasing foreign trade and cultural exchange with the world, Chinese people travelling for business and leisure purposes becoming more and more frequent.
When travelling abroad, the problems faced by the people can be related to language, local customs and habits, region and culture, safety, transport, medical needs and many situations differ from those in China. From a risk management perspective, these differences imply risks. Some of them could be relatively riskier than others which need better preparations and serious precautions.
In general, people are mostly concerned about risks such as accidents, public safety, epidemic disease outbreaks, geopolitical tensions and so on when travelling abroad. Except the usual “homework” as a traveler, we should at any time find out the travel alerts issued by related authorities to countries or regions with frequent epidemic disease outbreaks or safety problems that can maximize the protection of our personal and property safety.
Regarding the aspects which require our attention, we must:
- Have a clear understanding and copy of your destination’s Embassies of the People’s Republic of China including addresses and telephone numbers. You must keep an eye on the announcements from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the local embassies about emergency situations of safety and hygiene.
- Seek help from the Embassies in case of emergency.
- Carry your travel documents/ID cards when going out.
- Use formal public transport when travelling.
- Plan your itinerary and travel arrangements. Avoid quiet places at nighttime.
- Keep in contact with family and friends. Give them a copy of your itinerary, contact information and addresses before you go abroad.
- Understand the local customs and habits, religious/food and drink taboos. Obey local laws.
- Avoid going to area of epidemic outbreak, warzone, riot, terrorist attacks.
- Purchase travel insurance from international insurers. Save the emergency hotline number in your mobile phone.
Pay attention to your personal safety. When you find yourself in danger, you should:
- Call the local police within 24 hours of the incident. Please note that you do not require a sim card to dial the emergency number in some countries. Have a clear understanding before your trip.
- Get back to a safe place like your hotel or a local police station and ask for help.
- Use the “Tourist Police” mobile APPs provided in tourist hotspots of certain countries to conveniently make enquiries and look for assistance.
- Seek help from the Embassies of the People’s Republic of China when dealing with other difficult situations.
Accidents could be unavoidable when travelling. It is not uncommon to see Chinese nationals fall victim to accidental injuries, property thefts, etc. The damage is often huge when tragedy happens. Especially for personal injuries and sudden outbreak of illness, Chinese nationals could face many challenges when seeking the medical treatments needed in overseas due to differences in languages and healthcare systems.
To reduce the risk in overseas travel, one effective method is purchasing suitable travel insurance products. In the event of a personal accident or sudden outbreak of illness, the insurance company offers help, covers the medical costs and even arranges high quality medical resources to treat and cure the insured while reducing the financial damage.
Travel insurance usually offers multiple coverages, with medical coverage and emergency rescue services as the most important ones. In many countries, non-residents must pay for the medical service at their own expense. In the US and EU, medical costs are relatively higher since these countries have higher level of overall healthcare standards and perfect facilities. Travel Insurance can largely solve the medical cost problem. Those EU countries in “Schengen Agreement” have even considered sufficient medical insurance coverage for the applicant as a necessary requirement for visa issuance.
In cases of major personal accident events, the insurance company’s rescue service can rapidly transport the insured persons to a city or an area suitable for medical treatments. And they can be further transferred to the places of daily residence or work.
Essential considerations for choosing travel insurance products:
- Please choose formal and global insurance firms to purchase suitable insurance products. Do not believe in those so-called “travel or medical coverages” sold on informal channels.
- The medical coverage of most travel insurance policies covers all related reasonably necessary medical expenses induced by accidents.
- Costs related to existing conditions, corrective plastic surgeries, physical check-ups, health-related dental and ophthalmological treatment are normally listed as exclusions. Clients need to purchase specialized insurance products for these items.
- In case of emergency medical consultation, the insured needs to choose legally registered local medical institutions. There could be different requirements of medical institutions and healthcare providers for different insurance policies. And the insured should understand the details and study the policy terms carefully beforehand.
- If the insured is being sent to a hospital in emergency situations, please make sure to call their insurer and seek guidance.
- Prescription of medication should be given to the insured by qualified medical practitioners.
- Overseas travel insurance should at least include basic coverage like medical cover for death and disability due to accident, medical reimbursement (with a limit not lower than RMB 300k at its minimum), emergency medical transport and evacuation, and personal property coverages.
- Choices for additional coverage according to personal needs, for example:
- Flight Delay – when the insured’s flight was delayed due to reasons and reached a delayed time listed on the policy, compensation will be paid to the insured.
- Delayed Baggage – when the insured’s baggage was delayed due to the carrier’s reasons and reached a delayed time listed on the policy, compensation will be paid to the insured..
- Trip Cancellation – covers compensation after trip cancellation due to force majeure for non-refundable costs like hotel booking fee, flight ticket booking fee etc.
- Personal Liability – compensation for property damage or personal injuries of other parties caused by the insured’s personal fault or negligence during the trip.
- Personal Money – in case of theft or robbery of personal money during the trip, compensation will be paid to the insured.
If an accident has happened, you should:
- Contact the insurer or agents immediately and obtain advice or guidance. Go to a medical institution for treatment.
- Take treatment as the guiding principle in case of emergency. Choose a nearby hospital.
- Keep the related records and certifications for your diagnosis, prescriptions and fee receipts for claim management in a later stage.
- Report to local police at once (recommended to be within 24 hours of the incident) for loss and damages induced by unlawful activities such as robberies and thefts. Keep the police report or any written material.
- Try to involve local law enforcement and allow them to conduct the mediation process of compensation/settlement in case of property damages or personal injuries to other parties caused by the insured’s fault or negligence. Keep the related documents, written materials and payment vouchers.
Friendly reminders:
- Most of the countries have strict measures for inspection and quarantine on food, animals and plants. Usually, these items are prohibited from being brought into their countries.
- Travellers can bring with them a small quantity of common medications. It is better if the packaging are intact (that complies with the local drug regulatory requirements).
- The amount carried by a person exiting the territory for China is RMB 20,000 or any foreign currency in cash of value not more than USD 5,000.
- Do not bring a large amount of cash. Try to use credit cards or traveller’s cheques (digital payment APPs like Alipay or WeChat Pay in foreign countries are not as popular as inside China).
- Pay tips according to local habits.
- Rent a portable Wi-Fi system and utilize internet technology to bring convenience to your trip.
- Choose legally registered companies for car rental with your locally recognized driving license. Check the insurance status of your rental car before you go.
* Actual insurance terms are subject to those listed on the insurance policies.
If you have any questions about Group Travel Insurance, medical and accident coverage or employee benefits for outbound businesses, please contact us.
