Pack the ICE!?! What I mean is that when you or your children travel, you should be sure to have your “In Case of Emergency” information organized and easily available. Many times, travel takes us to beautiful but remote locations. You may have changes in food and water, participate in more strenuous exercise, or simply forget to take medication on schedule. I hope all my clients find that dealing with sunburn or making dinner reservations is their biggest worry, but it helps to be prepared in case things don’t go quite as planned.
Traveling without your children or spouse?
- Have an up-to-date estate plan
Last summer a friend of mine was planning a 25th anniversary trip to Ashland with her husband. It was the first time in years she and her husband would be away from their children together. They had an estate plan, but it was sorely out of date. The trip was the impetus for them to finally update their documents and make some changes in guardianship now that their children were in their teens. If you plan to travel without your spouse or children, make sure you have an up-to-date estate plan. And be sure that the plan can be found quickly if needed. - Other Emergency Information
If you are leaving your kids with family or friends be sure to have the following easily available: attorney’s numbers, doctor’s numbers, bank information, school information, the social security cards of the children, immunization records, and health insurance information. Also provide a copy of your detailed itinerary including flights, hotels, dates of arrivals/departures for each location, and tour company contact information. Obviously, leave your cell phone number, but remember, you can easily lose your cell phone or discover that service is spotty in your corner of paradise. Be sure to have a back-up contact plan other than your cell phone.
I give my clients a wallet card that they can carry that has the name of the guardian of the children and my information on the card. It’s a good idea also to carry current photos of your kids when you travel. I also recommend programming ICE information into your phone and putting it in your wallet. Paramedics are trained to look for ICE in your contact list or documents.
Kids Traveling Separately?
- Be sure they carry ID, ICE, and medical information
Your kids should carry some form of ID and have ICE in their cell phone and/or wallet. Have them carry any medications that they regularly take and their medical insurance information. This is especially important if they have a chronic health problem. A friend who chaperoned a trip to NYC told me one of the students on the trip was diabetic. The chaperone checked daily to make sure the student was checking his blood levels and taking his insulin. Unfortunately, the student was not telling the truth and ended up in the emergency room with sky high blood sugar. Fortunately, being in NYC, he was close to excellent help and is fine. - Have a copy of their itinerary with you
You should also know the itinerary of your kids and the contact information for hotels, chaperones, and trip sponsor. Go ahead and put these numbers on your cell phone temporarily. - Provide a Medical Release Form and Temporary Guardianship Papers
Most camps and trips include medical release forms as part of the registration packet. But if your kids will be staying with friends or relatives, it is a good idea to provide a medical release form and, in some case, temporary guardianship papers. Temporary guardianship is not a substitute for an estate plan, but it can be useful if your child will be traveling with relatives or needs to seek medical care.
Your estate planning attorney can prepare these documents for you or you can find sample documents on the web.
The form should state that your caretaker has permission for any and all medical attention to be administered in the event of accident, injury, sickness, etc. until you can be contacted.
Also state that you will assume the responsibility for the payment of the treatment. Make sure you include your children’s names and sign the document. Include contact information for your children’s doctor and insurance information.
Don’t let this information scare you. Much like frequent travelers have a separate toiletry kit always at the ready, I recommend that you prepare an ICE kit with all of the necessary documents and update it with trip specific information before you travel. Use this checklist to help you get organized and then have a wonderful, relaxing, care-free vacation!