Smart travelers: 5 points for EU travelers (Infographic)

Would you know what to do if there were an emergency while you were traveling abroad?

We all love to travel, but what would you do if things go wrong? Here are five things to remember.

1. For emergency assistance (police, fire, medical) dial 112 – this is the free EU–wide emergency phone number which is also used in some countries outside the EU, such as Switzerland and South Africa.

2. Don’t forget your free EU health insurance card that you can get from your national health insurance provider. It entitles foreign travellers to urgent medical aid in all 28 EU member states plus in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Under the same conditions and at the same cost (which in some countries means free) as people insured in that country.

3. If your flight train, bus or boat service is delayed or cancelled, you are entitled under EU rules to:
reimbursement in case of a long delay (at least one to five hours, depending on the transport mode), cancellation or denied boarding
assistance (from meals to hotels) while waiting for a delayed journey or rerouting
Learn more about your passenger rights.

4. If you are arrested, lose your passport or need other consular assistance outside the EU, but your country has no diplomatic mission in that country:
* Contact any other EU member state’s embassy or consulate
* You are entitled to help from them under the same conditions as their nationals

5. There’s no need to switch off your phone while in another EU member state because from July 1, 2014, you can talk and surf the internet at a lower cost than before. Learn more about new roaming charges.

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