What do I do if I lose, forget, or run out of my prescription medication on vacation?
Medicine from the doctor can help you feel your best at home — and while you’re exploring destinations on vacation. Staying healthy can help you travel more, truly soak up each moment, and create lasting memories because you’re feeling your best.
This means one of the most crucial things to pack for your trip — beyond travel insurance, of course — is a sufficient supply (plus extra!) of your prescription medication. Why? Unexpected hiccups like losing, forgetting, or running out of your medicine can quickly put your health at risk — and your trip plans on pause.
But what do you do if you’re faced with an empty or missing medication during your getaway?
If you’re a Travelex policyholder, there’s no need to panic about how to find the right international pharmacy or stress about whether a pharmacy can replace your lost prescription … our emergency assistance team can help you replace your medication with ease.
“Just like at home, it’s essential to take your regular medications while you’re traveling. If your prescription medication helps you get through the day or keeps your body functioning as it should, we know how stressful it can be to unexpectedly be out of medication in another country.
“As soon as you realize you need to fill a prescription, give our travel assistance team a call anytime so we can help. Our team can help you speak to a doctor virtually or in person so you can replace your medication quickly, and even help with filing a claim for the prescription costs. This means you can get back to focusing on enjoying your vacation instead of worrying about potential health complications.”
Dr. Joel Lockwood MD, FRCPC, Regional Chief Medical Officer at World Travel Protection, our 24/7 assistance provider.
Here, we’ll share the steps you should take when you need to get prescription medications while traveling. Because you’re abroad with our travel insurance, we’re here for you in more ways than one — and we’re always available to offer prescription assistance.
Need travel assistance right now?
Our 24/7 travel assistance team can help. Here’s how you can contact us:
- Tap the assistance button in our Travel On app.
- Call us at 1-844-215-1672 if you’re inside of the U.S. or Canada.
- Call us at 1-647-775-8042 if you’re outside of the U.S. or Canada.
- Email us at [email protected].
5 steps to take if you need more prescription medication during your trip:
1. Call our 24/7 travel assistance team.
2. Make an in-person or virtual appointment with a doctor who speaks your language.
3. Ask our travel assistance team for the nearest pharmacy (and get translation services if needed).
4. Save all medical records, reports, and receipts.
5. Submit a travel insurance claim for unforeseen expenses.
Here’s how we can help if you’re out of your prescription medication while on vacation
Step 1: Call our 24/7 travel assistance team
If you find yourself unexpectedly looking at an empty medication container on vacation or simply can’t find your prescription medication, the first thing to do is to call our 24/7 travel assistance team, World Travel Protection. Getting help from our team is a perk of being a Travelex policyholder, and you can reach us anytime, anywhere.
Here are four ways to reach our travel assistance team:
- Open our Travel On app and tap the assistance button.
- Call us at 1-844-215-1672 if you’re inside of the U.S. or Canada.
- Call us at 1-647-775-8042 if you’re outside of the U.S. or Canada.
- Email us at [email protected].
Once you get in touch with us, you can talk with certified doctors, nurses, and case workers who can give you prescription assistance and help you get access to a refill.
Step 2: Make an in-person or virtual appointment with a doctor who speaks your language with the help of our assistance team
After you explain your prescription medication situation, our travel assistance team can help you find a doctor so you can get a new prescription. If you need the doctor to speak English, Spanish, or another language, let us know and we can find a suitable doctor.
We can even schedule your virtual or in-person appointment for you, so you’re ready to go when you get off the phone.
Our assistance team has a carefully checked list of trusted doctors all over the world. This means no matter where you have trouble with your prescription medication, we're all set to help you get the most reliable medical help when you need it.
Good to know: When you need a prescription at a new doctor’s office, you may need to send them your medical records so they can view the details of your prescription. But don’t worry about trying to retrieve your information; our travel assistance team can help transfer your medical records to the doctor’s medical facility if necessary.
Step 3: Ask our travel assistance team for the nearest pharmacy (and ask them to arrange translation services if needed)
Once you’ve spoken to the doctor — whether in person or virtually — you’ll need to get your prescription filled. The doctor you speak with may ask which pharmacy to send your refill to — or they may email it to you so you can take it to any nearby pharmacy. If you need help locating a reliable pharmacy, our travel assistance team can help you.
Worried about speaking to a pharmacist abroad? It can feel uncomfortable visiting a pharmacy in another country because it may not be what you’re used to at home — especially if you don’t speak your destination’s native language.
Here’s the good news: our travel assistance team can not only help you see a doctor to get your script, but also help you when you go to the pharmacy to get it filled. If you need help with translating when you’re getting prescription medications while traveling, our assistance team can arrange translating services for you.
Step 4: Save all medical records, reports, and receipts
When you make a virtual or in-person appointment, see the doctor, and get your prescription medication from a local pharmacy, don’t forget to save all the documentation you receive.
For example, if you set up a virtual doctor's visit through our assistance team, you'll get confirmation and receipts by email, so make sure you keep them.
Why? Because when you file a claim with us, you'll need proof of your appointments and medication requirements — like what treatment you received and how much it cost — so we can accurately assess it.
Have more questions about what documents you should keep? Don't hesitate to ask our travel assistance team while they're sorting out your care.
Step 5: Submit a travel insurance claim for unanticipated expenses
If you forget, lose, or run out of your prescription medication unexpectedly and have medical costs from the refill process, we may be able to help. Just remember to file a Travelex claim within one year of getting home from your vacation.
Good to know: Before you submit a claim, it’s helpful to look through your policy to review your benefits and exclusions so you know what costs are eligible for coverage relating to your prescription medication. If you need help understanding your coverage, you can call our customer service team at 1-800-228-9792.
Ready to submit your claim with all your documentation? You can file your claim online or reach our claims team at 1-855-205-6054.
Important: It’s unlikely your regular health insurance will cover the costs that come while refilling a prescription abroad. That's why our travel insurance coverage can make a big difference — it can help cover emergency medical and dental bills, so you don't have to stress as much about unexpected costs.
Did you know our travel assistance team can help with more than refilling prescriptions?
Our travel assistance specialists are always available to help with both emergency and non-emergency issues.
Find out how we can help in other travel situations:
Access your policy in our Travel On app now!
- Keep your coverage on hand and travel safer with security alerts, destination advice, and more when you download our Travel On app.
Your travel insurance helps with more than medical expenses
At Travelex, we want to protect you as much as we can, which means our comprehensive plans have a variety of benefits.
Here are some other key benefits of our travel insurance:
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