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​What Mexicans Really Eat - Puebla Food Tour​

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This Wasn't on our Mexico bingo card

This week was hectic.

Alan started having intense headaches and his blood pressure shot up to 155/100, stage 2 hypertension. After getting stabilized at our local clinic, he collapsed late Friday night and we had to take an ambulance to the hospital.

After 12 hours we racked up $4,200 USD in hospital bills.

Suddenly travel insurance became very real.

What I Learned About Travel Insurance

To be honest, we don't always get travel insurance, in Asia we've had minor incidents and just paid the a very inexpensive bill.

But Mexico is different, if you don't have coverage or a credit card they will not admit you. And once your money runs out, they kick you out.

So we bought Safety Wing insurance, which is well known with digital nomads and expats. But I booked it and didn't even really look at the details.

People always think travel insurance is for breaking an arm or falling, not diagnosing an illness.

I'll have a video in the future with the entire experience and claim process.
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But in the meantime I wanted to share some crucial things we have learned for next time we travel.

1. Find out if you need to call your insurance before being admitted into a hospital.

In the chaos of the moment this is the last thing you want to figure out. I was scrambling to pay for the ambulance, put a deposit down at the hospital and find Alan's insurance details.

2. Know if your insurance bills directly or if you pay first and claim later.

I discovered ours was pay first and claim, which was scary because I didn't know if they would approve the charges. If insurance doesn't agree with what the hospital did it won't pay. In 12 hours we had $4,200 USD in bills already.

3. Find out if your insurance already has relationships with hospitals.

The hospital we went to was already connected directly with many insurance companies like Manulife, AIG and Tugo, but not ours.

It would have been much easier if they had been connected because the hospital will call on your behalf.

Because mine was not, in the middle of dealing with Alan's care I needed to figure out how to call the insurance company when my Mexican SIM card didn't have a phone plan, only data.

4. Make sure everyone you're traveling with has each other's insurance info.

In many places like Mexico they won't even admit you if you don't have insurance they recognize or a credit card to cover the hold.

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​I had to give them my credit card for $3,700 USD just to admit Alan into the hospital.

Thankfully I was the one who bought our insurance so I had Alan's info, but if something had happened to me he wouldn't have known how to access mine.

Create a folder in email with all the crucial details.

5. Create a document with your medical history.

They asked him at 4am after being admitted and of course it was difficult to remember dates. I knew his history and recent medication.

We have also discussed what would happen if one of us died. Would we be cremated? But one thing they asked, which I didn't know for sure, was would he take a blood transfusion if needed?

These answers are so important, especially if you are not conscious and others need to speak for you. A document that you keep in email makes everything easier.

The Takeaway

It can be really scary getting sick outside your country. But being prepared makes all the difference.

Although I think this process could have been easier with a different plan, working with Safety Wing was helpful in the moment.
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I was concerned the hospital was moving too slow with testing/diagnosis and they were able to give me great advice and know our rights as a patient.
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He's now resting at home. I've inputted the claim and we should hear back within 5 business days. Cross your fingers for us!

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Keep life delicious,

Ayngelina

P.S. I'm working on a Vietnam food tour with a local guide I've known for years. If you're interested in joining me to eat these dishes where they originated, you can sign up here. No commitment, it's just a separate email that will only go out to people interested in Vietnam.

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