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Emergency Trips: How To Proceed If You Need To Travel Immediately

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Some vacations just aren't planned. When you're faced with a death in the family or a terminally ill family member, throwing together travel plans at the last minute can be exceedingly difficult, especially if the relative lives far away or in a different country. However, there are some things that can help you get peace of mind when figuring out how to get to your relative. From getting an emergency United States passport to booking an airline ticket, there are ways to effectively create a plan that can get you to your loved one in no time.

Should you have to get to a loved one who has died or is dying, bereavement or compassionate fares will save you money on last-minute travel as they're close to what a lowest cost seat would be. You have to give proof, but you might save between ten and seventy-five percent, but probably somewhere around fifty percent.

I've Gotta Get Out of Town! What Now?

There are some drawbacks with these fares, however. While some airlines may give you the discount before purchasing your ticket when you provide the right documentation, many will only offer a rebate after you return from your trip. This refund must be submitted no more than 90 days after the flight. Bereavement rates for international travel are harder to acquire. Because these circumstances may be harder to verify, a refund can only be issued after the trip with the death certificate. International travel also poses another problem: if it takes more than one airline to get to your location, you will have to apply for bereavement fares individually for each one.

Since international travel requires a passport, you will need to have one in order to fly out of the country to meet your loved one. If your passport is damaged, missing or no longer valid, you may request a one day American passport renewal in order to make the trip.

Many airlines provide a discounted "bereavement fare" for travelers attending the funeral of a loved one. While airline policies differ, the best way to find out if such a discounted fare is offered is to either call the airline or apply for it in person. Airlines will generally request such details as the name of the deceased, your relationship to that person, contact information for the funeral home and/or the name and number of the attending physician at the time of death. Some airlines offer discounts only one-way, on the return flight from the funeral; if this is the case, you may be asked for a copy of the death certificate as well. While these requirements may seem a bit intrusive, especially in such a difficult time, they are asked only as confirmation that you qualify for the bereavement fare. All airlines have policies to keep such information confidential.

You see, emergency passports and a one day USA passport renewal, combined with bereavement fares, are mechanisms you can set in motion when you must make an emergency trip abroad to take care of a family member who is about to die.