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Home » Travel » Reflection: Grateful For Onboard Doctors Whilst Abroad
Travel

Reflection: Grateful For Onboard Doctors Whilst Abroad

Kyle Stewart Posted onOctober 20, 2024October 20, 2024 7 Comments

While at sea or far flung to the corners of the earth, having a doctor onsite can really be the difference between a dream and a nightmare.


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Our Infant Son Was Inconsolable

We travel everywhere with our kids, and now that our business is fully in the travel sector, even business meetings often involve the kids coming along (though not to the meetings themselves, of course.) Our children are great travelers because since before they were crawling they had been all over. Our youngest is on pace to match his sister in country count, he will achieve at least 12 unique countries (some of them multiple times) by the time he is 24 months old.

And they travel as we do in business class, suites, and lounges but the expectations are higher for them because there’s a not-so-subtle prejudice around kids in those spaces. As I have covered before, you’ll never see our kids running through the halls, throwing food, or the other hallmarks that people assume happens when a child is in a premium environment. When they need to get up and move around, we help them do that. When my youngest son is fussy, we remove him from the situation.

We were on an incredible super yacht cruise ship and our son wasn’t doing well. Due to storms, we left Bermuda and were at sea for days staying in good weather conditions and trying to wait out weather formations in the mid-Atlantic. He progressed from unusually fussy to consistent tantrums. We followed our usual protocols, extended naps, every tool we had we deployed.

But none of it worked. He was writhing in pain despite careful dosing with infant ibuprofen. We were at a loss.

Is There A Doctor Onboard?

On the phone in our suite, there’s a button for the med bay. We pushed it, something we had never done onboard before. A doctor picked up late into the evening and came to our room. Within a few minutes, dressed in scrubs with a medical bag and stethoscope around his neck, the doctor began examining our son. He wasn’t seeing any telltale signs so he contacted his nurse.

She came up and began distracting our son by blowing up a latex glove and getting him to open his mouth where she suspected there might be an issue. She found the problem and then asked about our dosage schedule for his ibuprofen. She provided an elevated schedule, we administered a new dosage while they were both in the room and within about ten minutes he was out like a light.

Comfort To Beleaguered Parents

Any parent with a sick child can testify to just how exhausting it can be. Worst of all, you just want comfort for your child and would do anything to switch places. Finally, he was comfortable and we could all rest. More than that, we were happy that when we called someone they were there and able to provide a remedy.

In our small group aboard this very small ship another person (not a child) fell quite badly. Not only were staff able to get her to the med bay but x-rays were performed, and after determining nothing was broken, a walking boot was distributed. It was coincidental that we had insight into a second person served by the medical staff during our weeklong journey but it reinforced that had something more serious been at play for our son, resources were available.

Conclusion

We’ve been fortunate to not need medical help while traveling with our children all these years. But the comfort felt when we really needed help was fantastic. In retrospect, we would have skipped this trip altogether had we known what he was going through. But the staff was incredible, responsive and put our worst fears to bed.

What do you think? Have you been sick abroad or at sea? How was it resolved?

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About Author

Kyle Stewart

Kyle is a freelance travel writer with contributions to Time, the Washington Post, MSNBC, Yahoo!, Reuters, Huffington Post, MapHappy, Live And Lets Fly and many other media outlets. He is also co-founder of Scottandthomas.com, a travel agency that delivers "Travel Personalized." He focuses on using miles and points to provide a premium experience for his wife and daughter. Email: sherpa@thetripsherpa.com

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7 Comments

  1. Heather Reply
    October 20, 2024 at 10:25 am

    My son (4yo) and I were extremely ill with respiratory infections while on vacation in Anguilla. The medical care was excellent. The doctor gave us her cell number and encouraged me to call no matter the hour if I had any questions or concerns. The on-site pharmacist filled our prescriptions.

  2. Santastico Reply
    October 20, 2024 at 11:37 am

    In Italy last year, our son had non stop diarrhea after eating seafood. We all ate the same meal but he was the only one that got sick. Kid was in great spirits, no fever but could not hold anything. We were in a boutique hotel in a small town in Italy and I went to the reception and explained the situation. The lady pulled up her cell and texted someone. Within minutes she said a doctor was on her way to see him and we should wait in our room. In less than 30 minutes this woman knocks our door, dressed impeccable in white and with her working bag. She introduced herself and shared she was a doctor at the local hospital and was friends with the owner of our hotel. She examined him and said he was dehydrated and she prescribed a few things for us to get at the local pharmacy. She also gave us her card with her phone in case we needed anything else. I asked her how much we owned her and she looked at me and said maybe 50 euros for the visit. I gave her a 100 euro bill and thanked her. Next day the kid was back to normal. Absolutely fantastic.

    • Alert Reply
      October 20, 2024 at 12:21 pm

      @Santastico … Excellent . I’d give her an extra 300 Euros . Good medical assistance is always worth it .

      I had a similarly good experience in Paris , France . I had a high fever , called the front desk , they called a local doctor, he came t my room , and gave me the medicine from his bag . I gave him a very generous tip .

  3. Maryland Reply
    October 20, 2024 at 1:49 pm

    In Bangkok I’ve used Bumrungrad hospital a couple of times to get stitches and also to run a platelet count. This is a convenient international hospital that was easy to use. In Mexico City (Marie Isabelle?) I contracted salmonella and hotel sent a nurse and doctor. No charge but others in the hotel were also ill.

  4. Travelgirl Reply
    October 20, 2024 at 2:22 pm

    I had a peritonsillar abscess in Garmish and went to see an ENT. He and the nurse (his wife) drove in on their day off for a follow up visit. I told them it wasn’t necessary but they insisted.

  5. Tennen Reply
    October 20, 2024 at 5:04 pm

    @Kyle, how much did the doctor’s/nurse’s visit cost? Aren’t they expensive on cruise ships (perhaps more on super yachts)? That x-ray and walking boot for the other pax must’ve been really pricey… Also curious to know if travel insurance (CC or otherwise) covered any portion of it.

  6. Robb Reply
    October 20, 2024 at 8:52 pm

    I suggest that anyone planning a vacation on a cruise or internationally CHECK WITH YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE PROVIDER and you may be surprised that you WILL NOT BE COVERED. Also, for Seniors … Medicare will NOT cover your mishaps if you are outside of the 50 States. Therefore, it would be prudent to take out a medical insurance policy for the duration of your trip because you just might need it.

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