Planning a New Zealand vacation when you have a medical condition can be tricky. After all you have to plan ahead for medications, possible overseas doctor’s visits and medical supply access. You may also have to think about the cleanliness of the vacation spots you plan on visiting, the potential for re-injuring yourself or the potential for a serious complication to develop while away from American medical care. Fortunately, there are ways to plan ahead for all of these worries.
The first thing that you need to do when you have a medical condition and are planning a trip overseas is to buy medical travel insurance. This insurance policy will cover medical care costs in New Zealand, as well as provide coverage in case you need to be evacuated from an area or if you need to be brought back to the United States for treatment. This type of travel insurance is not the same as general travel insurance. General travel insurance usually covers things related to lost documents and stolen money and possessions.
Step two is to work with your doctor to coordinate your overseas care. You will want to have your prescriptions sent to pharmacies in New Zealand, you will want to identify where you can pick up medical supplies and you will also want to find a doctor that can offer you treatments, if necessary, while you are in New Zealand.
Step four is to arrange for assistive devices at various stages of your New Zealand vacation. For example, you may want to request a wheelchair at the airport to help transfer you on and off of airplanes, you may want to rent an electric wheelchair or cart to help you get around in New Zealand and you may also want to find accessible accommodations and tours. Fortunately, there are many accessible tours that you can take, especially in the larger New Zealand cities. Even the more adventurous tours have accessible options for tourists with mobility issues. Generally you will just need to be able to sit up on your own to participate in these activities.
