Travel With Peace of Mind

Why We Chose Global Rescue—and Why You Might Want It for Your Next Trip

Travel is exhilarating, eye-opening, and, at times, unpredictable. From altitude sickness to unexpected injuries on remote islands, protests or car wrecks things can go wrong even on the best-planned vacations. That’s why we chose to purchase Global Rescue membership before our trip to Quito, Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands. And now, having been through the experience, we can confidently say this: it’s a no-brainer for international travelers—especially parents sending their kids abroad.

What is Global Rescue?

Global Rescue is not travel insurance—it’s traveler protection providing world-wide crisis response and evacuation services. It specializes in medical evacuation, security extraction and travel intelligence, offering 24/7 access to medical and security professionals who can help you in real-time, almost anywhere in the world.

Key Services:

• Field Rescue: Injured while hiking in the Andes? They’ll come to you and get you to safety. 

• Medical Evacuation: If you're hospitalized 100+ miles from home and need to get to a better facility or back to your home hospital, Global Rescue will coordinate and cover the evacuation—no extra cost.

• Security Extraction: Civil unrest, natural disasters, or political instability around the world? If you’re facing an imminent risk of bodily harm and cannot evacuate on your own, our security operations team extracts and transports you to safety.

• Medical Advisory: 24/7 phone/video access to critical care paramedics, nurses, and physicians.

• Travel Intelligence: Real-time destination reports, safety updates, and alerts.

• Family Plans: Options to cover everyone under one membership.

When Would You Actually Use It?

Let’s be honest—most of us think, “I probably won’t need it.” But there are unexpected things (and often dangerous things) that happen around the world. A few things that have happened to me:

• Altitude sickness climbing Grand Teton.

• Separated my shoulder playing soccer in West Africa.

• Car wreck in Venezuela

Our first membership with Global Rescue - Trip to Ecuador and the Galápagos

We visited Quito, Ecuador—which sits at a lung-squeezing 9,350 feet of elevation—then headed to the remote Galápagos Islands to snorkel. While everyone hopes all will be fine, there were a few nagging thoughts that pressed me to buy our first Global Rescue membership packages.

• Altitude in Quito: Quito 4,000 feet higher than Denver Colorado. Having had altitude impact me a few times in high mountains, this was a constant thought during planning.

• Sharks while snorkeling: When you talk to tour operators about snorkeling at Kicker Rock, they tell you about “the types of sharks YOU WILL SEE.” I am not generally scared of sharks, and I have spent a lot of time in the oceans when traveling. But knowing that sharks would be near us while snorkeling was different. (FYI - a white tip reef shark swam along with us about 15 feet away)

• Violent Presidential election: I try to stay informed about the areas where I will be traveling. We noticed a run-off Presidential election would be taking place in Quito. There had already been an assassination of one candidate and large protests in the streets of Ecuador. We would be in Quito on election day including the Army and National Guard deployed all around the main square to help maintain order.

  

Cost & Membership Options

Purchasing Global Rescue traveler protection was a small percentage of our trip cost and far more affordable than an emergency medevac bill. Here’s a rough pricing estimate (as of early 2025):

• Individual 7-day membership: ~$139

• Individual annual membership: ~$395

• Family annual membership: ~$690 (covers spouse and dependents under 26)

• Student annual plan: ~$320 (perfect for study abroad or gap years)

And since it’s a membership, there are no  deductibles, no claim forms, and no co-pays. You can also add traditional travel insurance (trip interruption, baggage loss, etc.) via their Signature Travel Insurance option, or use Global Rescue as a supplement to a standard travel insurance policy.

Why Parents Should Consider It—Peace of Mind for You and Your Kids Abroad

As a parent, there’s nothing scarier than imagining your child sick, hurt, or in danger, especially far from home. Global Rescue removes the helplessness from that equation where ever they are in the world. Imagine your college-age daughter is studying in Sweden and suddenly has appendicitis, or your son is backpacking in Asia and civil unrest breaks out. One call to Global Rescue, and a real team starts working immediately—no waiting for embassy delays or fighting with insurance adjusters.

• Study abroad students

• Gap year travelers

• Young professionals on extended trips

• Adventure travelers and digital nomads

• Parents traveling with kids in remote destinations

How to Buy It

We purchased it directly through Global Rescue’s website. The process was quick—just basic personal and trip info, and membership began immediately. They also offer phone support if you want to talk through options with a real person.

Pro tip: You can get memberships for the various trip durations (i.e. 7- day, 14-day, 30-day, etc) —whether that’s a week in Italy or a 3-month trek through South America, or if you have more than one trip planned an annual membership has the best value. 

You can check our dedicated Global Rescue page CLICK HERE and see the package and pricing options. If you decide to buy a membership package, we receive a small commission - at no additional charge to you - and you are helping support our efforts.

We can also give you travel alerts and emergency contacts at no charge! Just let us know where you are traveling and we are happy to help!

Final Thoughts

Travel isn’t just about the breathtaking views and the unforgettable meals—it’s also about being prepared for the unexpected. We’ve reached a point where Global Rescue is something we’ll include in our travel checklist, just like passports and vaccinations.

It’s not fear-based planning—it’s smart, practical, and empowering. Whether you’re snorkeling Galápagos, exploring the mountains, or just going about your day when a bad situation happens, Global Rescue is the safety net you didn’t know you needed.

Protect yourself and the people you love.