You're away from home -- and your usual support network. How to deal with an emergency when you travel, and where to find help.

Bad news: The world doesn’t take a break just because we go on vacation. Mother Nature doesn’t answer to the travel industry, and humans are good at causing trouble like terrorism, civil unrest, crime and accidents. Recent years have been challenging for travellers in many respects, and it doesn’t take much to disrupt even the best laid plans.

We can’t predict what will happen, but we can make things easier on ourselves by knowing how to prepare — and what to do in an emergency. Here are some tips from experts.

Before you go…

Learn about potential problems — and how to lower the risks. You can’t look into the future, but you can find out if your destination is prone to certain issues like civil unrest, crime, severe weather and dangerous road conditions. Find out how to minimize or avoid these issues, like taking health precautions, avoiding restive areas and knowing what natural disasters could occur.

Prepare important information to carry with you. In addition to a travel guide, you can download and print a copy of your destination’s Travel Report and the Canadian government’s guide, Bon Voyage, But… to carry with you. (See How safe is your destination? and Travel health: What you need to know for more details and resources.)

Get travel insurance. Stranded for a few days? Require health care? Need to get home quickly? Without adequate insurance, you could be on the hook for these costs. Experts recommend getting a trip cancellation and interruption policy as well as extended health coverage to cover the costs of any changes to your travel arrangements — like booking a new flight home. Carefully read the details of your policy and make sure you understand the terms and exclusions.

Register with the embassy. This free service lets you register your trip details so the government can reach you and provide assistance during an emergency. For instance, the government can contact you if there’s an emergency back home, provide warnings and updates, or help you evacuate in case of a natural disaster. (Canadians can register online at travel.gc.ca.)

Make a list of essential contact information. Your list should include:

- Local emergency services. Don’t assume 911 is universal — you can find local numbers in a travel guide or government travel advice. Many places also have police units that work specific with tourists (and speak English or French).

- Your travel insurance company’s emergency assistance hotline. (Also, check your employer or credit card benefits for any emergency assistance services offered.)

- Your government’s emergency assistance service or international toll-free number. These numbers offer 24/7 assistance, even if your insurance company doesn’t. (Canadians can contact the Emergency Operation Centre and or consult the list of International Toll-Free Numbers.)

- Local embassy or consular representative.

- Your travel agent and travel providers (including airlines, hotels, etc.)