DS2 First Lad’s Holiday….has he remembered everything?

[MonkeyTennis34]

He’s going to Portugal with 4 mates.
He's got T-shirts, shorts, trunks.
SPF, deodorant, shower gel,
Printing out boarding passes later.
Is there anything glaringly obvious they he’s forgotten?
Lots going on at home right now so I haven’t been on the ball 100%.
Tia

I went to New York with a boyfriend and when we got there I started to unpack and he opened his bag and he had some books. That was it.

I asked him where his stuff was and he said that he thought we would just go out and buy some clothes etc. Which we obviously had to as he had nothing!

It wasn’t until we had split up long ago and I read a similar thread to this one where I realised that some people actually packed for men and it made me wonder if that’s what he was used to, from his mammy.

But it was so far away from anything that I had even known that I didn’t pick up on it at the time. I’ll never know. 📚

It's a good idea to get a GHIC card, because when you wave it at a public hospital or clinic there is a lot less paperwork to do. But the entitlement to GHIC treatment exists because he is covered by the NHS, not because he has the card. If he doesn't have it and an emergency comes up, get him to go to a public hospital (see below) while you contact NHS Overseas Health Services, who will put everything in place (possibly after sighing very slightly).

If Portugal is anything like Spain, if one of the lads has a mishap and the group asks the hotel to call an ambulance, they will call a private ambulance (because they get commission — I was shocked the first time I discovered this about Spain!). Your DS's insurance may cover this but his mates' insurance, if they have it, may not. It can cost €500 or more. The private ambulance will take them to a private hospital, where they will treat first and bill later. This can run up high four figures before the patient might be ready to be moved to a public hospital.

Therefore, unless everyone is sure that their insurance includes private cover for all possible accidents and related expenses, the procedure in case of emergency is to call 112, which will send a public ambulance and take them to a public hospital. At that point the GHIC, or NHS Overseas Health Services, kicks in, and about the only expense that the insurance may have to take care of is repatriation.

Try to identify who is the most sensible member of the party (we all think it's our own DC, but it could be them that ends up unconscious) and ensure that they understand the above.

(Also, condoms.)

Thanks @samarrangeand @murasaki

As long as you have his NHS number its very easy to do online.

Ds had his GHIC due to having a family holiday abroad last year so was luckily all set this time around. Hope your DS has a fab time OP!

yeah, exactly? He is an adult.

good grief, let him pack for himself and manage and problem solve if he doesn't have something. Let him buy his own condoms

That's criminal. DS packed his own stuff as he is 18yo. There's no way I would be doing that🤨

Transport from airport to hotel? (My ds2 had his first Lads’ holiday last week and they forgot to organise transport to the hotel and ended up paying over the odds for an uber!). Also travel insurance?

Lesson learned.

@samarrange thanks for sharing that, I had no idea - and if adults who have been on multiple holidays don't know things like that, how are 18 year olds on their first holiday abroad supposed to know.

That's probably the most important thing to have!

Is it too late to apply for one?
Without it, he can't walk into a medical centre and be treated for anything, whatever it might be.

Speaking from experience, that's not strictly true, well, not in Spain anyway.

Medical centre over here demand the physical card. If not, they send you to the back of the queue and they might or might not see you eventually. (Took friend's elderly mother to medical centre after a fall... with the card she was seen in 5 minutes, checked out in every way, blood pressure etc, and sent to a hospital 30 minutes away for stitches)
I saw others turned away and told to wait without the card.

Exactly, my DC have been responsible for sorting their own packing since about age eight when they went on scout/guide trips. I’ve just left them to it.

He sorted his travel insurance a while ago
and applied for the ehic last night.
Transfers included.

Having been through a medical incident abroad where I wouldn’t have been able to deal with insurance etc it’s not just having those things in place it’s making sure someone else has the details. Even when I fly with DH I make sure we both have all the details and send copies to my sister in case of an emergency that impacts both of us (our DC not old enough). Hopefully she will never have need of them but I send her copies of our flight details, where we are staying, passports and insurance documents. I’m sure she doesn’t look at them but they will help her help us if something happens.

I refer you to my earlier comment about having enough money to pay for the airline adding some extra charge.

Need in the strictest sense is two (a second in case one gets wet through or damaged), need in the eyes of a teenage will be a higher number.

The entitlement is based on you being covered by the NHS, not having the physical card. You can call NHS Overseas Healthcare Services and they can arrange for emergency recognition. But this sort of subtlety, combined with the language barrier, may be beyond the average Spanish health centre reception person, so it really is better to have the card. And NHS Overseas Healthcare Services are only there during office hours.

Of course, if you are bleeding or having a heart attack the health centre is not going to just leave you to die there, but most bumps and coughs can also be treated in a private clinic, and I understand that they prioritise people who have made the effort to get the right documentation.

Portable charger

Totally agree. Medical centre I have been to a couple of times, there is a notice up saying "we will only speak Spanish, please bring a translator with you if needed"

Luckily that's not a problem for us. And I am not criticizing them at all, with the right card, passport and spanish-speaking, the service was so efficient it was untrue

Thanks all. I’ve located a ghic in my name so I must have got them for all the family. Just need to find the blasted thing now..

Condoms?

I think there's a line between doing it all for him, and helping out with a first timer.
I gave advice and help with insurance, some first aid stuff and cast an eye on suggested items for packing( thereby reducing it by half!). No harm in helping and sharing experience. Surely that's what we do with our kids?

No harm in helping and sharing experience. Surely that's what we do with our kids?
Apparently not according to some of the posts on here.
I agree with you btw.

The funny thing is both my adult sons help me out and give me advice. Thankfully no one has said to them ' Why are you helping her,She's an adult, can't she figure things out for herself?'
Help, advice, support and sharing expierence is a two way street in my family.

Yes don't jump in the shallow end