Hiking abroad: sort out rescue, emergency numbers and insurance

Rescue only works if two things succeed: you must reach the rescuers, and they must find you. That sounds simple, but in a foreign country it is not a given. Emergency numbers, mountain rescue organisations and the question of who is responsible for a search differ from country to country.

Many European mountain areas have well-organised mountain rescue services reachable via 112 or their own mountain rescue numbers. Other regions have no organised mountain rescue; there help may take hours or days. The International Commission for Alpine Rescue (ICAR) connects many mountain rescue organisations, but each country sets its own organisation, contact options and costs.

The most important safeguard is often not equipment but a person: someone who knows your route and your latest return time. If you are injured and cannot phone, that person is the one who triggers a search – and tells the rescuers where to look.

Note the emergency numbers, the mountain rescue organisation, and weather and, where relevant, avalanche services of the destination from official sources. Save the numbers in your phone and write them on your emergency card. Information is sometimes only available in the local language; a translation app or your lodging can help.

Read your insurance terms to see whether search, rescue, helicopter operations and repatriation are covered and whether there are limits, for example on altitude or certain activities. In some countries such operations may be billed. Travel, health and membership insurance, for example from alpine clubs, differ greatly here. Also save the insurer's emergency number.

Give a contact person or your lodging a route plan: route, timetable, turnaround time and the latest time at which they should raise the alarm. Check in after the tour so nobody searches unnecessarily.

Rescuers need to know where you are. Learn to read the coordinates on your phone and practise it at home. Also carry a paper map and note trail numbers, huts and landmarks. A phone can run flat; a map and your memory cannot.

Know the alpine distress signal: six signals per minute – by whistle, light or shouting – then a minute's pause, and start again. And know the most important signals for a helicopter: both arms raised diagonally in a Y shape means “Yes, we need help”; one arm raised diagonally up and one diagonally down means “No”.

Trail markings are not the same everywhere and not always unambiguous. Colours and symbols that mean something at home can mean something else abroad. If you are unsure whether you are still on the right path, stop, compare with the map and, if in doubt, go back to the last safe point.

Unfamiliar terrain, heat or altitude often have a stronger effect than expected. Paths can be steeper, longer or more exposed than the description suggests. So set a turnaround time and keep to it – even if the goal is already in sight. Turning back is not a defeat, but a good decision.

Choose routes that suit your fitness and experience. High-altitude routes, glaciers and climbing routes are not part of this entry – they need training or a guide. In remote countries without organised mountain rescue, local guides, satellite communication and insurance that covers evacuation can make sense.

If something happens: stay calm, call the local emergency number (112 in the EU), give your location, the type of emergency and the number of people affected. If possible stay in a place where you can easily be seen, protect yourself from cold and wet and save battery for call-backs from the rescuers.