How You Can Get Your Money Back When a Vacation Abroad Goes Awry

A trip abroad is a dream for most people, but sometimes things go awry. Flights get canceled, trains get delayed, hotels have bugs and tours don’t live up to their promises — unfortunately, unexpected issues can pop up when traveling. Even if you are visiting one of the cheapest countries, these surprise expenses can burn a hole in your wallet.

When you’re out of the country, it’s not as simple to call and demand a refund when you can’t speak the language or it costs money to make that call in the first place. Plus, there may be different consumer laws and regulations in other countries, too.

But there are things you can do to get your money back when you experience a travel roadblock. Follow this step-by-step guide to ensure a refund from anywhere in the world.

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1. Have travel insurance before you go

Travel insurance is a smart way to protect yourself when you go on any trip. While most travel insurance options won’t offer complete reimbursements, they will get you sizable refunds for common trip headaches, like stolen luggage, canceled transportation and shoddy accommodations. You can compare rates with providers like Faye Travel Insurance.

“Before you book your trip, check if the credit card you plan to use offers any travel insurance or assistance that might be useful to you. Otherwise, it might be a good idea to begin shopping for travel coverage through a carrier that offers comprehensive travel coverage,” advised Mark Friedlander, the director of corporate communications for the Insurance Information Institute.

If anything comes up, you can then contact your travel insurance to try to get a refund. Jenna Hummer, the director of publicity for Squaremouth, a travel insurance company, said your steps should “then be to:

Have all receipts from your trip ready ahead of time
Obtain documentation from your travel supplier proving you canceled your trip
Provide as much detail as possible in your claim form and interview
Be prepared to send in additional information or documentation to support your claim"

Of course, not everyone needs to invest in travel insurance, Hummer added.

“Travelers with existing protection through their travel credit cards, airline, or through others means, travelers that don’t have any prepaid, non-refundable trip expenses, travelers with few trip expenses, or taking relatively inexpensive trips, travelers with existing medical coverage that covers them for their trips” likely won’t want to buy travel insurance, she said.

Pro Tip: Before you travel abroad, get your paperwork organized. Keeping your financial, insurance and medical documents accessible and secure can make handling travel disruptions easier. Consider using platforms like Google Docs and Quicken LifeHub to store key information.

Check out How to Organize Your Financial Paperwork for tips on keeping your paperwork in order.

2. Check the policies

Let’s say you’re one of those people who didn’t choose to get travel insurance. You may still be protected in another way. Look at what your credit card offers, for example, as there are credit cards with travel insurance.

You can also check out the policies on the offending company’s site: The airline, hotel, or vendor may already have a structure in place for people experiencing problems.

3. Contact the company directly

If you don’t have travel insurance or the company doesn’t offer an automatic resolution, you’ll want to reach out directly. The fastest way is probably via phone, so try to make these calls while you’re already abroad. If you’re already back in the United States, you can use calling apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or FaceTime to help make a free or low-cost international call.

Of course, you may run into an issue if you don’t speak the language. In that case, you can always try to contact the company via email or social media, where you can use a translation app to help get your message across, Friedlander suggested.

4. Get a local to intervene on your behalf

Wat Arun and cruise ship in twilight time, Bangkok, Thailand.

If your emails are going unanswered or you just can’t communicate with the vendor, consider turning to a local for help, Friedlander said. They can mediate for you and help you advocate for what you need.

Don’t know anyone directly on the ground in this country? “Asking a bilingual employee at the hotel where you are staying may be another option,” he explained.

5. Dispute the credit card charge

Unfortunately, sometimes the vendor just won’t be responsive, regardless of how you communicate. That’s when it’s time to talk with your credit card company.

Contact them to explain the situation and dispute the credit card charge. Just make sure you have the proper documentation to back up your claims. Typically, chargebacks are simple to do and are often approved.

What to do next

When travel plans go off the rails, these five simple steps can help you recover what you've spent, but your work doesn't stop once you hit "send." Keep a paper trail, save receipts, emails and screenshots, stay polite but firm and don't be afraid to escalate your claim to local consumer‑protection agencies if the vendor stays silent.

If all else fails, use your credit card to dispute the charge, armed with documentation and persistence. Preparing digitally, such as scanning relevant documents to the cloud and keeping contact info at hand, can turn a travel nightmare into a manageable hiccup. Stay organized, stay calm and you'll boost your chances of making things right.

Becca van Sambeck is a writer and editor with experience in many fields, including travel, entertainment, business, education, and lifestyle. Her work has appeared in outlets like NBC, Oxygen, Bravo, the University of Southern California, Elite Daily, CafeMom, Travel For Teens, and more. She currently resides in New York City.