Legal Matters
Presented by: Bradford & Holliman, Estate Planning
Swimsuits, sunblock, and bug spray are not the only things you need to pack for a vacation away from home, but with a Grab & Go file, you will be ready for both a quick visit to your local doctor or a week at the beach.
A Grab & Go file should contain everything a doctor or an emergency room would need if your vacation is blighted by an injury or an illness.
- Copies of health insurance, driver’s license (don’t assume your wallet will be with you)
- List of current medications, dosages, why you take them and allergies to any medications
- List of all previous surgeries
- Healthcare Power of Attorney
- Healthcare Directive
- Contact info for your regular doctors
- Contact info for next of kin (list more than one)
Wait… what? You don’t have a will, healthcare power of attorney, or healthcare directive?! Don’t leave town without fixing this gap. A health issue is tough to handle when you are in your hometown where many people already know you, but when on vacation, it is a lot more complicated whether you are just a few hours south at the beach or abroad. A healthcare power of attorney is a standard part of an estate plan, but it is used when you are still alive. Catastrophes can happen on vacation that prevent you from making medical decisions for yourself – such as a coma from a bad car wreck.
Many hospitals standardly ask new patients if they have healthcare directives in place, but if you can’t speak for yourself or your traveling companions don’t know where that document is, your wishes may not be carried out. We often recommend our clients file their directives with their local hospital and primary doctor, but when it comes to vacation, you need to have a copy with you. And if you were to die while on vacation, your traveling companions need to know who to contact and possibly who you named as your executor who should already have a copy of your will and funeral specifications.
Think of the Grab & Go file as carrying an umbrella to keep rain away, and we sincerely hope you never have to use it wherever you vacation this summer.
-Melanie B. Holliman, JD 
Partner at Bradford & Holliman
Estate Planning, Trusts & Special Needs
No representation is made that the quality of the legal service to be performed is greater than the quality of service performed by other lawyers.
