Global Rescue is a U.S. based company that provides field rescue and emergency medical evacuation as well as other travel services to members globally. As a leader in the rescue transportation industry, Global Rescue has conducted over 22,000 rescue operations worldwide. Trusted by top organizations like NASA and Amazon, Global Rescue currently has over one million members and a high retention rate.
Let’s look at Global Rescue’s offerings and see if a Global Rescue membership is right for you.
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How Global Rescue Works
Founded in 2004, Global Rescue provides field rescue and medical evacuation services in the U.S. and abroad. Global Rescue is not a travel insurance company and instead offers its members access to a wide range of rescue, evacuation, and other travel services for an annual or short term membership fee.
With its team of paramedics, physicians, nurses, and military special operations veterans, Global Rescue is able to offer injured and ill members field rescue and top quality medical evacuation services, including to the member’s hospital of choice, subject to availability. Consistent with its commitment to offer access to exceptional medical care, Global Rescue maintains partnerships with Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine Division of Special Operations, Mass General Brigham (the Harvard Medical School Affiliate), and Elite Medical Group. Global Rescue also provides COVID-19 services and transport.
While travel insurance protects your financial investment when traveling, Global Rescue specializes in field rescue and medical evacuation in the event of an emergency and is a good supplement to a comprehensive travel insurance policy. With options to add-on travel risk and crisis management services, it’s easy to see why Global Rescue’s services appeal to a wide range of travelers.
Global Rescue is highly regarded among industry organizations and travel publications. A few of its recent awards include:
- Magellan Gold Award
- Most Valuable Corporate Response to the Pandemic
- Best Places to Work
Global Rescue Memberships
Global Rescue provides membership options for individuals and groups. Let’s take a closer look at the membership packages and the services included.
Membership Packages
Global Rescue offers travelers both Travel and TotalCare memberships. A Travel membership includes field rescue and medical evacuation, medical advisory and intelligence information, destination reports and alerts and transportation to the member’s home hospital of choice. Travelers can choose from an individual, family, student or senior (age 75-85) membership and select the duration of the membership, from seven days to five years. Multi-year memberships can offer cost savings, so frequent travelers should compare pricing to see which package makes the most sense for them.
For travelers in need of additional protection, it is easy to add a Security Package or a High-Altitude Evacuation upgrade to the Travel membership. The Security Package is ideal for travelers who will be visiting dangerous or unstable locations. Global Rescue employs teams of military special operations veterans to provide advisory, consultation and physical extraction services in the event of civil unrest, natural disasters, government evacuation orders or other emergency situations. Mountaineers and other adventurers will appreciate the High-Altitude Evacuation upgrade, which provides evacuation services due to illness or injury for travelers who will be above 15,000 feet for all or part of their trip (not including air travel).
A TotalCare membership includes all the benefits of a Travel membership and also provides around-the-clock virtual consults with physicians, urgent and specialty consultations and prescriptions, labs and imaging. Four tiers of TotalCare memberships are available, depending on the number of the member’s consecutive travel days, travel destination, and number of desired urgent consultations.
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Services
Global Rescue’s vertically integrated services are what sets it apart from other emergency transport services. Below we will review a few of the core Global Rescue services.
Field Rescue
Global Rescue has a network of teams on stand-by to rescue members who are ill or injured and need immediate medical care out in the field. The field rescue teams will transport members to the nearest appropriate medical facility, once rescued. If you are traveling to remote or dangerous places with limited transportation options, field rescue can be a literal life saver in case of an emergency.
Medical Evacuation
Global Rescue’s medical evacuation team can transport members to their home hospital of choice in the event of a medical emergency while traveling. The Global Rescue team stays in touch with members throughout the transportation process.
Top Rated Providers
Global Rescue partners with Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine Division of Special Operations, Mass General Brigham (the Harvard Medical School Affiliate), and Elite Medical Group. Each Global Rescue operation center is staffed by experienced nurses, paramedics, and military special operations veterans.
Destination Reports and Event Alerts
Global Rescue provides current detailed reports for 215 countries worldwide. The reports include entry requirements, COVID-19 travel restrictions, security assessments, and immunizations.
My Global Rescue Mobile App
The Global Rescue mobile app (GridSM Portal) allows members to access travel services through a single portal and quickly view destination reports and alerts. Members can keep track of loved ones with GPS tracking and messaging, click to activate emergency assistance and make real-time virtual health visits.
It’s worth noting that Global Rescue does not guarantee the GridSM Portal will work in all locations. Mobile app features are based on your equipment, connectivity, and signal where you are traveling.
Exclusions and Limitations
It is important to read the membership details and understand Global Rescue’s limitations and exclusions. This is the best way to make sure that your specific needs are covered in the event of an emergency.
General Exclusions
Global Rescue will not provide field rescue or medical evacuation services to members:
- with certain infectious diseases (although COVID-19 is covered)
- beyond their second trimester of pregnancy
- who require services due to psychiatric illness
- traveling only for a medical reason
- who require services due to a self-inflicted injury
- engaged in an armed conflict
- who require services due to intentional overdoses of a controlled substance
- who require services due to ingesting a banned substance
- who require services due to a previously diagnosed organ transplant or infectious disease
Travelers Over 85
If you are over 85 years old, medical transport is not included in the Global Rescue membership. However, coverage is still available on a fee-for-service basis.
Final Thoughts
Whether you are traveling to Hawaii for a week or climbing the Swiss Alps, Global Rescue has a membership that can work for you. In the event of an emergency, Global Rescue’s exceptional team can provide the field rescue or medical evacuation necessary to bring you home safely. Additionally, Global Rescue’s travel information, security and crisis management services can offer safety and valuable peace of mind to all types of travelers.
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