Emergency contacts to save before an island trip

Save the national emergency number, your resort’s front desk and transfer contact, the boat operator, your agent and your insurer’s emergency line, before you lose signal. Keep a printed copy in a waterproof bag. You want the numbers ready while you are calm.

This page gives you a save-list in the order you may need it. For the wider journey, see the journey in four legs, and for a medical focus read what exists on small islands for medical evacuation.

What should be on your save-list?

Save these as named contacts, so you can find them in a hurry.

1. The national emergency number, which is 999. Confirm this on an official source before you travel.
2. Your resort’s front desk, its transfer contact and an after-hours number if there is one.
3. The boat operator named on your ticket.
4. The agent or booking site that sold your stay.
5. Your travel insurer’s emergency or claims line.
6. Your mainland hotel and the jetty office.
7. A trusted person at home who knows your plan.

Ask the resort which numbers actually answer at night and on the island. A number that rings in an empty office is not a contact.

How do you prepare for no signal?

Island signal can drop. Prepare for that before you leave.

• Save contacts in your phone rather than relying on search.
• Screenshot your booking, transfer details and insurance policy number.
• Print one page with the key numbers, and keep it in a waterproof bag.
• Share your plan and expected return with someone at home.
• Carry a power bank, and keep your phone dry.

Our packing guide on splitting a mainland bag from an island bag shows what to keep on you.

What do you add for sea and weather?

Add the weather service to your list, because warnings affect boats. Travellers are reported to use the national weather service website, its app and its social media, and a hotline has been reported ^[1]. Confirm the hotline on the website itself.

Boat safety is another reason to know your operator. Marine enforcement has advised operators to provide enough life jackets for all passengers and to respect capacity ^[2]. Ask your operator about both. Our guide on rough sea warnings explains how a warning becomes a plan.

What should you ask the resort?

Ask the resort before you go.

• Which number do I call at night, and who answers?
• Who do I contact if the boat is late or cancelled?
• Where is the nearest clinic, and how do guests get there?
• What happens if a guest needs urgent care on the island?

Keep their replies with your booking. Our page on what to do when the resort is unreachable on arrival day shows how to build a contact ladder.

Who needs extra contacts?

Some groups need more.

• Families with young children: the mainland hotel and a clinic. See missed connections with toddlers.
• Older travellers: names of regular medicines and a doctor’s number, kept on paper.
• Groups with a medical condition: a written note of the condition and medicines.

A better fit if…

A printed list plus phone contacts may be a better fit if you travel with children, older parents or a medical need. A phone-only list may be enough for a short trip with a reliable signal. Either way, check the list before you board, not after.