- Solo traveler and show host Pamela Holt uses a medical bracelet for safety during her adventures.
- The bracelet from Etsy carries her name, medical details, and emergency contact.
- The idea came from a health scare in the Galapagos, highlighting the need for ID in emergencies.
From Iceland and Italy to Thailand and Vietnam, 54-year-old Pamela Holt has explored more than 80 countries.
For the vast majority of these adventures, Holt traveled solo.
As host of the Amazon Prime and GoTraveler show, "Me, Myself & the World," Holt shares her global experiences and imparts key lessons she's learned as a solo traveler.
When it comes to safety, Holt told Business Insider she always wears a bracelet with a hidden message for medical professionals.
She pinpointed the trip that gave her the idea back in 2009. Holt was headed to an island in the Galapagos by boat after seven days of trekking through the Amazon when she started to feel sick. When she got to the island, she blacked out.
"All I remember is stepping off the boat," Holt told BI. "And they told me later that I looked at these cab drivers and just keeled over."
Holt said there was no hospital on the island, so one of the cab drivers took her to his home.
"His wife cared for me for about five days," she said, adding that she was asleep most of the time. "This woman had to put me in showers to keep my fever down, and I had no ID bracelet telling her any medical information."
After that experience, Holt knew she needed to find a way to communicate with medical professionals in an emergency.
A pretty bracelet with an important message
To find a medical bracelet she'd actually want to wear, Holt went on Etsy.
She found a seller who makes custom jewelry, including designs specifically for medical alerts, starting at $35.
Holt purchased a copper band and had her name and a medical symbol engraved on the front. Holt's medical details and an emergency contact number are hidden inside the band.
"I found a bracelet I liked and customized it," Holt said. "It's fashionable."
And most importantly, it makes her feel safe during her solo travels.
