Good responses, thanks. I have received a few off board messages also. In Laos and Thailand I must agree the emergency response would not be of much value as far as direct contact.
Mostly I like the function of others being able to see your track, for both fun and emergency, and the fact you can simply send a preconfigured message "I'm O.k." (That is if you have someone who really cares :lol: ).
Here is an example that was sent to me;
If you read my last few Laos posts; I was 4 days without telephone contact of any kind, 2 without electricity, (you need to get off the highway more Jeff), the telephone in any kind of emergency is virtually useless.
This from a trekking company poster
"Xieng Kaeng is a very remote region, so please be aware that if worst comes to worst it might be difficult and costly to get you to the nearest hospital. Most of the villages now have a telephone connection to China, but if it rains heavily this is unreliable. Please visit the remote villages only if you are in good health and make sure that you have current health insurance cover, we and the villagers cannot accept responsibility...
At least having an emergency message preprogrammed to send to some knowledgable people who could help coordinate a rescue/aid mission and also showing someone where you last were, seems like a good benefit.
As for paying for the services; we pay for our insurance and our riding gear and hopefully never need to use them. This would fall into the same category.
The jury is still out, but it is a step in the right direction I think.
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