Vacation health care
Travel health tips
Information
BEFORE LEAVING
Planning ahead of time can make your travels smoother and help you avoid problems.
- Talk to your health care provider or visit a travel clinic 4 to 6 weeks before you leave for your trip. You may need to get updated (or booster) vaccinations before you leave.
- Ask your health insurance carrier what they will cover (including emergency transport) while traveling out of the country.
- Consider traveler's insurance if you are going outside of the United States.
- If you are leaving your children, leave a signed consent-to-treat form with your children's caretaker.
- If you are taking medicine, talk to your health care provider before leaving. Carry all medicines with you in your carry-on bag.
- If traveling outside the United States, learn about the health care in the country you are visiting. If you can, find out where you would go if you needed medical help.
-
If you are planning a long flight, try to arrive as close as possible to your normal bedtime based on the time zone where you are landing. This will help prevent
jet lag
.
Jet lag
Jet lag is a temporary sleep disorder. It occurs when your body's biological clock is not in sync with the local time zone you are in. The more ti...
- If you have an important event scheduled, plan to arrive 2 or 3 days in advance. This will give you time to recover from jet lag.
IMPORTANT ITEMS TO PACK
Important items to bring with you include:
- First aid kit
- Immunization records
- Insurance ID cards
- Medical records for chronic illnesses or recent major surgery
- Name and phone numbers of your pharmacist and health care providers
- Nonprescription medications that you might need
-
Sunscreen
, hat, and sunglasses
Sunscreen
Many skin changes, such as skin cancer, wrinkles, and age spots are caused by exposure to the sun. The two types of sun rays that can injure the skin...
ON THE ROAD
Know what steps you need to take to prevent different diseases and infections . This includes:
Prevent different diseases and infectio...
You can stay healthy during travel by taking the right steps to protect yourself before you go. You can also do things to help prevent disease while...
- How to avoid mosquito bites
- What foods are safe to eat
- Where it is safe to eat
- How to drink water and other liquids
- How to wash and clean your hands well
Know how to prevent and treat traveler's diarrhea if you are visiting an area where it is a common problem (such as Mexico).
Other tips include:
- Be aware of vehicle safety. Use seat belts when traveling.
- Check the local emergency number for where you are. Not all places use 911.
- When traveling long distances, expect your body to adjust to a new time zone at the rate of about 1 hour per day.
When traveling with children :
Traveling with children
Traveling with children presents special challenges. It disrupts familiar routines and imposes new demands. Planning ahead, and involving children ...
- Make sure that the children know the name and telephone number of your hotel in case they get separated from you.
- Write this information down. Put this information in a pocket or other place on their person.
- Give children enough money to make a phone call. Make sure they know how to use the phone system where you are.
References
Basnyat B, Ericsson CD. Travel medicine. In: Auerbach PS, ed. Wilderness Medicine . 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Mosby; 2012:chap 84.
Freedman DO. Approach to the patient before and after travel. In: Goldsmith LA, Katz SI, Gilchrest B, Paller A, Leffell D, Wolff K, eds. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine . 8th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2012:chap 286.
Swanson SJ, John CC. Health advice for children traveling internationally. In: Kliegman RM, Stanton BF, St Geme JW, Schor NF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics . 20th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016:chap 175.
Review Date: 2/7/2016
Reviewed By: Laura J. Martin, MD, MPH, ABIM Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Atlanta, GA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.