International travel can be an exciting and transformative experience, but it’s important to prioritize your health in order to fully enjoy the journey. We looked to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for practical advice for maintaining a healthy lifestyle before, during and after travel.
Before You Travel
Know Your Health Status
Make an appointment with your healthcare provider at least one month before you leave. They can help you get destination-specific vaccines, medicines, and information. Discussing health concerns as well as your itinerary and planned activities with your provider allows them to give more specific advice and recommendations.
Make sure you are up-to-date on all of your routine vaccines. Routine vaccinations protect you from infectious diseases such as measles that can spread quickly in groups of unvaccinated people. Many diseases prevented by routine vaccination are not common in the United States but are still common in other countries.
Take recommended medicines as directed. If your doctor prescribes medicine for you, take the medicine as directed before, during, and after travel. Counterfeit drugs are common in some countries, so only take medicine that you bring from home and make sure to pack enough for the duration of your trip, plus extra in case of travel delays.
Plan for the Unexpected
Get travel insurance. Find out if your health insurance covers medical care abroad. Travelers are usually responsible for paying hospital and other medical expenses out of pocket at most destinations. Make sure you have a plan to get care overseas, in case you need it. Consider buying additional insurance that covers health care and emergency evacuation, especially if you will be traveling to remote areas. There are different types of travel insurance such as trip cancellation insurance, travel health insurance and medical evacuation insurance.
Enroll with the Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). Check for and monitor any travel advisories for your destination. Enrolling also ensures that the US Department of State knows where you are if you have serious legal, medical, or financial difficulties while traveling. In the event of an emergency at home, STEP can also help friends and family contact you.
Prepare for emergencies. Leave copies of important travel documents (e.g. itinerary, contact information, credit cards, passport, proof of school enrollment) with someone at home, in case you lose them during travel. Make sure someone at home knows how to reach you in an emergency. Carry your emergency contacts with you at all times.
Prepare a travel health kit with items you may need, especially those items that may be difficult to find at your destination. Include your prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines in your travel health kit and take enough to last your entire trip, plus extra in case of travel delays. Depending on your destination you may also want to pack insect repellent, sunscreen, aloe, alcohol-based hand sanitizer, water disinfection tablets, and your health insurance card.
During Travel
Wash Your Hands
Regular hand washing is one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick, and prevent the spread of germs to others. Wash your hands and take other precautions to prevent getting and spreading diseases while traveling. Wash your hands with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
Choose Safe Transportation
Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death among travelers. In many middle- or low-income destinations, there may be poor road surfaces, roads without shoulders, unprotected curves and cliffs, or no streetlights. In some destinations traffic laws and road signs may not be regularly followed. Follow these tips to reduce your risk of getting injured:
- Always wear a seat belt.
- Don’t drive at night, especially in unfamiliar or rural areas.
- Do not ride motorcycles. If you must ride a motorcycle, wear a helmet.
- Know local traffic laws before you get behind the wheel.
- Do not drink and drive.
- Only ride in marked taxis that have seatbelts.
- Avoid overcrowded, overweight, or top-heavy buses or vans.
- Be alert when crossing the street, especially in countries where people drive on the left.
Prevent Bug Bites
On your trip, use insect repellent and take other steps to avoid bug bites. Bugs, including mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and flies, can spread diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and Lyme.
- Use an EPA-registered insect repellent with one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus/para-menthane-diol, or 2-undecanone.
- Always apply sunscreen first, let it dry, and then apply insect repellent. Be sure to follow instructions on the label and re-apply both as directed.
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors.
Choose Safe Food and Drinks
Contaminated food or drinks can cause travelers’ diarrhea and other diseases and disrupt travel. Travelers to low- or middle-income destinations are especially at risk. Choose safer food and drinks to prevent getting sick. Eat foods that have been fully cooked and served hot. Do not eat fresh vegetables or fruits unless you can wash or peel them yourself. Drink only bottled, sealed beverages, and avoid ice—it was likely made with tap water.
Avoid Animals
Animals can look cute and cuddly, and you may want to pet them. Any animal, even if it appears to be friendly or harmless, can spread disease and may be dangerous. When traveling, don’t pet or feed animals, even pets, as they may not be vaccinated against rabies and other diseases. Animal bites can cause a bacterial infection that may require antibiotics, so seek medical attention after any animal encounter. Also, be sure you are up-to-date on your tetanus vaccination.
Protect Against Sun and Extreme Temperatures
Apply sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher when traveling. Protecting yourself from the sun isn’t just for tropical beaches—you can get sunburn even if it’s cloudy or cold. If you are traveling in hot weather or a hot climate, wear loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing. When traveling in cold weather or climates, wear warm clothing in several loose layers.
Emergencies and Natural Disasters
If you or a travel companion gets an injury or sickness that can’t be helped with basic first aid or over-the-counter medicine, seek medical attention right away. If you bought evacuation insurance and think you need to use it, call the travel insurance company for assistance.
For other emergencies or natural disasters, you may want to do the following:
- Contact family, friends, a trusted colleague, or your employer as soon as possible after the disaster to keep them informed of your location and health status.
- Monitor travel advisories and announcements by the U.S. Department of State and the Voice of America (VOA) websites.
- Contact the U.S. embassy or consulate.
After Travel Tips
Contact your healthcare provider if you feel sick
Contact your healthcare provider if you feel sick after your trip. Sharing the following information may help your healthcare provider identify possible diseases or infections:
- Your vaccination history.
- Where you traveled.
- Your reasons for traveling.
- Your travel activities, including swimming, hiking, etc.
- The timeframe of your vacation.
- Where you stayed, such as hotels, family or friends’ homes, hostels, or tents.
- What you ate and drank.
- Animals you had close contact with or touched.
- If you have any injuries, scratches, or bug bites.
- Health care or medications you received during your trip.
- Close contact with other people, including sexual encounters.
- If you got any tattoos or piercings.
If your healthcare provider has trouble determining why you are feeling sick, you may want to ask to speak with an infectious disease doctor or travel medicine specialist.
The preceding information source is the CDC and the material is otherwise available on the agency website for no charge. Reference to specific commercial products, manufacturers, companies, or trademarks does not constitute its endorsement or recommendation by the U.S. Government, Department of Health and Human Services, or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
