Vacation health care

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 area in which you live.
• 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 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.
• 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.
• For international travel, the CDC yellow book is an invaluable guide for the latest information for each location: wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/yellowbook-home.

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 providers
• Nonprescription medicines that you might need
• Sunscreen, hat, and sunglasses

ON THE ROAD

Know what steps you need to take to prevent different diseases and infections. This includes:

• 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:

• 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.

Travel health tips

Basnyat B, Paterson RD. Travel medicine. In: Auerbach PS, Cushing TA, Harris NS, eds. Auerbach's Wilderness Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2017:chap 79.

Christenson JC, John CC. Health advice for children traveling internationally. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 200.

Lambert M, Siraj DS. Travel medicine. In: Kellerman RD, Rakel DP, Heidelbaugh JJ, Lee EM, eds. Conn's Current Therapy 2024. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier 2024:1493-1500.

Updated by: Frank D. Brodkey, MD, FCCM, Associate Professor, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.