Vacation health care
Travel health tipsVacation health care means taking care of your health and medical needs while you travel on a vacation or holidays. This article provides you tips you can use before and while traveling.
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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 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.
References
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.