Learning About Healthy Travel Abroad

How can you stay healthy on your trip?

The best way to stay healthy is to plan ahead. Talk with your doctor several months before you travel to another country. It's important to allow enough time to get the medicines and vaccine doses that you need. Check with your local health department or travel health clinic for other travel tips.

What can you do to prevent health problems?

Get needed vaccines

• Make sure you are up to date with your routine vaccines. They can protect you from diseases such as polio, diphtheria, and measles which may still be active in some countries.
• Get other vaccines you need. Your doctor or a health clinic can tell you which ones you need for your travels. These may include:
  • Hepatitis A vaccine, if you travel to areas where the disease is common.
  • Yellow fever vaccine, if you visit areas in South America and Africa where the disease is active.
  • Typhoid fever vaccine, if you travel to some areas of Central and South America, Africa, or Asia.

Bring medicines with you

• If you take medicines, bring a supply that will last the length of your trip. Get a letter from your doctor that lists your medical conditions and the medicines you take. Bring prescriptions for refills if you will be gone for a long time. Also bring any medical supplies you may need such as blood sugar testing supplies or insulin needles.
• If you are going to an area where malaria is a risk, ask your doctor or health clinic for a prescription for antimalarial medicine to help prevent infection. This medicine works best if you take it before, during, and after your trip.
• You may want to bring medicine for traveler's diarrhea. Over-the-counter medicines include:
  • Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol).
  • Loperamide (Imodium).
• Your doctor may also prescribe an antibiotic to take with you. If so, take it as directed.

Make safer choices as you travel

• Practice safer sex. Using condoms can prevent sexually transmitted infections.
• In areas where mosquito-borne illnesses are found, use DEET insect repellent. Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Use mosquito netting to protect yourself from bites while you sleep.
• Some countries don't have safe tap water. Don't drink or use tap water to brush your teeth. Only have drinks made with boiled water, such as tea and coffee. Canned or bottled carbonated drinks, such as soda, beer, wine, or water, are usually safe. Don't use ice if you don't know what kind of water was used to make it.
• Be aware that you could be injured in cars, boats, or public transportation. Driving can be dangerous due to bad roads, poor driver training, and crowded roadways. Always wear your seat belt if available. If you hire a driver or taxi, ask the driver to slow down or drive more carefully if you feel unsafe.
• Air pollution in some large cities can be a problem if you have asthma or other breathing problems. Avoid those cities when air quality is poor. Or stay indoors as much as possible. Make sure you packed all the medicines you need to treat your condition.
• Be careful around dogs and other animals. Dogs in some countries are often not tame and may bite. Rabies is more common in tropical and subtropical regions.
• If you're going to a place that's much higher above sea level than you're used to, ask your doctor how to avoid altitude sickness. The doctor may also prescribe medicine to help treat it.

Where can you get the best information?

You can find the best travel health information at:

• The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Go to wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel to view information online.
• The World Health Organization (WHO). Go to www.who.int/travel-advice for information on preparing for travel, required vaccines, and disease outbreaks.
• Find out where you can get the best medical care in the area you are visiting. See the U.S. State Department's website at www.usembassy.gov for a list of every U.S. embassy worldwide.
• Take along the phone numbers and addresses of embassies and consulates in the areas you will visit. They can help you with contacts for local doctors and medical clinics. Find out if your insurance company will cover you. You may want to get special travel health insurance.
• If you are taking a cruise, you can find travel tips at www.cdc.gov/vessel-sanitation/communication-resources for staying healthy on your cruise.