Traveling Internationally This Summer? Here’s How to Stay Healthy. -

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Traveling internationally can be the adventure of a lifetime, but it can also be a threat to your health if the proper precautions aren’t taken. This is especially true when traveling abroad or taking part in high-risk activities like extreme sports during your trip. However, there are many easy ways that you can enjoy your travels without worrying about your wellbeing.

Scott Burger, D.O., chief medical officer at University of Maryland Urgent Care, shares some helpful tips about how you can stay safe and healthy when traveling internationally.

Identify What You Need

When you are traveling abroad, you want to ensure that you’re taking the right precautions for your specific trip. How can you figure out what you need? You can speak to your primary care provider or an UM Urgent Care provider, who can make recommendations about which immunizations you need based on your medical history and travel itinerary.

“They have country-specific information available through the Center for Disease Control that allows them to make recommendations about immunizations, what medications they might need, what’s required to be able to get into the country, and what’s recommended for safety,” says Dr. Burger.

After making recommendations to the patient, the patient can then decide which vaccines they want and come to an urgent care location to answer any follow-up questions, send any prescriptions to the pharmacy, and receive their immunizations. Most primary care providers go through a similar process for travel-specific immunizations.

Get Your Vaccines in Advance

Many travelers know that they might need vaccines, but they may not know when to get them. If possible, try to plan your vaccinations far in advance of the actual trip. Aside from giving you peace-of-mind before your big adventure, it will also ensure that the vaccine is working. “Some vaccines take longer than two weeks for it to become effective and give the traveler any degree of protection,” says Burger.

This can be especially problematic for vaccines that require multiple injections to work. How far in advance should you get your immunizations? Dr. Burger encourages people to get them one to two months in advance of the trip. This includes the COVID vaccine.

Have Travelers Health Insurance

Purchasing a basic travelers health insurance plan could be a great option for you, depending on what your current insurance plan covers and what your travel itinerary entails. “If you’re traveling overseas, you should understand if your health insurance covers you for injuries or illnesses that could be sustained while traveling,” says Burger.

Another factor to take into consideration is purchasing evacuation insurance, particularly if you are going to be participating in high-risk activities. “Evacuation insurance allows someone who is severely injured to be medevaced back to the United States. It would be an expensive proposition for someone to undertake on their own if an accident should happen,” says Burger.

Back Up Your Travel Documents

Scary as it may be, there’s always a possibility that you will lose your travel documents during your adventure. Uploading a password-protected file to Google Drive or your email account can be a good option. “If you lose your itinerary, your tickets, or your passport, you want to be able to access electronic copies quickly,” says Burger.

Know How to Travel With Prescriptions

If you need to travel with medications, it’s important to keep them in the prescription bottle when packing. “Ideally, you should have a copy of the prescription as well. The governing authorities where you’re travelling need to be able to make sure that your prescription is legitimate,” says Burger. This is especially important if you are travelling with a controlled substance.

Have a First Aid Kit

“I encourage people to bring a small first aid kit filled with items appropriate to where they are traveling,” says Burger. For example, if you are traveling to the developing world, water purification tablets might be needed.

For tropical settings, packing plenty of insect repellent can be helpful to keep mosquitos carrying malaria and other diseases at bay. Ask your doctor about what precautions you should take for your specific destination and itinerary.

Buy Your Ticket to Healthy Travel

Find out what vaccines and medications you need today by visiting a primary care provider or a UM Urgent Care location in Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Eastern Shore, Harford County, or Howard County.

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