Travel
Staying healthy while travelling
If you get sick away from home, look after yourself and take a few practical steps so it doesn’t turn into something worse.
If you feel sick before you leave
- Reconsider flying: Put off flying if you have a fever, a respiratory virus or bad ear or sinus congestion. You could spread the infection, and the pressure changes can cause severe barotrauma.
- Check cancellation policies: Find out whether your travel insurance or airline refunds cancellations for medical reasons.
Managing symptoms on the way
- Rest and hydrate: Drink only bottled or boiled water, especially if you have a stomach upset.
- Protect other people: If you have a cough or cold, wear a high-filtration mask such as an N95 in airports and other transit hubs.
- Pack over-the-counter medicine: Keep pain relievers, antihistamines, antidiarrhoeals and rehydration salts in your carry-on where you can reach them.
Getting medical help abroad
- Call your insurer first: Your travel insurance emergency line can point you to vetted, accredited local clinics.
- Use official directories: Look up providers in international databases such as the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT), or on your embassy's consular services list.
- Keep your paperwork: Before you leave the clinic, ask for detailed medical records, invoices and the generic names of any medicines you were prescribed.
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