General travel advice

Tips for a safe and healthy trip

Key messages

• Research health risks at your destination using our Country Information pages and check Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office security information.

• If you need vaccines or malaria tablets, you should book an appointment with your health provider ideally at least four to six weeks before travel. A last-minute appointment is still valuable even if you are travelling at very short notice.

• If you are pregnant or have any health conditions, an earlier appointment is advised, even if you don't think you need vaccines or malaria tablets.

• Make sure you have appropriate travel health insurance. If you are visiting European Union (EU) and/or European Economic Area (EEA) countries, apply for a free Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) as this allows you to get state emergency care in some countries, either free or at a reduced cost. A GHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance – check the NHS website for more guidance.

Overview

Most travellers enjoy a safe and healthy trip, but there are risks common to most destinations. These include road traffic accidents, illnesses spread by insects or ticks, eating or drinking contaminated food or water and sexually transmitted infections.

Check the Country Information pages of our website for useful resources and recommendations about travel vaccines, malaria, infections and other relevant risks. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) website provides up to date country information on safety and security issues worldwide.

Before travel

If you need vaccines or malaria tablets, make an appointment with your GP surgery, pharmacist or travel clinic as soon as possible, ideally at least four to six weeks before travel. Some travellers may need vaccine courses, which can take a few weeks to complete. However, even if time is short, an appointment is always worthwhile as some vaccines and malaria tablets can be given at the last minute.

If you are pregnant or have a pre-existing health condition, an earlier appointment with your GP, hospital specialist or midwife is recommended, even if travel vaccines or malaria tablets are not needed.

Your GP surgery may have a travel clinic, usually run by the practice nurse. Give yourself plenty of time to make an appointment, as surgeries are often very busy. Certain travel vaccines are available free from GP surgeries, others are a private service. These include yellow fever, rabies and Japanese encephalitis vaccines which are not provided free by the NHS.

Many pharmacies now offer travel services and there are also specialist private travel clinics. If you make an appointment with a pharmacy or private clinic, remember to take records of any previous vaccines with you. Travel clinics offering yellow fever vaccine in England, Wales and Northern Ireland can be found on our website. Details of yellow fever vaccination centres in Scotland are available from Public Health Scotland's website.

A pre-travel appointment assesses health risks linked to your trip so you will need to provide detailed information about your health and travel plans, including:

• all your personal details, including age and medical history
• any medicines you take
• all the countries you are visiting and/or travelling through
• when you are travelling and how long you will be away
• what activities you are planning
• type of accommodation
• any previous vaccines

After this assessment, your health professional will make recommendations on appropriate vaccines and if needed, malaria tablets, as well as advising you about other potential hazards.

Make sure you have appropriate travel health insurance and carry emergency contact numbers.

If you are visiting European Union (EU) and/or European Economic Area (EEC) countries, make sure you apply for and carry a free Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC). This gives you access to state emergency care either free or at a reduced cost in certain countries. Remember a GHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance – see the NHS website for more guidance.

If you are taking any medicines, check for any entry or travel restrictions for all the countries you are visiting and/or travelling through with the relevant embassy (see resources section below).

Always travel with medicines in their original pharmacy packets, along with copies of prescriptions. Make sure you have enough supplies for any delays. Carrying a letter from your GP or hospital specialist detailing any prescribed medicines, and confirming they are for your own personal use, is also advised.

Pack a medical kit suitable for your destination, for example a first aid pack containing pain relief tablets, gauze, antiseptic, non-stick dressings, tape, plasters, tweezers and a thermometer. Other items you could include are sunscreen, insect repellent, over the counter diarrhoea treatment, oral rehydration solutions and condoms.

If you are visiting remote tropical areas, an impregnated mosquito net and water disinfection equipment are recommended.

If your trip is long haul (journey of more than four hours) you may be at increased risk of a blood clot; deep vein thrombosis (DVT) which can lead to more serious conditions, such as a pulmonary embolism.

If you are pregnant, an older traveller, have had a DVT/VTE before, recently had surgery, have cancer, a blood clotting disorder, a heart condition or are taking oestrogen medicines like the pill you should consider wearing properly fitted compression socks and get advice from your healthcare provider. Prescribed injections of a drug called heparin may be recommended by your GP or hospital specialist if you are at particular risk of getting a clot.

Taking aspirin to prevent clots during travel is not recommended [1]. To reduce your risk of clots you should drink plenty of fluids, move your legs regularly (walk whenever possible, flex and extend your ankles to encourage blood flow) on every long journey.

Know the signs and symptoms of DVT; these include calf pain (usually just in one leg), swelling and hot skin, which may look darker than normal. If you have any of these symptoms, get medical help urgently.

During travel

Be aware of your risk of coughs, colds and flu (influenza) during travel – follow UK Health Security Agency on dealing with respiratory infections.

Travel is a great opportunity to sample new food and drinks but try to pick safer options if possible. Travellers' diarrhoea is a risk worldwide, but is more common for visitors to low-income countries. It can be tricky to avoid, but you can try to reduce your risk by taking care with food and water hygiene.

Be prepared to manage diarrhoea during travel.

Insect bites can irritate you skin and cause infection. In some countries, insects and ticks can also spread infections, including dengue, malaria and Zika. You can reduce your risk with good bite avoidance measures. Protective clothes, impregnated mosquito nets and repellents all help. Insect repellents containing N, N-diethylmetatoluamide (DEET) are the most effective [2] and have been widely tested. DEET-containing repellents can be used in concentrations up to 50 percent by pregnant or breast-feeding women, and for babies and children older than two months [3].

Enjoy the sun safely – use shade, protective clothing, sunglasses and high factor sunscreen to prevent burning and protect your skin.

Be alert to your personal safety.

Remember that alcohol or drug use may increase your risk of accidents or injuries, make you more vulnerable, and could mean any travel insurance claims are rejected.

Always be aware of your risk of drink spiking and methanol poisoning – never leave drinks unattended, do not accept drinks from strangers and only buy branded alcohol from licenced bars, venues and shops.

Drinking alcohol is banned in some countries and penalties for supplying or carrying illegal drugs can be very severe.

After travel

If you have any symptoms, especially a high temperature (fever), diarrhoea with blood or any other worrying symptoms, such as confusion (altered mental status), severe pain in your abdomen jaundice (yellow skin and/or eyes) or rash, get urgent care. Remember to give a detailed history of all the countries you visited.

If you are taking malaria tablets, remember to complete the course as recommended, when you get home.

If you had contact with fresh water rivers and lakes in the tropics (for example swimming, paddling or wading), you should get advice about schistosomiasis screening tests, if you visited a risk area. You can check schistosomiasis risk by looking at the 'Other Risks' section of our Country Information pages. You can also see our Topic in Brief for more information. Tests for schistosomiasis are usually carried out at least 12 weeks after your last possible freshwater exposure. Your GP may offer these tests or will refer you to a specialist infectious disease unit.

Resources

• Food and water hygiene
• Insect and tick bite avoidance
• Medicines and travel
• Personal safety
• Sexually transmitted infections
• Sun protection
• List of foreign embassies in the UK
• Travel Aware – staying safe and healthy abroad
• ABTA – Safe and healthy holidays in the sun