Summer travel advice

If you’re planning a holiday abroad this summer, see our simple travel tips for a safe and healthy trip

The summer holidays provide opportunity to explore different countries, head off for a city break, have a beach holiday or take the kids to visit friends and family overseas. Good preparation and planning ahead helps ensure a safe and enjoyable trip.

Travellers should be up to date with routine vaccination courses and boosters as recommended in the UK. These vaccinations include, for example measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) [1, 2]. Measles is a risk in many countries, and there has been an increase in measles cases and outbreaks reported worldwide, including in parts of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, including Canada and the United States [3-9].

See here for information about measles worldwide:

• European Centres for Disease Control and Prevention - Monthly measles reports
• World Health Organization: Provisional monthly measles and rubella data

Mosquito spread infections, including chikungunya and dengue, are a risk in many countries. Travellers should be aware of their risk and follow good insect and tick bite avoidance advice.

Malaria is a serious and potentially life-threatening disease, also spread by mosquitoes and widely found in tropical areas of the world. Provisional figures from UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show that cases of malaria imported into the UK remain at a concerning level, with most cases reported during the peak summer months between July and October [10]. Travellers should follow steps to prevent malaria, which includes mosquito bite avoidance, and may also include malaria prevention tablets for their destination.

The latest provisional data from the UKHSA also show an increase in travel-associated cases of typhoid and paratyphoid fever in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Typhoid and paratyphoid fever are serious, preventable illnesses, usually spread through contaminated food or water in regions with poor hygiene and sanitation. A rise in antibiotic-resistant typhoid in Pakistan has been highlighted, which reduces the effectiveness of commonly used antibiotics. Protection from typhoid can include vaccination, although there is no vaccine for paratyphoid [10].

Although the risk of catching rabies whilst travelling is small, it is more common in parts of Asia, Africa and South and Central America. Rabies is usually caught through the bite, scratch or lick to an open wound from an infected animal, usually a dog. But it can be transmitted from both domestic and wild mammals, including bats, so it is important travellers know what to do if they are bitten or scratched whilst away.

A rise in hard to treat, drug resistant sexually transmitted infections (STIs) linked to travel abroad has been reported in the UK [11, 12]. An increase in antibiotic-resistant infections of an STI called gonorrhoea in UK travellers has been linked to visiting popular tourist destinations in the Asia-Pacific region [11-13], including Cambodia, China, Thailand and Vietnam [12, 13]. Drug resistant gonorrhoea infections have also been reported in UK residents who visited mainland Europe [12].

Advice for travellers

Before you travel

Check travel vaccine recommendations and health advice for your destination in our Country Information pages.

Make an appointment with your GP, practice nurse, a travel clinic or a pharmacy offering travel services to see if you need malaria prevention tablets and to check you are in-date for all recommended travel and routine UK vaccines, including (MMR) and polio, diphtheria and tetanus vaccines.

If you have any long-standing medical conditions, you should also carefully discuss your travel plans with your doctor. If you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, see our advice about Zika virus disease and other infections such as Oropouche virus disease. Check the risks at your planned destination and get advice from your midwife or other health professional before you travel.

Even if time is short, last-minute advice is still helpful – some vaccines and malaria tablets can be given just before travel.

If you take any regular medicines, especially prescription drugs, make sure you are prepared for travelling with medicines as you may need to contact the authorities of your destination country before you go.

See Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) foreign travel advice for information on safety and security at your destination.

Remember to get foreign travel insurance - check your policy covers all your travel plans, all medical conditions and any medicines.

While you are away

Reduce your risk of injury and illness by:

• avoiding insect and tick bites
• following good food, water hygiene advice
• taking sensible personal safety precautions around water and when driving, using public transport or taxis
• using appropriate sun protection

Carry a simple first aid kit and make sure you know the location of the nearest hospital or clinic.

If you develop a fever, have bloody diarrhoea or any other worrying symptoms abroad, get urgent medical help locally. Remember to contact your insurance company when you get a chance and keep any receipts.

Always be aware of your surroundings and take care of your personal safety, especially in crowds. If you're travelling in a group, make sure you keep in touch with each other and think about using a group chat and sharing your live location so no-one gets left behind on a night out.

Be mindful if you enjoy drinking alcohol, as the quality of drinks may be poorer than at home. Be aware of the risk of methanol poisoning and local herbal brews overseas. Don't keep your drink unattended, as this will reduce the risk of your drink being spiked (i.e. adding alcohol or drugs to a drink without you knowing).

Practising safer sex is just as important as applying insect repellent or sunscreen on holiday. Carry condoms and use them consistently and correctly with all new or casual partners [13].

When you return

If malaria tablets were recommended for your trip, remember to complete the full course when you get home.

If you develop symptoms like a fever, a flu like illness and severe headache, get urgent medical help. This is especially important if you visited countries with a malaria risk. Remember to tell your doctor/health professional that you have been abroad, including details of all the countries you visited. If you visited a malaria risk area, you need an urgent assessment to exclude malaria which includes a same-day result malaria blood test.

If you had unprotected sex abroad or think you might have an STI, even if you don't have any symptoms, go to a free, confidential sexual health clinic for advice.

Advice for health professionals

Health professionals advising travellers can check our Country Information pages for vaccine recommendations, malaria guidance and specific risk advice.

Health professionals should contact their local microbiology, virology or infectious diseases consultant for advice about returning travellers with fever/acute illness. Further advice is available from the Imported Fever Service.