International travel is on the rise again, as millions of people travel for professional, social, recreational and humanitarian purposes each year. All travellers must prepare for the variety of health risks they can be exposed to in unfamiliar environments before, during and after they travel.

Although the medical profession and the travel industry can provide extensive help and sound advice, it remains the traveller’s responsibility to seek information, to understand the risks involved and to take the necessary precautions to protect their health while travelling.

Before you travel

Contact a travel medicine centre or a physician, preferably 4–8 weeks before departure to receive any required vaccinations. Inform your doctor of your destination and planned activities so the doctor can advise on specific precautions. Read up on local diseases related to your destination. Occasionally, an itinerary may not be recommended (e.g. travel to a malarial area when pregnant). Request information on malaria risk and prevention of mosquito bites. This may include purchasing appropriate preventive medication and packing a bednet and insect repellent.

Complete any necessary medical and dental care before you leave. Ensure that all “routine” vaccinations are up-to-date: measles, polio, tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis (whooping cough), and varicella (chicken pox). Additional vaccinations may be recommended (or required) according to your itinerary and your activities (e.g. yellow fever, rabies, typhoid, hepatitis A and B).

Obtain prescriptions for medication according to the length of stay and assemble a suitable medical kit. Purchase medical insurance with appropriate coverage abroad.

Useful Health Related Travel Items

• Antiseptic hand wipes or hand rub

• Spare glasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, solutions, etc.

• Effective insect repellent (with DEET, Picaridin, or IR3535)

• Sunscreen

• First aid kit (for minor ailments, pain and small wounds)

• Chronic illness medications

• Stand-by emergency medication for diarrhoea, minor infections, and sometimes for malaria

• Treatment for acute allergic reactions eg. Epipen

• Medical identification tag if you have special medical requirements

You can read more about Travelling with Medicines HERE

For more detailed information on Fit For Air Travel, CLICK HERE.

Jet lag

Jet leg generally happens when a person travels east or west across three or more time zones. For example, if you fly from Los Angeles to New York and arrive at 8 p.m., your body might still operate as if it’s in L.A. at 5 p.m. This jet lag can cause you to stay up later than you’d like, sleep at odd hours, or feel more tired than usual, among other symptoms.

Jet lag becomes more significant if you cross more than three time zones and a West-to-East travel usually requires longer re-adjustment.

Jet lag prevention

• When you board the plane, set your watch to the new time zone.

• Eat and sleep according to the new time zone.

• Go outdoors during the “new” daytime.

• Do some exercise when you arrive.

• Avoid sleeping during the day. If sleep is necessary, only take a short nap.

Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT)

A DVT is a blood clot (thrombosis) in a large vein, usually in the leg or pelvis. Part of the clot can break off and move to the heart and lungs. This causes shortness of breath and chest pain, and can be fatal.

Risk factors

• Prolonged immobility.

• Prolonged air travel.

• More likely after air flights over 3-4 hours.

• Can occur after multiple flights within a short period.

• The class of air travel is not a factor.

• Individual factors vary the risk (such as extremes of height, obesity, specific conditions that cause the blood to clot).

• Using oral contraceptives could increase the risk of DVT.

Steps to Prevent Blood Clots During Travel

• Stand up or walk occasionally.

  • Select an aisle seat when possible so you can walk around every 2-3 hours.

  • If traveling by car, include breaks in your travel schedule to stretch and walk around.

• Exercise your calf muscles and stretch your legs while you're sitting. Try these exercises next time you travel:

  • Raise and lower your heels while keeping your toes on the floor.

  • Raise and lower your toes while keeping your heels on the floor.

  • Tighten and release your leg muscles.

• Talk to your doctor about wearing compression stockings or taking medicine before departure if you have additional risk factors for blood clots.

• Taking aspirin to prevent blood clots when traveling is not recommended. If you take aspirin for other reasons, check with your doctor.

Hygiene

Keeping yourself clean and healthy on the go is essential to ensure that you’re not posing a risk to yourself or others.

Wash your hands

This is obviously a given, but ensuring you wash your hands regularly even if you haven’t gone to the bathroom or if you only washed them 20 minutes ago is imperative. When you’re travelling you are open to a whole host of germs, more so than you would be in normal life so it’s important to ensure you are washing them regularly and properly using anti-bacterial soap and warm water.

Be self-aware

Self-awareness is key when you are travelling to keep yourself safe as well as your fellow travellers. If you have a cold already you should be carrying anti bac wipes, a tissue and hand sanitizer on you anyway but even if not, you want to ensure you catch any coughs or sneezes in a tissue or hanky as this will prevent spread of any bacteria to other passengers.

Sanitize on the move

When on the move, the best thing you can do to prevent getting sick and keeping yourself clean is to bring with you travel size hand sanitizer, anti-bacterial wipes, anti bac sanitizing spray, face wipes and any other anti-bacterial products such as hand creams or face creams. Having all these will ensure appropriate defence against any harmful bacteria. You can also squeeze a bit of hand sanitizer onto tissue and wipe down any areas near you such as your arm rest on the plane, tray table and any other areas you will most likely touch.

Keep nails clean

Keeping your hand nails short and clean will prevent dirt and bacteria particles from collecting under your nails which if brought up to your face or mouth could cause you to digest any bacteria from under them. If you are someone who touches their face regularly, ensuring your nails are cut short will ensure they stay clean and germ free. You may also want to bring along a travel nail brush to ensure they can be washed with soap and warm water.

Practice spatial awareness

It’s not just about keeping your own body clean, you also need to be mindful of others who are perhaps not practising their own hygiene. Try to remain aware of what you’re touching, who your touching and who you are near. If you can, try to avoid skin on skin contact with other people travelling and if someone is coughing close to you, move yourself away from them, or move your face away, and quickly wash or sanitize your hands.

Keep your face and body clean

If you are travelling long haul it’s really important to try and keep your face and body as clean and fresh as you can. Keep a facial wash, wet wipes and moisturiser on you whilst in transit and morning and evening take yourself to the bathroom and give yourself a wet wipe wash on the areas that need it, you may also want to bring a facial wash with you to ensure you are properly washing your face twice a day to ensure no bacteria is sitting on it. For cleanliness purposes, bringing a spare pare of clothes and underwear is also a good way to ensure you are not only clean but feeling fresh.

Don’t share food

This is fairly obvious, however many people forget how easily germs are passed across from sharing food, whether that’s snacks such as crisps, nuts or sweets or even sharing the same cutlery. If you are travelling with a partner or friend, ensure you aren’t sharing utensils that will enter the mouth. If you’re travelling solo,  don’t have any communal snacks which may be present on methods of transport such as flights or trains, these are most commonly nuts or crisp bowls.

Food and Water

Illnesses caused by food and water are most common in countries that have low levels of hygiene and sanitation. Older people, pregnant women, young children, those with conditions affecting their immune system, and those on certain medications to reduce stomach acid are at a higher risk of developing complications from food and water-borne illnesses.

For more detailed information on Food and Water Precautions while travelling, CLICK HERE.

Disclaimer: This information has been developed for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Should you have questions or concerns about any topic described here, please consult your healthcare professional.