Whether for work or play, international travel requires plenty of planning. And while that’s true for the details of your trip—where you’ll go and what you’ll do—it’s also true for the “what ifs,” including: What if I get sick?
Fortunately, there’s a lot you can do both before you take off and while you’re traveling to best prepare yourself for the unfortunate yet common reality of sickness and injury abroad.
“Travel is wonderful—and a few minutes thinking about the worst-case scenario in advance can add a lot of comfort and well-being when you're actually on your trip,” says Elizabeth D. Barnett, M.D., a professor at Boston University Medical School and a leader in the field of Travel and Tropical Medicine.
In advance of your next overseas trip, follow these just-in-case guidelines to prepare.
Pack the basics
Pack an extra pair of eyeglasses if you wear them; batteries for hearing aids if you use them; and Tylenol, Advil, antibiotic ointments, antihistamines, or other medications that could potentially treat mild issues like colds that could pop up.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a detailed ‘pack smart’ list full of potential items you may need, ranging from medical supplies and first aid items to documents such as copies of your health insurance card.
“Make sure that your routine health needs are taken care of because you may not be able to get the medication you need, or the dosage you need, or the equipment you might need when you travel outside of the U.S.,” says Dr. Barnett.
Do some digging on medications
If you take medication regularly, bring it; if you’re traveling for a while, talk to your doctor and insurance company to ensure you have the dosing you need ahead of time. Many countries allow a 30-day supply of certain medicines but may require you to have your prescription or medical certificate from your doctor on hand.
Know that in certain countries, there could be restrictions on specific medications. “Make sure that you're able to take the medications you need into the country where you're traveling,” says Dr. Barnett. You can check with your destination’s embassy (as well as the embassies of countries that you may have layovers in) to make sure your medicines are allowed through customs.
Also, consider asking your doctor about preventative prescriptions or OTC medications for conditions that could pop up in your travels. Traveler’s diarrhea, for example, you can get anywhere, though it’s more common in some parts of Asia (not Japan and South Korea), the Middle East, Africa, Mexico, and Central and South America.
Malaria is another disease that doctors always want to minimize the chances of travelers contracting while in areas where the risk is high. There are different drugs, depending on your destination, that your doctor can prescribe to prevent it.
Identify a local source of healthcare
It’s always a good idea to alert your primary care doctor that you’re traveling overseas—or know how to contact them if you need to. If you have non-emergency questions (“could this be the flu?”) a telemedicine conversation could be possible and helpful if you’re not home, says Lin H. Chen, M.D. director of the Travel Medicine Center at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and immediate past president of the International Society of Travel Medicine.
In the case of an emergency or a more serious health issue, however, you will need in-person medical assistance no matter where you are. Both the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and the International Society of Travel Medicine have directories of walk-in travel clinics around the world. “It’s a good idea to have some idea in advance of where you would go if you fell ill,” says Dr. Barnett.
Consider travel insurance
“For average, healthy adults the most important thing you can probably do is to think about whether you need travel or evacuation insurance,” says Dr. Barnett.
While all plans differ, travel and evacuation insurance—available from many major insurance carriers and specialty travel insurance companies, too—provide a range of services, including things like telemedicine, paying for the cost of emergency transportation to the nearest adequate treatment center, or even paying for your return to the U.S. if deemed medically necessary. Travel insurance provides access to medical care and saves you money in the event of a serious medical problem.
Generally, whether or not you could benefit from travel insurance depends on factors such as the destination, the riskiness of the trip, and your health status (age, whether or not you have chronic diseases, or if you’re at an increased risk for illness), explains Dr. Chen.
“People should think about medical evacuation insurance if their activities are more high-risk for injury,” she says. “I think we underestimate the dangers from accidents and injuries.”
A few instances to definitely consider insurance: If you’re not familiar with a country’s medical system, if you suspect that the medical system is sub-optimal, or if you’re going somewhere remote and your trip includes risks—extreme environments like altitude or diving or outdoor adventure, says Dr. Chen.
Ultimately, what you decide about how much planning to do for health-related hypotheticals is up to you. But, says Dr. Barnett, “preparation in advance has a big payoff during your trip.” Erring on the side of over-planning for potential care in the event something goes wrong can bring peace of mind—and what’s a bigger travel payoff than that?