Be a safe and healthy traveller with our top tips
Planning a trip? Travelling overseas can be an amazing experience, but it can also expose you to potentially serious health risks.
With a bit of preparation, you can prevent an illness that could ruin your holiday, or worse!
Read our top travel health tips below and make the most of your trip:
Be prepared
There are many things you can do to prepare for a healthy and safe holiday, including:
Get a medical check-up to make sure you are healthy before you travel
Update your vaccinations and ask about other suitable immunisations
Pack a medical kit for yourself and any children travelling with you. Make sure you pack enough of any medications you need, or take a prescription
Organise travel insurance, including cover if you need to be evacuated to a suitable hospital
Get vaccinated
You may need to arrange vaccinations or medications to protect against diseases such as hepatitis, typhoid or malaria. Some countries legally require travellers to have certain vaccinations, such as yellow fever. We store yellow fever on site at our practice for your added convenience.
Be sure to allow plenty of time to visit your doctor as you will need to have some vaccinations weeks or months before travel, it is best to see your doctor six to eight weeks before you depart.
Watch what you eat and drink
The most common travel-related illnesses are gastrointestinal diseases usually picked up from poorly prepared foods or untreated water. To avoid diarrhoea, stomach pains, nausea and vomiting associated with these illnesses follow below:
Use boiled or bottled water, or water purifiers or tablets
Eat thick-skinned fruit and vegetables that you can peel yourself, such as bananas, oranges and mandarins.
Make sure food is cooked thoroughly and eat it while it’s hot
Avoid:
Ice in drinks
Unpasteurised milk and dairy products
Fruit and vegetables that have been washed in the local water
Shellfish
Street stall food – hotels and busy restaurants are safest
Avoid getting bitten
Some serious infectious diseases such as malaria, yellow fever and dengue fever, are transmitted by insect bites. While there are vaccines and drugs available to help protect against some of these diseases, travellers are advised to always protect against mosquito bites.
Wear mosquito repellent that contains at least 30 per cent DEET
Stay indoors between dusk and dawn. The mosquitoes carrying the malaria parasite generally feed at this time
Apply repellent
Wear socks, long pants, and long-sleeve shirts when outdoors
Use a bed net
Stay in air-conditioned, screened accommodation
Our doctors can provide comprehensive travel consultations and can advise you what vaccinations are required for all destinations.
Your one-stop-shop for all travel health:
Vaccination and medication requirements
Post-travel health screening
Yellow fever vaccination onsite
If you are planning an overseas holiday, it important to visit your GP to discuss your requirements, preferably a month or two prior to your departure.
View more information about our travel health services here
Make sure you check in to see a GP before you check out!
Book an appointment now!
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