Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Cheap airplane tickets, cheap discount hotel rooms, or cheap discount travel packages sound like the beginning of a very nice trip. Few things spoil a vacation more than an unexpected emergency due to poor planning.

The following suggestions will help you avoid medical misadventures on your trip:
• Check with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at your destination for specific lists of recommended vaccinations and health precautions. If you need to be immunized, you should do so no later than one month prior to departure.

• Go to your doctor for a checkup and ask whether you should continue taking medicine at your regular home zone time or switch.

• Request two letters from your doctor when traveling abroad. The first letter should explain in detail any medical problems you have and their treatment. Your second letter should list your prescription medicines, including their generic names, as well as dosages. This letter needs to state the quantity of drugs you will be carrying, since every country has unique rules regarding bringing prescription drugs across its borders.

Proper documentation concerning your medicine will help you pass through customs with your medicine and help you purchase replacement medicine if yours is lost during your trip.

• Check with your health insurance company prior to leaving to find out exactly what is covered when you are traveling overseas. Many U.S. policies do not cover evacuation or non-emergency care abroad. You may want to look into buying traveler’s health insurance.

• Make certain that you have your doctor’s contact information with you on your trip.

• Carry all of your medicines in their original prescription containers.

• When flying, place prescriptions in your carry-on bag. Not only do you want to make certain that they do not become lost, but storage conditions in cargo holds can negatively impact the effectiveness of certain medications.
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