Healthy Travel Plans
By Dr. Narinder Saini. MD Cardiologist Some preparations and common sense can help
to make travel much more enjoyable. Have a list
of all medications you are presently taking to include
correct dosage and instructions. A photocopy of
the original prescription would be useful if you
had to buy replacement medications due to loss.
With your list of medications keep a short health
history that includes all health conditions, prior
surgical procedures and allergies to both food and
medications. If you are going to a foreign country
a small translation guide would be useful - earmark
important words like pharmacy, hospital and doctor.
Check with your airline if you need to travel with
syringes (for insulin) or any other type of equipment
that may be prohibited due to security concerns
Make sure you have health insurance coverage when
you travel. Traditional Medicare will not cover
you outside the country. Most commercial health
insurance and Medicare HMO's will provide coverage
for urgent and emergency medical care outside their
coverage area. You can also purchase travel insurance.
Make sure your immunizations are up to date, this
includes an annual flu shot. A tetanus/diphtheria
immunization should be obtained every ten years
for adults. Other shots will depend on the region
you are traveling A little preparation can go a
long way in making for an enjoyable trip
