Staying healthy whilst you’re away

Whether you are off to Bali for a week, joining a group tour in Europe or planning an extended international trip with a flexible, not-quite-yet finalised itinerary, staying healthy while you’re away will be important.

A travel health consultation with Dr Grey will give you all the information you need to make decisions about which vaccinations to have, medications to take with you to manage minor illness (if it occurs) and ways to protect your health and wellbeing while you’re overseas.

A keen traveller herself, Dr Grey is familiar with many of the health challenges faced, especially when visiting developing countries. She will discuss an individualised immunisation schedule for you, based on required and recommended vaccines for your destinations.

What is travel medicine?

The goal of travel medicine is to protect the health of travellers and the communities they visit. It’s all about awareness and prevention.

Travel medicine is focused on keeping you physically and mentally well, but it’s also about the impact you have throughout your trip, which is your “health footprint”. Just like an environmental footprint, you also have a health footprint, which is the health resources you use during your trip. It’s important to minimize your health footprint so that healthcare resources can be used in places where they are needed most.

When thinking about your trip, there are three phases to consider: Pre-trip preparation, staying healthy during your trip, and post-trip follow-up.

When you are planning your trip, consider the following factors: the type of travel you plan to do, your destination, climatic conditions, duration of your trip, and your health status. Knowing these factors will help you determine how far in advance you need to prepare, what immunizations and medications you will need, and what precautions you should take during your trip.

Here are a few tips to help you prepare:

  • Find out about travel health conditions and advisories at your destination and learn how to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
  • Visit your family doctor or travel health clinic for required and recommended immunizations. Some countries require proof of vaccination against certain vaccine-preventable diseases. Be aware that you may need to visit a travel clinic more than once to get all your vaccinations. We recommend getting immunized 4-6 weeks before departure.
  • Get travel health insurance to cover you for expenses such as emergency surgery, extended hospital stays or medical evacuation.
  • Prepare a travel health kit with self-medicating items such as remedies for common travel ailments. Consider packing a portable bed net and protective clothing to prevent insect bites. If you are travelling to a remote area or doing adventurous activities, consider enrolling in a basic / advanced first aid or wilderness survival course.
  • Take the time to learn about the people, cultures, regional geography and languages of the places you will visit.
  • Make arrangements at your destination for special needs such as oxygen tanks, lab tests, dialysis, or any other medical requirements.

It depends. To get the proper vaccinations and advice, you need to determine the type of travel you’re going to undertake, your destination, duration of your trip, your vaccination history, and your current health status.

Make an appointment with a travel clinic at least 4-6 weeks before you depart to ensure your routine immunizations are up-to-date and get any travel-related vaccines if needed.

Routine immunizations provide protection from infectious diseases such as Influenza, Polio, Measles-Mumps- Rubella, and Diphtheria-Pertussis-Tetanus. No matter your age, it’s important to ensure you are up-to-date with all your routine immunizations. Since 2017 the Australian Immunisation Register has recorded any vaccinations given to all Australians registered with Medicare. Doses of vaccine given prior to 2017 may not be recorded and a blood test may be needed to determine if you have immunity for certain diseases.