Travelling and health
Before you book your trip abroad, you should be aware of health risks at your destination and preferably see your Practice Nurse or Travel Health Advisor at least 6 weeks before your planned departure. The nurse or travel health advisor can make an individual ‘health risk assessment’ for you and your family which will identify hazards related to your destination(s) and planned activities, and will provide appropriate health advice.
In order for the Practice Nurse or Travel Health Advisor to make a thorough risk assessment, you will be asked - during your first visit - for detailed information regarding each member of your family and your trip.
For example:
- Personal details including age
- Destination(s)
- Departure date
- Length of stay
- Planned activities
- Type of accommodation
- Previous vaccinations received
- Medical history
This process can appear excessive, but is vital in order to tailor the advice to your specific needs. Following the risk assessment, the Practice Nurse or Travel Health Advisor will make recommendations on vaccines and malaria medication that may be appropriate for your travel plans, as well as offering advice on other potential risks. This advice might include a recommendation to defer travel to your chosen area because your child is too young to receive some vaccinations and the risk of getting diseases is too great.
Know Before You Go campaign - Foreign and Commonwealth Office
- get comprehensive travel insurance, and read the small print
- check the FCO’s country travel advice
- research your destination – know the local laws and customs
- research the health risk on the NHS travel health information page as soon as possible before travelling, and if necessary visit your GP or Travel Health Advisor
- check your passport is valid, has enough page space, time left to run and you have all necessary visas
- make copies of important travel documents and/or store them online using a secure data storage site
- tell someone where you are going and leave emergency contact details with them
- take enough money and have access to emergency funds
The Isle of Man is not part of the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA), which is where the EHIC (formerly Form E111) scheme operates. Isle of Man residents will require appropriate insurance when travelling to the EU and EEA. Make sure you're covered - insurance for on and off Island travel.
For further information on outbreak news and travel health, view the related links section.
