- The Washington Post
In any type of crisis situation, the most important thing to do is stay calm. Your country’s embassy abroad is usually your best resource when things go wrong; registering with that embassy upon arrival in the country is often a good idea. The government offices listed in the Travel Advisories box below can provide information on the services they offer their citizens in case of emergencies abroad.
Travel Advisories
The following government offices provide travel information and advisories by telephone, fax, or via the Internet:
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade:
1300 55 51 35; www.dfat.gov.au.
Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International
Trade (DFAIT): In Canada and the US call 800 267 83
76, outside US 613 944 40 00; www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca.
Call for their free booklet, Bon Voyage...But.
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs: 04 439 80
00; www.mft.govt.nz/travel/index.html.
United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office: 020
700 802 32; www.fco.gov.uk.
US Department of State: 202 647 52 25; http://travel.state.gov.
For A Safe Trip Abroad, call 202 512 18 00.
Personal Safety
To avoid unwanted attention, try to blend in as much as possible. Respecting local customs (in many cases, dressing more conservatively than you would at home) may placate would-be hecklers. Familiarize yourself with your surroundings before setting out, and carry yourself with confidence. Check maps in shops and restaurants rather than on the street. If you are traveling alone, be sure someone at home knows your itinerary, and never admit that you’re by yourself. When walking at night, stick to busy, well-lit streets and avoid dark alleyways. If you ever feel uncomfortable, leave the area as quickly and directly as you can.
There is no sure-fire way to avoid all the threatening
situations you might encounter while traveling, but
a good self-defense course will give you concrete ways
to react to unwanted advances. Impact, Prepare, and
Model Mugging can refer you to local self-defense courses
in the US (800 345 54 25). Visit the website at www.impactsafety.org
for a list of nearby chapters. Workshops (1½-3hr.)
start at US$75; full courses (20-25hr.) run US$350-400.
Possessions and Valuables
Never leave your belongings unattended; crime occurs in even the most demure-looking hostel or hotel. Be particularly careful on buses and trains; horror stories abound about determined thieves who wait for travelers to fall asleep. Carry your backpack in front of you where you can see it. When traveling with others, sleep in alternate shifts. When alone, use good judgment in selecting a train compartment: never stay in an empty one, and use a lock to secure your pack to the luggage rack. Try to sleep on top bunks with your luggage stored above you (if not in bed with you), and keep important documents and other valuables on your person.
There are a few steps you can take to minimize the financial risk associated with traveling. First, bring as little with you as possible. Second, buy a few combination padlocks to secure your belongings either in your pack or in a hostel or train station locker. Third, carry as little cash as possible. Keep your traveler’s checks and ATM/credit cards in a money belt—not a “fanny pack”—along with your passport and ID cards. Fourth, keep a small cash reserve separate from your primary stash. This should be about US$50 (US dollars or euros are best) sewn into or stored in the depths of your pack, along with your traveler’s check numbers and important photocopies.
In large cities con artists often work in groups and may utilize children. Beware of certain classics: sob stories that require money, rolls of bills “found” on the street, saliva spit onto your shoulder to distract you while your bag is being snatched. Never let your passport and your bags out of your sight; never trust an un-uniformed “station-porter” who insists on carrying your bag or stowing it in the baggage compartment. Pickpockets abound in Rome, Naples, and other major urban centers. Beware of them in city crowds, especially on public transportation. Also, be alert in public telephone booths. If you must say your calling card number, do so very quietly; if you punch it in, make sure no one can look over your shoulder.
Pre-Departure Health
In your passport, write the names of any people you wish to be contacted in case of a medical emergency, and list any allergies or medical conditions. Matching a prescription to a foreign equivalent is not always easy, safe, or possible, so if you take prescription drugs, consider carrying up-to-date, legible prescriptions or a statement from your doctor stating the medication’s trade name, manufacturer, chemical name, and dosage. While traveling, be sure to keep all medication with you in your carry-on luggage. For tips on packing a basic first-aid kit and other health essentials, see p. 15. For an online database of all medications, try rxlist.com
Insurance
Travel insurance covers four basic areas: medical/health
problems, property loss, trip cancellation/interruption,
and emergency evacuation. Though regular insurance
policies may well extend to travel-related accidents,
you may consider purchasing separate travel insurance
if the cost of potential trip cancellation, interruption,
or emergency medical evacuation is greater than you
can absorb. Prices for travel insurance purchased separately
generally run about US$50 per week for full coverage,
while trip cancellation/interruption may be purchased
separately at a rate of US$3-5 per day depending on
length of stay. Safeware (US 800 800 14 92; www.safeware.com)
specializes in covering computers and charges US$90
for 90-day international travel coverage up to US$4000.
Medical insurance (especially university policies) often covers costs incurred abroad; check with your provider. US Medicare does not cover foreign travel. Canadian provincial health insurance plans increasingly do not cover foreign travel; check with the provincial Ministry of Health or Health Plan Headquarters for details.
ISIC and ITIC provide basic insurance benefits
to US cardholders, including US$165 per day of in-hospital
sickness for up to 61 days and US$25000 of accident-related
medical reimbursement (see www.myisic.com for details).
Cardholders have access to a toll-free 24hr. helpline
for medical, legal, and financial emergencies overseas.
American Express (US 800 528 48 00) grants most cardholders
automatic collision and theft car rental insurance
and ground travel accident coverage of US$100,000 on
flight purchases made with the card.
Insurance Providers
STA (p. 21) offers a range of plans that can supplement
your basic coverage. Other private insurance providers
in the US and Canada include: Access America (800
284 83 00; www.accessamerica.com); Berkely Group (800
797 45 14; www.berkely.com); Globalcare Travel Insurance
(800 821 24 88; www.globalcare-cocco.com); Travel
Assistance International (800 821 28 28; www.europ-assistance.com);
and Travel Guard (800 826 49 19; www.travelguard.com).
Columbus Direct (020 737 500 11; www.columbusdirect.co.uk)
operates in the UK and AFTA (02 926 432 99; www.afta.com.au)
in Australia.
Useful Organizations and Publications
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC;
877 294 87 47; www.cdc.gov/travel) maintains an international
travelers’ hotline and an informative website.
The CDC’s comprehensive booklet Health Information
for International Travel (The Yellow Book), an annual
rundown of disease, immunization, and general health
advice, is free online or US$29-40 via the Public Health
Foundation (877 252 12 00; http://bookstore.phf.org).
Consult the appropriate government agency of your home
country for info sheets on health, entry requirements,
and other issues (see the listings in the box on Travel
Advisories, p. 16). For quick information on health
and other travel warnings, call the Overseas Citizens
Services (M-F 8am-8pm 888 407 47 47, after-hours 202
647 40 00, from overseas 317 472 23 28), or contact
a passport agency, embassy, or consulate abroad. For
info on medical evacuation services and travel insurance
firms, see the US government’s website at http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/brochures/brochures_1215.html
or the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (www.fco.gov.uk).
For general health info, contact the American Red Cross
(800 564 12 34; www.redcross.org).
Staying Healthy
Common sense is the simplest prescription for good health while you travel. Drink lots of fluids to prevent dehydration and constipation, and wear sturdy, broken-in shoes and clean socks.
Environmental hazards
Heat exhaustion and dehydration: Heat exhaustion leads to nausea, excessive thirst, headaches, and dizziness. Avoid it by drinking plenty of fluids, eating salty foods (e.g. crackers), and abstaining from dehydrating beverages (e.g., alcohol and caffeinated beverages). The sign acqua non potabile means the water is not drinkable (e.g., in trains and at some campgrounds).
Sunburn: Always wear sunscreen (SPF 30 is good) when spending time outdoors, especially at high altitudes. Remember that you can burn even when under cloud cover. If you do get sunburned, drink more fluids than usual and apply aloe. Severe sunburns can lead to sun poisoning, a condition that affects the entire body, causing fever, chills, nausea, and vomiting. Sun poisoning should always be treated by a doctor.
High Altitude: Allow your body a couple of days to adjust to less oxygen before exerting yourself. Note that alcohol is more potent and UV rays are stronger at high elevations.
Insect-borne Diseases
Many diseases are transmitted by insects—mainly mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, and lice. Be aware of insects in wet or forested areas, especially while hiking and camping; wear long pants and long sleeves, tuck your pants into your socks, and use a mosquito net. Use insect repellents such as DEET and soak or spray your gear with permethrin (licensed in the US only for use on clothing). Ticks—responsible for Lyme and other diseases—can be particularly dangerous in rural and forested regions. If you find a tick attached to your skin, grasp the head with tweezers as close to your skin as possible and apply slow, steady traction. Do not try to remove ticks with petroleum jelly, nail polish remover, or a hot match.
Food- And Water-borne Diseases
Prevention is the best cure: be sure that your food is properly cooked and the water you drink is clean. Traveler’s diarrhea results from drinking fecally contaminated water or eating uncooked and contaminated foods. Peel fruits and vegetables and be cautious when using tap water (including ice cubes and anything washed in tap water, like salad). Watch out for food from markets or street vendors that may have been cooked in unhygienic conditions. Other culprits are raw shellfish, unpasteurized milk, and sauces containing raw eggs, such as carbonara. Buy bottled water, or purify your own water by bringing it to a rolling boil or treating it with iodine tablets; note, however, that some parasites such as giardia have exteriors that resist iodine treatment, so boiling is more reliable. Always wash your hands before eating or bring a quick-drying purifying liquid hand cleaner.
Other Infectious Diseases
Rabies: Transmitted through the saliva of infected animals; fatal if untreated. By the time symptoms (thirst and muscle spasms) appear, the disease is in its terminal stage. If you are bitten, wash the wound thoroughly, seek immediate medical care, and try to have the animal located. A rabies vaccine, which consists of 3 shots given over a 21-day period, is available, but is only semi-effective.
Hepatitis B: A viral infection of the liver transmitted via blood or other bodily fluids. Symptoms, which may not surface until years after infection, include jaundice, loss of appetite, fever, and joint pain. A 3-shot vaccination sequence is recommended for health-care workers, sexually-active travelers, and anyone planning to seek medical treatment abroad; it must begin 6 months before traveling.
Hepatitis C: Like Hepatitis B, but the mode of transmission differs. The disease can be spread through contact with blood and sexual activity or sharing items like razors and toothbrushes that may have traces of blood on them.
AIDS and HIV: For detailed information on Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS),
contact the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
(UNAIDS), 20, Ave. Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland
(22 791 36 66, fax 22 791 41 87).
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs): Gonorrhea, chlamydia, genital warts, syphilis, herpes, and other STDs are more common than HIV and can cause serious complications. Hepatitis C can also be transmitted sexually. Though condoms may protect you from some STDs, oral or even tactile contact can lead to transmission. If you think you may have contracted an STD, see a doctor immediately.
Women’s Health
Women travelers are vulnerable to urinary tract (including bladder and kidney) infections (infezioni all’apparato urinario). Over-the-counter medicines can sometimes alleviate symptoms, but if they persist, see a doctor. Vaginal yeast infections (candidiasi) may flare up in hot and humid climates. Wearing loosely fitting trousers or a skirt and cotton underwear will help, as will over-the-counter remedies like Monistat. Bring supplies from home if you are prone to infection, as they may be difficult to find on the road. Ta
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