Travel Medicine
Travel Tips
Water
| Safe Drinks | |
 |
Bottled, name brands that are sealed |
|
Anything boiled - coffee, tea or boiled water |
|
Carbonated beverages - soda, beer, or anything with bubbles |
| Unsafe Drinks | |
|
Tap water |
|
A thermos marked for drinking water |
|
Two-thirds of bottled water is contaminated |
|
Do not use ice cubes |
| Helpful Hints | |
|
Bring your own creamer for coffee and tea |
|
Bring straws (cooling from ice allows for contamination) |
|
Do not brush your teeth with unsafe water |
|
Use mouthwash to brush your teeth and rinse the toothbrush |
Food
| Safe Foods | |
|
Any food served steaming hot, including rice |
|
Fruit that you peel |
| Unsafe Foods | |
|
Raw vegetables usually have been washed in unsafe water |
|
Prepared fruit may have been cut with a contaminated knife |
|
In Mexico, avoid melons of any type - they are sometimes injected with water |
|
Avoid pork which may contain parasites |
General Helpful Hints
|
Rabies - Do not pet domesticated or wild animals |
|
Wet Wipes - Bring wet wipes for cleaning minor cuts and washing hands |
|
Use waterless hand sanitizer gel |
|
Bandaids/Antibiotic Ointment - If cut or scraped, wash with wet wipe, apply ointment and cover with bandaid |
|
Toilet Paper - Remove the cardboard core and store in a zip lock bag |
|
Mosquito Repellent - For malaria prevention, use mosquito repellent |
|
Sunscreen - Put on at least 15 minutes before going out in the sun |
|
Sunburn - The closer you are to the equator, the easier it is to get burned |
|
Yellow Card (International Immunization Travel Card) - Do not attach to passport, an official may throw it away. Keep it with your passport and only offer it if requested. |
