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. |

