Vacations can be fun and memorable. Here are some tips to make sure you have a safe and happy holiday.

Before you go

• Book an appointment with a travel health professional 8 - 12 weeks before your vacation. Discuss with your travel health profession the need for other prescriptions such as: traveller's diarrhea, malaria or high altitude medication.
• Make sure your routine, required or recommended immunizations are up-to-date, and make a copy of your immunization record to take with you.
• Be sure to have enough medication for your trip and keep it in the original container with the pharmacy label on.

• Make sure you have adequate documentation such as: a passport, birth certificate, or letter of consent if travelling with children.

• Find out if you have, or will need to purchase out-of-province/country medical insurance.

• Preprare a detailed list of your travel plans with a friend or family member in Canada.

• Find out as much as you can about the area's customs, laws, and English-speaking medical facilities.

• Make sure you wear up-to-date medical alert jewellery if needed.

• Pack sunscreen, sunglasses and hats. Buying these items at your destination could be expensive.

• Pack an extra pair of eyeglasses, contact lenses, or prescription sunglasses, and carry them with you at all times.

In transit

• Be prepared to answer detailed questions about the contents of your luggage. Remember most airports no longer allow you to carry nail files, pocketknives, syringes and scissors in your suitcase.

• Follow the orders of security officials and police, and do not make comments that could be interpreted as hostile.

While You Are There

• Wash your hands often, especially after every bathroom use and before eating. Carry a hand sanitizer for when you cannot find a safe water source.

• Drink plenty of safe (bottled or carbonated) fluids and avoid dehydration.

• Contaminated water is the number one cause of traveller's diarrhea. Drink only bottled water or carbonated drinks.

• Staying in a five star hotel does not guarantee a safe water source. Make sure you ask for beverages without ice.

• Protect yourself from insects, like mosquitoes that carry diseases such as: malaria, yellow fever, and dengue fever.

• Use insect repellents that contain DEET. Check the label for proper use on children.

• Avoid bare feet and reduce the risk of cuts and infection. Emergency care in a foreign country could mean exposure to contaminated needles and put you at risk for Hepatitis B and HIV.

• If you are going to be sexually active, use a condom to protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases like HIV and Hepatitis B.

• Make sure all food you eat is well cooked. No runny eggs or rare meat.

• If you are going to eat fruit or vegetables, make sure they are boiled or peeled.

• Swim in chlorinated pools or ocean water only. Don't swim in fresh water, it can contain harmful parasites.

• Be careful when travelling around the area. Most deaths of overseas travellers are caused by traffic accidents.