Getting ready for a spring break trip? Whatever your destination, plan ahead for a relaxing, stress-free and safe time away.

Make Your Health a Priority

It’s natural to want to leave all your worries behind when heading out on vacation, but don’t forget to prioritize your health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the following steps to protect your well-being when you travel:

• Make an appointment with your healthcare provider to get destination-specific vaccines, medicines and advice at least a month before you leave. Discuss your itinerary and any planned activities so that your provider can tailor health recommendations to your needs.

• Make sure you are up to date on all of your routine vaccines, including measles-mumps-rubella.

• Check the travel requirements and recommendations for your spring break destination on the CDC’s website.

• Plan for unexpected issues. Get travel insurance, including travel health insurance, and find out where to get healthcare during travel.

• Pack a travel health kit. Pack your prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines, a first aid kit, insect repellent, sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher), aloe, alcohol-based hand sanitizer, water disinfection tablets and your health insurance card. Visit Traveling Abroad With Medicine for more information.

Play It Safe

Do things you enjoy on your spring break trip – but play it safe when it comes to your health.

• Be smart on the roads. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among healthy travelers. Always wear a seat belt. Children should ride in car seats. And if you're letting someone else do the driving, choose safe and trustworthy transportation. Never drive if you have had alcohol.

• Watch out for insects. Bugs such as mosquitoes, ticks and fleas can spread serious diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, Zika, dengue, chikungunya and Lyme. Use insect repellent and take other steps to avoid bug bites, which spread these diseases. Mosquitoes, ticks and fleas are typically more active during warm weather.

• Don't leave your health to chance. Seek medical attention right away if you or a travel companion gets an injury or sickness that can’t be helped with basic first aid or an over-the-counter medicine.

• Be careful about what you eat and drink. Contaminated food or drinks can cause travelers’ diarrhea and other diseases. Dry and packaged foods and foods that are served hot are usually safe to eat. Bottled, canned and hot drinks are also usually safe. Avoid alcohol because it impairs your judgment.

• Wear sun protection whenever you're outside during the day. You can get a sunburn even if it’s cloudy or cold. Apply sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher. 

• Keep your hands clean. Regular handwashing is one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick and prevent spreading germs to others. Wash your hands with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol. 

• Be cautious around animals. This includes pets, local farm animals and wild animals. All animal bites carry a risk of rabies or a bacterial infection.

• Be careful in and around water. Drowning is a major cause of death when traveling. Follow water safety recommendations for swimming, boating and diving, especially in countries where emergency services may not be quickly available.

For more complete information on travel safety, visit the CDC website.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention