Health Preparations Before You Go Abroad

Your efforts for a healthy and safe trip abroad should start well before you even leave home.

Visit Travel Doctor
First, visit a travel doctor at least two months before you arrive in the host country, for information about immunizations and advice on how to stay healthy there.

Vaccinations
Cosmic Volunteers follows the current vaccination recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which you can find on our website or on the CDC's website.

The only host that country that requires any vaccinaitions is Ghana. To enter Ghana, you must have a Yellow Fever Vaccination, which you must get at least ten days before arriving. All other vaccines are optional for Ghana as well as our other host countries.

Anti-Malarial Medicine
Please speak with your travel doctor about taking anti-malarial medicine if you are traveling to Ghana. Many anti-malarial drugs have to be started before you arrive in Ghana. You cannot be immunized against malaria. For a full discussion of malaria, see the section below "Avoid Insect Bites" and visit the CDC’s web page for malaria.

Travel Insurance
Next, obtain a travel insurance policy that will cover any medical costs you might have abroad, as well as emergency evacuation flights back home. (Note: Cosmic Volunteers does not provide health insurance to participants).

I have used Multinational Underwriters (MNUI) for years for all of my travel insurance policies. MNUI has online fulfillment, so you can buy the policy and print your insurance card at the last-minute. My last policy from MNUI was for my trip to Ghana in December 2007:

• Cost of Policy: $26.46 USD
• Length of Coverage: 21 days
• Plan Name: Atlas International
• Coverage Limit: $100,000 USD
• Deductible: $500 USD

Prescription Medicines
If you take prescription medicines, make sure you have enough to last during your trip. Keep them in their original prescription bottles and always in your carry-on luggage. Bring along your prescription(s) for your contact lenses / glasses in case you need to replace them while abroad.

Medical Kit
Buy a medical kit to bring along with you. Adventure Medical Kits allows you to assemble your own. Also look for the medical kits under the "Travel" section.

Emergency Information Sheet
Finally, compile a 1-page emergency information sheet that you fold-up and carry in your pocket at all times while you are abroad. The emergency sheet should include:

• Personal Bio Data:
  • full name
  • DOB
  • home address & country
  • country of citizenship
  • passport number
• Emergency Contact in host country: name / phone
• Emergency Contact back home: name / phone
• Phone number of your embassy in host country
• Medical Information:
  • current medications
  • existing medical conditions
  • vaccinations
  • drug allergies
  • food allergies
  • previous surgeries
  • blood type (if known)

The above information could literally save your life abroad if you are ill/injured and unconscious and medical personnel need to provide emergency treatment. Read the survival story of journalist Alison Wright and who survived a bus crash in Laos.

Further Reading...

For comprehensive travel health information on all of our host countries, please visit the CDC’s website for each country: China, Ecuador, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Kenya, , Nepal, Peru, Philippines, Vietnam.