Health and Safety Tips

I know that I may be a worry wart because I'm a mom now but I thought that it might be useful to have a quick blog about the things you should consider to protect your health and safety when traveling. It is worth the little bit of research time before you go because really now who wants to get the avian flu, malaria, or be kidnapped. OK that sounds a bit dramatic if you're headed to New York City or London but you get my point.

Health

For health recommendations you should take a quick peek at the CDC's Destination List. This website lists for each country the current travel notices, safety and security tips, vaccinations needed, general health information for that region of the world, general tips on staying healthy, and what to do if you get sick when you're on your way home.

The World Health Organization has a down-loadable book on the main health risks for travelers and posts updates of disease outbreaks like yellow fever and malaria.

Safety

Europe's Foreign & Commonwealth Office has a great website that provides you with safety information including terrorism risks, local laws and customs, and crime. Just remember that this is printed with British entry requirements so be sure to look up the US entry requirements when traveling.

A similar website is provided by the US Department of State. This website provides information on the location of the U.S. embassy or consulate in the subject country, unusual immigration practices, health conditions, minor political disturbances, unusual currency and entry regulations, crime and security information, and drug penalties

General Travel Information

The US Department of State's Tips for Traveling Abroad is useful for preparing for your trip and how to make it back home safely. I once got caught trying to "smuggle" a wooden duck into New Zealand. The duck was a present for a friend that lives there but New Zealand doesn't allow the import of wooden objects so my bags were searched. A happy ending, they let me keep the duck since the wood was processed and coated. USA.gov also has a website with some great links.

And if you ever need to know a little about the country you can't beat the CIA for gathering information, right? The CIA World Factbook is a great website for general knowledge about the country from geography to economy to military and politics.