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 Smart tips for travellers
Have you planned trips to get away from your busy life for a while? Apart from carefully choosing your travel agent and planning your destinations, it is important to take precautions to safeguard your health during the trip. Here are some useful tips you can take to ensure that you have a happy and healthy holiday.
Before you go
- Pay attention to the hygiene condition of the destinations and the accommodation.
- Check with your travel agent, doctor or the Port Health Travel Health Centre for the types of vaccines required.
- Medications that need to be taken regularly should be carried as hand baggage. Besides, you may consider to bring along some medications and items for emergency use, such as drugs for headache and motion sickness, bandages and mosquito repellent, etc.
- Consider purchasing health insurance for travellers.
- If you have any medical problems, please discuss with your family doctor before travelling.
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 During travel
Food and personal hygiene
- Always wash hands before eating and after going to toilets.
- Take only thoroughly cooked food and avoid raw or partially cooked seafood.
- Drink only boiled water, or drinks bottled by reputable companies, and pasteurized milk or dairy products. Avoid drinks containing ice of unknown origin.
- Do not patronize street-side food hawkers.
Prevention of mosquito-borne diseases (such as dengue fever and malaria)
- While staying outdoors, wear light-coloured and long-sleeved clothes and trousers to protect the body.
- Apply insect repellents to exposed skin or clothings. Choose one containing DEET. Apply repeatedly whenever necessary.
- Rest in air-conditioned or well-screened rooms. Use mosquito screens or nets when the room is not air-conditioned
Sexually transmitted diseases
- Please note that a single unprotected sexual exposure is sufficient to transmit the HIV virus (which causes AIDS) or other sexually transmitted diseases, if your sexual partner happens to be infected.
- Using condoms correctly reduces the risk of getting sexually transmitted diseases, but the golden rule is to refrain from promiscuity and avoid having sex with strangers.
Other precautions
- Be careful while you participate in high-risk activities like sky diving, shooting rapids, high altitude trekking etc.
- Do not swim in polluted waters, otherwise you may get eye, ear or intestinal infections.
- Physical activity too strenuously under hot weather will cause water and salt loss, leading to fatigue. Travellers should bring along adequate water for replenishment to avoid heat stroke.
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 After the trip
- If you have any discomfort after returning to Hong Kong, you should consult your doctor.
- Don't forget to tell your doctor where you have visited, including transit countries.
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