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Healthy Holidays

Introduction

Summer brings a host of health hazards whether you are planning to holiday at home or abroad.

Our guide gives you top tips on how to protect your health over the summer months, what you can do to prepare and how to treat some of the most common ailments.

Be prepared

If going abroad:
- check if you need any vaccinations or malaria tablets well before you travel
- make sure you have adequate medical cover
- if flying, keep medication in your hand luggage
- keep a list of important numbers handy e.g. local emergency services and your travel insurer.

It is important to be prepared before traveling overseas, be aware of the risks and protect yourself as much as possible.  Most importantly, you should know:

- How to avoid becoming ill when abroad
- What to do if you do become ill overseas
- How to get emergency medical treatment when you are overseas

Visit our travel health section for more information on health risks abroad, the European Health Insurance Card and getting help.

Summer Health

Some illnesses and ailments are particularly prevalent in the summer months, both in the UK and abroad. This section helps you deal with hayfever, prickly heat, sunburn, heat exhaustion, dehydration and bites & stings.

Travel Health

In the UK, people traveling for both business and leisure make over 59 million overseas journeys every year.  While many of us enjoy visiting different countries it is easy to forget that many places do not have the same easy access to medical facilities and treatments as the UK.

It is important to be prepared before traveling overseas, be aware of the risks and protect yourself as much as possible.  Most importantly, you should know:

- How to avoid becoming ill when abroad
- What to do if you do become ill overseas
- How to get emergency medical treatment when you are overseas

Visit our travel health section for more information on health risks abroad, the European Health Insurance Card and getting help.

For further information and how to protect yourself:

• Sunburn (NHS inform)
• Cancer Research UK (external site) 
• Hay fever (NHS inform)
• Allergies (NHS inform)
• Allergy UK (external site)
• Prickly heat  (NHS inform)
• Travel Health (NHS inform)