Plan for your health before and during travel

Even if you've travelled to a destination before, follow these health-related tips to help you stay healthy.

On this page

• Prepare before you leave
• Take precautions with food and water
• Prevent insect and tick bites
• Avoid contact with animals
• Reduce your risk of respiratory infections
• Upon your return to Canada

Prepare before you leave

Check the travel advice and advisories as well as any travel health notices for your destination(s). This will help you to make informed decisions and travel safely while you're outside Canada.

Before you leave on your trip:

• Consult a health care provider or visit a travel health clinic preferably 6 weeks before travel to get health advice and recommendations, and discuss:
  • your routine vaccinations to ensure they're up to date
  • any additional medications or vaccines that may be right for you based on your itinerary
• Buy travel health insurance, if you don't have an existing plan, even if you're only travelling outside Canada for 1 day.
• Pack a travel health kit to help you deal with minor health issues.
  • This is especially important in places where first aid supplies or medication may not be readily available.

If you get sick before your trip, consider postponing your travel plans until you've recovered.

Learn more:

• Travel health notices
• Travel advice and advisories
• Travel insurance
• Travel health kit
• Travel vaccinations
• Vaccination for adults
• Childhood vaccination schedule

Take precautions with food and water

The most common illnesses among travellers are caused by eating food or drinking beverages contaminated by bacteria, parasites or viruses.

Take precautions with your food and water by doing the following.

• Boil it, cook it, peel it or leave it.
• Wash your hands before preparing or eating food, and only eat foods that are well cooked and served hot.
• Drink water from sealed bottles if you're not sure if the local water is safe to drink.

Learn more:

• Eat and drink safely abroad

Prevent insect and tick bites

Many diseases are spread by the bites of mosquitoes, ticks, fleas and flies.

You can reduce your risk by:

• using an approved insect repellent (bug spray)
• covering up with light-coloured, loose clothes
• using mosquito netting when sleeping somewhere not fully enclosed

Learn more:

• Insect bite and pest prevention

Avoid contact with animals

Some diseases, including rabies and avian influenza (bird flu), can be shared between humans and animals. When travelling abroad:

• avoid animals and the places they live, are sold or are slaughtered
• watch children closely to ensure they avoid contact with animals

Learn more:

• Rabies
• Avian influenza

Reduce your risk of respiratory infections

When travelling abroad, reduce your risk of getting or spreading respiratory infections by:

• limiting contact with others if you become sick
• wearing a well-fitting mask anytime, especially:
  • if you're sick
  • if you're in a crowded or closed space (for example, airports, train stations or indoor events)
• cleaning your hands regularly by washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using a hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol
• covering your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow, not your hands

Learn more:

• Respiratory infectious diseases: How to reduce the spread with personal protective measures

Upon your return to Canada

If you feel sick when coming back to Canada, depending on your mode of transportation, tell:

• the cruise staff
• a flight attendant and/or
• a border service officer

If you become sick after you return to Canada, contact a health care provider and let them know:

• what symptoms you have
• which countries you visited

Learn more:

• If you become sick or injured while travelling outside Canada or after your return