Travel can expose children to unfamiliar food, water, climates and infections. Planning before departure can reduce avoidable health risks and make it easier to respond if a child becomes ill.

Prepare Before the Trip

Check the destination’s current health recommendations well before departure. A healthcare professional can review the child’s routine vaccinations and determine whether destination-specific vaccines or medicines are appropriate. Keep necessary medicines in their original packaging and check destination rules for carrying them.

Food and Water Safety

Where water quality is uncertain, use appropriately treated or sealed bottled water for drinking and food preparation. Be careful with raw or undercooked food and food that may have been stored unsafely.

Travelers’ Diarrhea and Dehydration

Diarrhea is common among children traveling abroad and can cause dehydration. Continue appropriate fluids and feeding. Oral rehydration solution can help replace water and salts lost through diarrhea.

Seek medical attention promptly if a child appears dehydrated, develops bloody stools, has significant fever, becomes unusually sleepy or seriously unwell, or cannot keep enough fluid down. Medicines used for adults with diarrhea are not automatically suitable for children.

Heat and Sun

Use shade, suitable clothing, age-appropriate sun protection and regular fluids in hot weather. Avoid prolonged strenuous activity during extreme heat.

Travel advice varies by destination and by the child’s age and medical history, so individualized advice from a qualified healthcare professional is preferable when there are specific health concerns.