Essential pre-travel planning for a safe and healthy summer

With summer travel reaching record highs, particularly in North American and Western European regions, robust pre-travel planning and effective risk mitigation strategies are crucial for a healthy and safe summer travel season.

Summer’s warmer temperatures and the corresponding rise in outdoor activities create a heightened risk environment for health and safety. These risks are amplified for travellers in unfamiliar destinations where individuals may encounter food and waterborne illnesses, vector-borne diseases and excessive sun exposure.

Additionally, the increased frequency and intensity of heatwaves globally pose significant health threats, including heat stress, which is the leading cause of weather-related fatalities and can exacerbate underlying medical conditions.

Dr Katherine O’Reilly, Regional Medical Director at International SOS, commented: “The excitement of summer travel can sometimes overshadow potential health risks. It is important to understand that conditions such as heart disease, asthma, and diabetes can be worsened by warmer weather, leading to more severe symptoms and sometimes complications. To mitigate these risks, organisations should encourage their workforce to consult with healthcare professionals before travelling. These consultations help travellers identify destination-specific health threats and inform essential preventive measures, including vaccinations, hygiene practices and sun safety protocols.”

International SOS is offering the following guidelines for organisations and their workforce while travelling this summer:

1. Pre-travel health check-up: encourage employees to schedule a pre-travel consultation with a healthcare professional. This allows for necessary vaccinations, review of existing health conditions, and guidance on travel-specific health risks
2. Destination research: advise employees to research their destination thoroughly. This includes understanding local weather patterns, potential health risks, cultural norms, and security concerns. International SOS offers a suite of travel advisory resources for various destinations worldwide
3. Plan and choose safe accommodation: when selecting a place to stay, use credible booking sites, pick the location carefully and consider checking reviews from other travellers
4. Highlight the importance of understanding traveller-targeted risks: international visitors can be common targets for pickpocketing and scams. Provide basic travel safety training for travelling employees
5. Encourage employees to take precautions to prevent heatstroke: promote sun protection practices and remind travellers of the importance of hydration
6. Inform employees of food safety risks while travelling: food poisoning peaks during the summer months due to warmer temperatures. Advise travellers to exercise caution with unfamiliar food and water sources. Bottled water and thoroughly cooked meals are generally safer options.

Safeture and Riskline recently released a global wildfire report with travel safety tips.