Travel health & COVID

For more information on our COVID-19 protocols and general guidelines for when you travel, please see our Travel with Confidence page.

Make sure you obtain the protective vaccinations necessary for the countries you will be visiting. Although your Trip Notes will highlight any required immunisations for your trip, we emphasise that these may vary with changing circumstances. Your General Practitioner or travel clinic will advise you of the most up-to-date information. If you do need to arrange vaccinations, you should contact your General Practitioner or travel clinic at least two months before departure. It’s advisable to shop around, as costs do vary between centres.

When trips visit remote areas or developing countries, we normally recommend immunisation against typhoid, tetanus, polio and hepatitis A. Parts of East Africa and South America ask for an International Certificate of Vaccination against yellow fever (availability of the yellow fever vaccine will vary from centre to centre and travellers may need to be referred to, or to seek out, alternate centres in order to be vaccinated). Malarial prophylaxis should also be taken in some areas. Cholera vaccinations are not officially required by any country. However, in practice, a cholera vaccination certificate may be asked for by border officials when arriving from, or travelling into, an infected area: especially at land borders. 

Remember to carry your International Certificate of Vaccination with you on holiday if you are required to prove you have the correct inoculations (and leave a photocopy at home). These must be signed and stamped by a doctor who administered the injections. For further information on vaccinations,visit the NHS Fitfortravel website and travelhealthpro.org.uk.

For holidays in the EU / EEA you should obtain an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) before departure, from the Department of Health. Find out more on the NHS website. An EHIC is not, however, a substitute for appropriate travel insurance.

Local food and water

Your Explore Leader will be the best person to advise you, but here’s a reminder of some of the less common sources of germs:

• Inadequately washed fruit or salad
• Undercooked meat and vegetables
• Unpasteurised milk
• Brushing your teeth with tap water in risky areas
• Ice cubes
• Drinking straight out of a can

At Explore our priority is our customer’s health, well-being and safety. Ensuring you are drinking enough clean water when on an Explore trip is key to staying well and having an amazing holiday. 

We're passionate about taking care of the communities and countries we visit so we have partnered with Water-to-Go to offer you exclusive discounts on their refillable, filter bottles. Water-to-Go bottles use a filtration system that eliminates over 99.9% of all microbiological contaminants including viruses, bacteria, chemicals and heavy metals from any non-salt water source, so you can take care of the environment and your health whilst travelling with us. Visit the Water-to-Go website to order your bottle and replacement filters and use discount code EXPLORE15 for an exclusive 15% discount. 
 

Traveller’s diarrhoea

This is often caused by the change of diet and climate and lasts around 48 hours and invariably strikes when least expected. Treat water with the utmost care – when brushing your teeth, for instance or swimming – and take care with your own personal hygiene, washing hands frequently. Antibacterial hand wash gel is recommended. If you do get an upset stomach, drink plenty of (filtered or bottled) water to avoid dehydration and take some electrolyte solution (e.g. Dioralyte) to restore the salts lost by your body. If you have to travel, anti-diarrhoea tablets (e.g. Imodium) may be helpful. Be aware that an upset stomach may affect your body’s ability to absorb any medication you are taking. 

It’s always advisable to let your tour leader know if you are feeling unwell.
 

First aid and medicines

Taking your own first aid kit is a must. Remember to pack prescriptions in your hand luggage and not your checked-in luggage. The Lifesystems range of medical kits is practical and well-designed.
 

Sun & heat

Always remember to pack sun-cream. Too much sun can give you sunburn and possibly lead to sunstroke, which can ruin your holiday and have negative effects on your health. 

A good lip salve is also advisable and dark sunglasses with high UV protection. 
 

Deep Vein Thrombosis

For more information on DVT, please visit the NHS website.
 

Emergencies

Advise your friends and relatives to contact Explore in an emergency and we shall endeavour to get a message passed through to you as quickly as possible. Should anything happen to you while you are away, you can be sure that our emergency procedures and communication channels will kick in rapidly. Leave the worrying to us; you just enjoy your holiday!