When people head off to take a gap year and travel for an extended period of time, generally one of the last things they will think about is health considerations. This is important, especially if you’re traveling to a country or countries where you may need to get immunizations in advance. Other than immunizations, making sure you have the right preventive drugs to fight off disease (such as malaria pills) is essential. From my experience, these are the most important steps I feel one can take before their trip. For more information on preparing for your trip, I’d highly encourage you to visit the CDC website for further information
Immunizations/Going to a Travel Clinic
There are always potential risks in traveling, and catching a disease that can make you very sick is one of them. Getting your immunizations is one of the most important things you need to do before your trip. Like getting your regular immunizations, it is equally necessary to get ones for the countries and regions you’re traveling to. Some countries may even require you to obtain an immunization in advance, before they will allow you to enter (e.g. yellow fever immunization).
The
State Department Website (only for US Citizens) is a great resource, as it will allow you to identify which immunizations you’ll need for each country you’re traveling to. I would recommend researching immunizations, as early
in advance before your trip, as possible (at least 3-6 months prior). The reason for this is because some immunizations need to be administered many months (sometimes in multiple doses) before you leave on your trip.
Depending on your physician, you may be able to get some immunizations with them, but from my experience, many you will need to get from a travel clinic. I’d recommend
visiting a travel clinic as they will have a wider array of immunizations, will have great advice for your travels and will generally be very knowledgeable about immunizations for the countries you’re traveling to. The one I
went to before my gap year was amazing, and was an invaluable resource for me.
One thing to be aware of, is you may have to pay for immunizations out of pocket, as many insurance providers do not cover them for travel. This was the case for me at least, with my insurance provider. If that is the case for you, I would recommend to save up some money well in advance for this expense.
Visiting Your Health Providers Before a Gap Year
I also think it’s important to visit all your health providers (e.g. physician, eye doctor, dentist, etc.) a month or two before your gap year. This will allow you to go over any medical questions you have about traveling and stock up on prescriptions. For example, I went to my eye doctor at the time before my world trip to get a prescription to stock up on a year of contact lenses. More than anything, you are up are to date with all your appointments, especially if you’re gone for a year or more out of the country, where you will not be able to see your provider in person.
Medical Insurance
It is absolutely vital that you have adequate medical insurance to cover you in the event that something goes wrong during your gap year. You’ll want to check with your insurance provider that they’ll cover medical expenses, and all ranges from a simple doctor’s visit to an emergency room bill in the country or countries you’re traveling to. If you’re still young enough to be covered by your parents’ insurance (generally under age 26 in the United States), have them call their insurance company to make sure you’re covered.
If you’re like me, as a working professional and you leave your job, you may lose your insurance afterwards. In that case, it is important to purchase expat medical insurance. These plans will typically cover you worldwide for all ranges of expenses. For more detail on obtaining insurance, visit the travel and medical insurance page.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. The information contained on this page is for entertainment/educational purposes only, and is not meant to be formal medical advice. Please contact your medical professional for formal medical advice.
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