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Medical Tourism FAQs About Travel
Medical Tourism Travel FAQs
Is This Medical Tourism Destination Really Safe?
Are There Any Travel Advisories for This Country?
What Does the US State Department Say about This Country?
There’s always an inherent risk whenever you travel abroad. Changing political climates, natural disasters, and crime are always potential dangers of which every traveler must be aware. Language barriers, cultural differences, unfamiliar laws, and exotic foods can also make traveling quite intense. Doing plenty of research before going abroad, however, can help ease the transition and make your medical tourism vacation safer and more enjoyable.
Begin by researching the country on the Internet. Online resources are usually free, and there’s a ton of information from travel agents, tour guides, expatriates, and former tourists. We invite you to use our Forums as well to exchange answers, questions, and experiences with other world travelers and medical tourism patients.
If you find that a country is a potential candidate, you should invest in some guidebooks like Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Fodors, Let’s Go, or Frommers. These resources are updated quite regularly and typically contain a wealth of useful information.
Check out travel advisories and government warnings for whatever countries you decide to visit. Our Travel Safety and Travel Advisory sections provide some useful tips that every potential tourist should consider.
By using all of these resources, you can develop a more comprehensive picture of each medical tourism destination. Your research should be thorough and ongoing since the relative safety of any destination can change over time.
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What Are The Visa Laws For Country X?
As you can imagine, the visa laws vary from country to country. For a detailed discussion on travel documents, please visit our Visa and Passport section.
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Is It OK to Travel and Sightsee after My Procedure?
Is It OK to Take an Extended Flight after Surgery?
Is It OK to Fly after Surgery?
It really depends on the activities planned and the procedure received. You should consult with your physicians or dentists (both at home and abroad) before making any travel or sightseeing plans. That’s because some medical tourism procedures require longer recovery times than others. Few doctors would recommend scuba diving in the days following intensive back surgery.
Our best advice is to ask your doctors or dentists what the standard recovery period is for a successful operation. Make the necessary travel and tourism arrangements based on whatever information you receive. However, keep in mind that all vacations (medical or otherwise) require a certain degree of flexibility. If you can secure open-ended plane tickets, flexible hotel reservations, and other refundable commitments, that would be ideal.
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What Do I Need to Bring While Traveling abroad for a Medical Procedure?
Everyone’s packing list is going to be slightly different. But below are a few things that you should absolutely take in order to avoid medical or legal complications down the road:
Passport and copies
Visa papers and copies
Prescription medication in original pharmacy packaging
Medical equipment (asthma inhalers, medical batteries, etc.)
Doctor’s note explaining the need for any medication you have
Complete set of medical records
When it comes to apparel, we recommend checking Weather.com to get a feel for what type of clothing and sun protection you’ll need to take. Other items like toiletries, diarrhea medicine, books, and computers are ultimately up to the individual traveler. Depending on where you decide to take your medical vacation, many regular items will be relatively easy to procure. Bangkok, for example, sells almost all the essentials that you would expect to find back home.
For a more detailed list of things to include in your suitcase, please visit our section on What to Pack.
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What Will the Weather Be Like When I Arrive?
Weather.com provides fairly up-to-date forecasts for most of the major medical tourism destinations around the world. Meteorology is a science, but most would agree that it isn’t an exact science. So make sure you pack sufficient clothes for a wide range of weather conditions.
Your guidebook should also indicate when the rainy, hot, cold, and dry seasons are. If you’re going to India during the monsoon season, you probably shouldn’t take your favorite suede shoes. And if you’re going to Argentina during their winter months (which are different from the northern hemisphere’s), tank tops and flip flops are probably not the best idea.
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Will I Be Able to Find Western-style Food?
One of the joys of traveling abroad is sampling new and exotic flavors. But it’s not uncommon for tourists to want familiar meals every now and then. Fortunately, many of the more popular medical tourism destinations around the world cater to the diverse needs of their guests. If you travel to cities like Buenos Aires, Bangkok, Manila, or Mumbai, you shouldn’t have much difficulty finding international cuisine from all over the world. Sushi bars, hamburgers, baguettes, and fish & chips are usually quite easy to find. In the various destination-specific dining sections of this site, we have tried to include descriptions of the types of local eateries you might come across. If you ever come across a new type of restaurant that you think is worth including, please let us know.
Although finding familiar food shouldn’t be a major problem in major urban centers, you might have some difficulty once you stray from the beaten path. If you’re looking for fine Italian cuisine, greasy fries, or pepperoni pizza, you might be out of luck once you leave the bigger cities.
If you’re a relatively non-adventurous eater, we recommend going through some "basic training" before your trip. Familiarize yourself with the local cuisine by visiting themed restaurants in your home town. Maybe it’s finally time to check out that Indian restaurant on the corner. If you go enough times, you’re bound to find something on the menu that you actually enjoy. And when you do finally go abroad, the food won’t seem nearly as “unfamiliar.”
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I Have Strict Dietary Requirements. Will Finding Food Be Difficult?
Will I Be Able to Find Vegetarian Cuisine Abroad?
Will I Be Able to Find Low Cholesterol Food Abroad?
Will I Be Able to Find Dairy Free Food Abroad?
Will I Be Able to Find Kosher Cuisine Abroad?
Because most medical tourism destinations are in major urban centers around the world, you should have access to a fairly wide range of restaurants and culinary styles. There are eating establishments that cater to vegans, vegetarians, kosher cuisine, low cholesterol diets, dairy free diets, Western palettes, Asian palettes, and everything in between.
Once you travel outside of these major urban centers, however, be prepared for occasional difficulties. This is not to say that food won’t be diverse or delicious, but if you’re someone who absolutely cannot eat wheat, for example, you’ll need to make special arrangements ahead of time. If you’re with a tour group, let the organizers know. If you’re on your own, take some food with you.
It also helps to learn a few key phrases in whatever language applies. Knowing how to say, “I am a vegetarian who does not eat meat, eggs, or milk,” in Thai is very useful (in Thailand).
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Is the Food Safe to Eat?
In each destination-specific section of our Web site, we discuss the relative safety of the local cuisine. While food is obviously safe to eat for those who have lived there for a long time, your body needs time to build up immunity to new strains of bacteria (note: bacteria are present in all food, no matter where you are...you're just used to the strains in your home country).
There's no way to guarantee that all food in all places is safe, but there are some simple steps you can take to decrease the overall likelihood of getting sick:
Only eat food that has been cooked over high heat in the last 20 to 30 minutes.
Be wary of fruits and vegetables that haven't been washed properly.
Only drink bottled beverages that had been properly sealed.
If no bottled beverages are available, stick with hot coffee, hot tea, boiled water, and alcohol.
Avoid ice cubes unless you know that they were made from treated water.
Carry diarrhea medicine with you at all times.
Carry toilet paper with you at all times (trust us on this one).
Consult other travelers about their own experiences.
Consult your guidebook to see what recommendations they have about local cuisine.
Stick to venues that cater to tourists. You can get sick anywhere, but restaurants that depend on tourist traffic have extra incentive to maintain a healthy and “clean” image.
For a more complete discussion on food safety, please visit our Food, Water, and Hygiene section.
Is the Water Safe to Drink?
This answer varies from country to country, but in most medical tourism destinations around the world, it is wise to stick with bottled water that has been properly sealed. With regards to cooking and brushing your teeth, it’s best to consult your travel book for details. In most cases, boiling water during food preparation will get rid of harmful bacteria, but there are also non-organic toxins that you need to be careful of. If you have the time, money, and patience to use bottled water for all of your cooking and dental needs, it’s best to remain overly cautious. Read our Food, Water, and Hygiene section for a more details.
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What Vaccinations and Immunizations Are Necessary for Each Country?
Vaccinations vary considerably from region to region, so it is difficult to list all of them at any given time. What’s more, new strains of flu and disease crop up around the world on a fairly regular basis. The Center for Disease Control & Prevention and the World Health Organization provide two of the most comprehensive vaccination lists available.
It’s also important to remember that many vaccinations take several days to several weeks to begin working effectively. We recommend researching the requisite vaccinations well ahead of time. Consult with your physician if you have specific questions about incubation periods, availability, and your personal medical history.
To read more about vaccinations and immunizations, please click here.
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How Will I Communicate with My Doctor, Friends, and Family Back Home?
Do they Have Internet in This Country?
Most medical tourism destinations provide easy access to cyber cafes, mobile technology, and postal services. Broadband technology is truly a global phenomenon, and unless you are on a weeklong adventure trek through the mountains of Chiang Mai, you shouldn’t be too far away from a serviceable computer and connection. And thanks to affordable voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) technologies like Skype and Jajah, you can make long distance phone calls for practically nothing.
SIM card-based cell phones are also quite popular in most parts of the world. As a matter of fact, the United States is one the last regions of the world where this seemingly universal technology hasn’t taken root. If you currently have a cell phone that accepts SIM cards, you should be able to purchase a local number in whatever medical tourism destination you visit. You’ll probably end up paying a slightly higher rate than the locals do since you won’t be on a plan, but it’s nice to have instant connectivity everywhere you go. The days of traditional calling cards and public phones are slowly fading.
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Is There Terrorism in this Country?
Unfortunately, there aren’t many countries around the world that are truly terrorism free. The United States, United Kingdom, and Japan are three of the most industrialized and affluent nations in the world, and they haven’t managed to eradicate terrorism within their borders. So perhaps a more appropriate question would be:
Given that terrorism does exist, what steps can I take to protect myself?
Sadly, this too is a question that is very difficult to answer since terrorism often involves indiscriminate killing in crowded, public places. Short of avoiding tourist venues, staying away from public transportation, and never leaving your hotel room, there’s very little you can do to make yourself 100% safe at all times.
However, you can take certain steps to help ensure that you and your loved ones remain connected in the event that something goes wrong:
If you plan to be abroad for any length of time, it’s never a bad idea to check in with your embassy to make sure that they are aware of your presence.
Carry identification with you at all times.
Make sure you’ve memorized any and all the phone numbers you need. In today’s speed dial culture, you’d be surprised how many people don’t even know their home phone number.
Set up contingency plans with your travel companion(s), friends, family:
If something happens, where will you meet?
Who will you call?
How often will you check in?
Do you and your companion have copies of each other’s passports and visa paperwork?
Do you and your companion have extra dosages of each other’s medication plus instructions?
Are Americans Ever Targeted in this Country?
Whether or not you will be targeted when you travel abroad is very difficult to say, regardless of your nationality. Tourists are potential targets almost everywhere they travel due to their unfamiliarity with the surroundings. It can be said that Americans are unusually susceptible to potential attacks for a variety of reasons:
They are perceived to be wealthy.
They are perceived to be gullible.
They rarely have facility with foreign languages.
Their government’s foreign policy is notoriously unpopular in many parts of the world.
Each person’s travel experience will be different, but the overwhelming majority of people who travel abroad enjoy their time, come back safely, and have only positive experiences to share with others. If this weren’t true, tourism (medical or otherwise) would cease altogether, and no government wants that to happen.
We invite you to review our Travel Safety section to learn more about what steps you can take to protect yourself, regardless of your nationality. It’s also useful to review travel advisories for whatever medical tourism destination you plan to visit. Your governments department of state (or equivalent agency) will provide the most useful information for you as a citizen.
Does This Country Support the War on Terror?
Although only a handful of countries are actively involved in the “War on Terror,” most countries around the world have taken dramatic steps to reduce terrorist elements in their borders. Terrorism is bad for the citizens, bad for business, bad for public relations, and bad for just about anything else you can name. No stable government welcomes disruptive acts of violence.
However, just because a country is actively fighting against terrorism doesn’t mean that terrorism is nonexistent. The United States, for example, has one of the most expansive and robust intelligence networks in the world, but on September 11, 2001, it was a victim of one of the most televised terrorist acts in modern history. Thus, the strength of a country’s anti-terrorism efforts is not necessarily a good indication of how dangerous or safe that country is. Far more telling are the travel advisories issued by individual governments around the world. We recommend that you consult your department of state (or equivalent regulatory body) to assess the overall safety level of whatever medical tourism destination you plan to visit.
Will I Be Able to Practice My Religion in This Medical Tourism Destination?
Most of the major medical tourism destinations around the world practice varying degrees of tolerance and acceptance. India and Thailand, for example, have incredibly strong religious roots (Hinduism, Buddhism, & Islam for India -- Buddhism & Islam for Thailand), but both countries are extremely welcoming of alternative belief systems. The same can be said of the Philippines where Catholicism is the dominant religion, but mosques and Jewish temples can be found throughout the region.
With regards to locating places of worship while abroad, you should probably consult your spiritual adviser at home before hopping on the plane. He or she should be able to connect you with sister churches, temples, mosques, shrines, meditation centers, retreats, and worship sites in medical tourism destinations abroad.
Will They Speak My Language?
Although many regard English as “the” international language, you shouldn’t necessarily expect every person you meet to speak English. In fact, 75% to 80% of the world doesn’t speak English, so be prepared for occasional miscommunications and moments of frustration. It is not a Thai person’s job to learn English for the sole purpose of communicating with you. Argentineans have managed quite well with Spanish for some time. And Chinese is one of the oldest continuous languages in the world, so don’t expect all of them to switch over for your convenience.
Fortunately, most medical tourism facilities (hospitals, dental offices, chain hotels, and businesses that cater to tourists) will speak English for the most part. Because many tourists from around the world speak English as a second language, you’ll find it fairly popular in the main tourism venues. Even still, patience is important since not everyone will be a native speaker. For important matters (i.e. medical treatments) hospital staff members should be fluent enough, and if they aren’t, they’ll usually have translators present.
Will I Need to Learn the Language?
While it is not actually necessary to learn the language before you go abroad, it is considered both useful and polite to master a few key phrases. If you can learn basics like hello, thank you, you’re welcome, 1-10, restroom, water, and goodbye, you should be able to navigate most situations with a fair degree of tact.
In the United States, England, and Canada, rarely are we impressed if somebody takes the time to learn English. In fact, we expect visitors to master English, and we sometimes become irritated if they don’t have the basics down. When you travel abroad, however, you’ll often find that most world citizens appreciate that you’ve taken the time to learn a few phrases of their language. They won’t necessarily expect it of you, but if you can greet someone in his or her native tongue your relationships and interactions will usually yield better results.
How Do I Get in Touch with My Embassy?
What Are the Addresses and Phone Numbers of My Country’s Consulates Abroad?
Before getting on the plane, you should have all the necessary contact information for the closest consulates and embassies in whatever medical tourism destination you decide to visit. Your government’s department of state (or equivalent organization) should be able to provide you with a comprehensive list of embassies and consulatesProject Visa is also a great resource. It is fairly up to date, but given how many embassies there are around the world, you’ll probably want to check the accuracy of any Web sites, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses ahead of time.
around the world.
Will I Be Able to Find Over-the-Counter Products Abroad?
In most cases, the answer is yes. If you’re looking for diarrhea medication, ibuprofen, laxatives, antihistamines, bandages, antiseptics, nasal sprays, and other health & beauty aids, you shouldn’t have too much difficulty locating stores and pharmacies that carry these items. However, you might not always be able to find familiar brands. Equally important, you might not be able to read the safety or dosage information on the sides. This is why we generally recommend taking the most essential items with you. You’ll probably need to store these items in your checked luggage since many airlines no longer permit liquid containers in carry-on luggage. Visit our Traveling with Medications section for a more detailed discussion on the topic.
Will My Hotel Have Air Conditioning, Cable, and Other Modern Conveniences?
This is a question best left to the hotels. In most cases, however, medical tourism destinations have a wide selection of accommodations, ranging from budget youth hostels all the way up to five star luxury suites. If air conditioning, cable, hot water, room service, and other modern conveniences are extremely important to you, make the necessary arrangements in advance.
Will Medical Marijuana Be a Problem If I Go Abroad?
If you use marijuana for medical purposes, it’s probably a good idea not to take any of it with you. Even with a doctor’s note, there is no guarantee that airport security or customs will permit such items. And even if they did, your doctor’s note will likely have little bearing in whatever medical tourism destination you ultimately visit. You should make special arrangements with your doctor in advance to see if there is some type of temporary substitute you can use throughout the duration of your medical tourism visit. Better safe than sorry.
What Voltage and Power Standards Do Medical Tourism Countries Use?
Do I Need an Electrical Adapter for My Appliances When Abroad?
Sadly, there is no international standard for power outlets, and if you travel abroad, there’s a good chance that you’ll need an adapter, surge protector, or some other type of attachment to make sure that your electrical appliances work properly. If the voltage is too high, your computer or electric shaver might become too hot or short out. If the voltage is too low, these items might not work at all. And in some cases, the voltage will be perfect, but your plugs won’t fit into the socket.
For a comprehensive list of electricity requirements around the world, visit the World Standards page. This site has extremely thorough descriptions of the types of plugs needed, voltage requirements, frequency differences, and anything else you might need to know if you plan to travel with electrical appliances.
I Have Respiratory Problems. Will That Be a Problem During My Flight?
Are Most Planes Equipped to Handle My Specific Respiratory Problems?
Do I Need to Bring My Own Oxygen on The Plane If I Have Severe Respiratory Problems?
The air quality in airplanes is not always the best, and thus, it’s not unusual for respiratory problems to become even more pronounced. This is especially true during 10, 15, and 20 hour flights. Most airlines have fairly standard facilities for emergency respiratory complications, and flight attendants receive basic first aid and CPR training. But if you’re someone who suffers from severe respiratory complications (asthma included), you’ll probably want to alert the airline ahead of time. In certain cases, special provisions can be made for oxygen tanks, extra inhalers, and other types of equipment. But you’ll need clearance from the airport and airline before you can take these items through security and on the plane.
It’s also important to remember that even if you were fine on the way to your medical tourism destination, your post-surgery recovery might require medical equipment on the way back. For a more detailed discussion of what you can and can’t bring on the plane, please visit our Medication & Prescription Drugs section.
What Is the Air Quality in This Country?
This answer obviously varies from country to country. And due to constantly changing weather patterns, the quality of air on Monday might be radically different from the quality of air on Tuesday. AIRNow’s site is a fairly useful resource for researching air quality and pollution, but it doesn’t necessarily have all of the top medical tourism destinations around the world. We recommend using their site in conjunction with Weather.com’s to develop a more accurate picture.
Are There Restrictions on What I Can Bring on the Plane?
Is It OK to Bring Medication on the Plane?
Unfortunately, there are restrictions on what you can take on the plane, and these restrictions seem to get broader and broader every day. As a general rule, it makes sense to pack only the essentials in your carry-on bag while you store all other items in your checked luggage. Passports and visas documents should always stay with you. Things like computers, books, cell phones, and writing utensils seem to be OK for certain flights and unacceptable for others. Make sure you call ahead and find out what restrictions apply for your particular country, your particular airline, and your particular medical tourism destination.
With regards to medication, the landscape is a little bit more confusing. Generally speaking, all pills (prescription or over-the-counter) should remain in their original packaging. It also helps to have a doctor’s note that explains your medical condition and why having these pills is necessary. When it comes to liquid medication, however, you’ll probably need to call ahead and receive clearance from airport security. Cough syrup, eye drops, topical salves, and any other liquid items might be confiscated (and tossed) otherwise. For a more detailed discussion about medical restrictions on commercial flights, please visit our Medication & Prescription Drugs section.
Keep in mind that you might receive a supply of prescription medications in whatever medical tourism destination you visit. It’s not uncommon for doctors and dentists to prescribe antibiotics, vitamins, painkillers, and other essential drugs after surgery. Again, you’ll need to make the same preparations coming back to your home country as you did going to your medical tourism destination.
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