Hi,

My family and I (2 kids and 2 adults) are planning to travel to Kerala, India, in February. What vaccines should we get for this region?

Thanks,

Have a great day,

Ophélie

Hello, My husband and I are traveling to South Africa in April on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Paris, which means a layover in Ethiopia! Unless I'm mistaken, I just saw that Ethiopia is one of the countries affected by yellow fever. My husband is turning 60, and I also read that the yellow fever vaccine isn't recommended after 60! I was wondering if any of you have taken the risk of doing the layover without being vaccinated for yellow fever, or if you've been vaccinated after 60? Thanks so much for all your replies

Hi, do you know what the deal is with the Japanese encephalitis vaccine? I traveled in Asia 20 years ago, and no one ever mentioned it to me. Now it’s strongly recommended. Thanks for your feedback. Elisabeth

We’re planning a trip to the Philippines from April 22 to May 8, 2026. Flight from Geneva with a layover in Turkey and Manila. Our itinerary: Angeles – Busuanga – Palawan…

The Philippines are a dream destination, but is it possible to travel there safely? I’ve heard that checked luggage often gets lost, tap water isn’t safe to drink, and mosquitoes are everywhere.

For water, what’s the best solution to carry in a backpack? Is a filtering water bottle 100% reliable?

For mosquitoes, should we treat our clothes with repellent? Are you vaccinated against hepatitis A, malaria, or dengue? Or is there an oral treatment to take?

Thanks for your feedback!

Hello, We’re planning to spend 3 months in Madagascar starting in mid-February. Areas: Mahajanga, Tulear, Diego Suarez, and Sainte Marie—the order isn’t set yet. We’ll either drive for part of the trip or take flights. We’ve heard all sorts of things about required vaccines and medications (is anti-malarial mandatory?). What’s the exact situation for travelers? I’ll come back to you for other topics (like finding a reliable driver, among others). Thank you. Best wishes to you all, Nicole

Hi there,

I’ve already visited quite a few countries across several continents, but I’m pretty new to Asia.

I’m planning a trip to Thailand in October or November, and I wanted to check about health precautions: malaria treatment, vaccinations (hepatitis A or others...). I’ll mostly be in the northern region, around Chiang Mai, where I’ll spend a lot of time in nature and the mountains. Then I’ll head south to Phuket or Krabi and visit Khao Sok National Park. I’ll finish up in Bangkok, with a likely detour to Kanchanaburi.

From what I understand, for a stay of less than 60 days, I don’t need a visa (I’m a French national)? I just need to fill out the TDAC form 3 to 5 days before arrival?

Thanks for your advice! Fred

Hi everyone, a question for those who’ve been lucky enough to visit Raja Ampat—should you consider preventive malaria treatment given its proximity to Papua? And how was the food hygiene situation? Thanks for your feedback! !

For 4 years now, my husband has been on ALD; no one will insure him. We’re supposed to leave for Bali in May, and I’ll have to cancel the trip because of this insurance issue. His ALD is cancer. Just like with trip cancellation insurance, it’s not valid if it’s for his health reasons—health issues are considered foreseeable, so they won’t reimburse you. Big problems with Carrefour travel agency.

Thanks for your help—I’m at a loss. Best,

Hi everyone!

I have two American cousins. The older one was born in Paris, and his sister was born in California. The latter is planning a trip to Paris this summer, but she recently fell ill, and American doctors don’t know what’s wrong. I had the idea of letting her take advantage of her trip to get treated here, avoiding the high healthcare costs of the American system in the process. The problem is, I can’t find anything online about this—just testimonials from French people who used to be American, but nothing for a simple tourist.

Could you shed some light on this for me?

Thanks in advance.

Hi,

We just found out my wife is pregnant, and we’ve planned a trip to the Barlavento Islands in Cape Verde this November.

We’d like to know if there’s a real risk of Zika contamination on those islands, because from what we’ve found online, the recorded cases are old and come from the Sotavento Islands.

We’re thinking about canceling our trip.

If you’ve recently traveled to Cape Verde or live there, do you have any thoughts on this?

Thanks

Hi there,

I'm currently in Bangkok: How can I find a good doctor for a consultation? It's for a friend who'd like a second medical opinion compared to what they got in their country of residence. Any professionals you'd recommend? How much does it cost?

Thanks for your help

Hi there, Does anyone know if there’s travel insurance for someone who’s had a heart attack? I can’t find an insurer that covers a pre-existing condition, even if it’s stable. Thanks so much!

Hi there,

I’m trying to plan a trip to Dubai with my mom. I’ve seen that some of our medications require prior authorization (sleeping pills, codeine, anti-anxiety meds, etc.).

I’d love to hear from anyone who’s been in our situation. A friend of mine applied to bring her tramadol, but it was denied—though she needed high doses!

Has anyone here gone through this process? Do we *really* need a prescription in English?

Thanks

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to set off on a "round-the-world" trip/long journey at the start of next year, lasting between 4.5 and 6 months. For now, the itinerary looks like this: South Korea (2 weeks) -> Japan (1 month) -> New Zealand (1 month) -> Argentina (1 month) -> United States (1 month).

I’m on medication (paroxetine 20 mg/day) and was hoping to bring enough for the entire trip so I wouldn’t have to find a doctor on the spot, deal with a molecule that might be slightly different from what’s available in France, or wonder if that’s even a possibility. Basically, it seemed simpler on paper...

But after looking into the regulations for each country, it’s suddenly way less simple . Many seem to only allow the amount corresponding to the length of your "stay" in the country... Which is a problem if I arrive in Korea with 4.5 months’ worth of medication, for example.

After all that, and even though I’ll obviously contact the relevant authorities in each country (fingers crossed for a response 😛), here’s my question: Has anyone here had any experience with this? (Even if it’s a different medication or different countries, any input would be helpful!)

Thanks in advance! 😉 Ananasas

hi, I’m looking for information about the possibility of returning to Thailand with a portable liquid oxygen system and whether it’s possible to recharge it in Thailand, especially in Chiang Mai. thanks

Hi everyone,

I’m starting a new discussion on this topic since there doesn’t seem to be a recent one.

I have several chronic conditions (including asthma and related ones), and I’m planning to travel for a year across different countries.

Generally, I understand it’s possible to travel with approved medications (which should be my case), but often with a limit of 3 months’ worth of treatment.

Since I’m going for 12 months, that means for three-quarters of my trip, I’d have more than 3 months’ worth of medication.

I plan to bring my prescriptions with the INN (International Nonproprietary Name), as well as the original packaging (even though it’s a nightmare, but from what I understand, it’s necessary). But I’m not sure if that’s enough...

Have any of you been in this situation before? How does it work at customs—do I need to declare everything that exceeds the 3-month limit? Do I need a letter from my doctors?

Thanks in advance for your replies,

See you soon, Bruno

I’m traveling to Portugal with my family and I have a treatment that requires injections. How can I take a flight with these? They look like injectable pens. Thanks

Hi there... I’m traveling with a friend for a month in November. We booked our round-trip tickets from Paris to Phnom Penh, and yes, I know—it was a mistake. We should’ve flown out of Laos, but here we are. But is it doable to backpack through both countries in a relaxed way? I’ve seen that the transport takes a while... Thanks so much for your replies.

Hi there. I’d like to know if all medications need to be declared at Uzbek customs. E.g., antidepressants? Thanks for your reply

For several years now, increased aggression has been observed in Cape fur seals. At least 70 unprovoked attacks on humans. It was recently confirmed that this is due to rabies. The suspected origin is contamination in Namibia by jackals. The contagion seems to be spreading. Preventive vaccination (of the animals) is being considered. Just a reminder: Rabies affects all mammals. Once symptoms appear—sometimes weeks or even months later—death is inevitable. It’s the bite that transmits the disease. There are so-called "furious" forms with aggression, but also forms without aggression. In case of a bite, in addition to standard wound care, tetanus prevention… rabies prevention is essential. Stay careful out there… Seeing seals from a boat along the coast isn’t rare in these parts…

.hi there I'm looking for travel insurance for the USA for a 1-month trip as a tourist. Could anyone give me some advice? Thanks so much

Hi there,

I feel like a total newbie—I’ve never really thought about this before, beyond repatriation—what happens if I get seriously ill or injured abroad? Thankfully, it’s never happened to me.

But now I’d like to cover my bases.

Do you know of any insurance providers, or where to look and how to choose one, that covers potential hospitalization costs, specifically in Uzbekistan?

I don’t even know if this kind of coverage is tied to a specific destination, in Europe (France?), or if it’s arranged directly in the country... 🤪

Catherine

Hi there, Do you know of any good travel insurance? Usually, I go with the one from the agency. But this time, I want to travel independently, and I'm a bit lost.

Some people told me that when you pay with a credit card, you get the bank's insurance. But after checking with the bank, that's not true. Or else, you have to add an extra option and pay for it monthly.

So, I'm looking for insurance that covers cancellation, repatriation, lost luggage, etc. Thanks for your tips!

Hi everyone, next month my wife, our 6-year-old daughter, and I are flying to Thailand. It’ll be a great chance to soak up some sun—something we’ve been missing lately here in France! But speaking of sun, I burn easily, and our daughter even more so. I was wondering what SPF to get for sunscreen and whether it’s better to buy it there or before we leave? Thanks for your tips!

We're about to go on an organized trip to South Africa, including Kruger Park. We were told that Malarone should preferably be taken in the evening at the same time during a meal. But it's hard to know what time we'll have dinner, especially since I've read that in South Africa, dinner is usually around 6 PM.

I'd love to hear from people who've been on organized trips to this destination and could share their experience. We were thinking of taking Malarone around 7:30 PM, assuming dinner would be closer to 7 PM than 6 PM. Also, if the meal ends up being earlier or later than when we take the pill, would a cookie or a piece of bread be enough to take with Malarone?

Thanks for your replies!

Hi everyone. After years of traveling to the USA without any medical insurance subscriptions—and luckily never having any major health issues (though I did get a scorpion sting buried in the sand at CBSouth, 😇)—life has caught up with us, and we’re now being forced into "wisdom" and leaving our carefree days behind.

So, I’m looking for the best compromise for a 2-month health insurance plan. I’ve read the discussions on this topic, but the most recent one is from last year, and I’d love your take on the current situation. I’m familiar with the usual options like Europ Assistance and AXA, but I’ve just discovered Chapka and Heymondo (the latter seems interesting in terms of both price and coverage).

What do you think of these last two? How do they compare in terms of value for money against the bigger companies?

Thanks in advance, everyone.

Hi, We’ve planned a 3-week trip to Bali this summer with our 7-year-old daughter. The itinerary includes Sanur, Nusa Lembongan, Sidemen, Amed, and Ubud. The more time passes, the more we read about people getting sick—some with mild to severe traveler’s diarrhea, and many ending up in the hospital. We, as parents, have been through it in Egypt with pretty bad cases, but we’d really like to avoid that for our daughter. Even though there’s no zero risk, and we’ll be careful, can any of you reassure me? Not everyone got sick, right? I’d love to hear positive feedback from parents, but not just them 😊. Thanks in advance!

Hello, We’re a couple in our seventies planning a 12-day trip to Namibia this coming September. We have a Visa Premier card. In your opinion, should we take out additional travel insurance like Europ Assistance or Chapka? We don’t want to repeat our bad experience in 2020: we’d taken out insurance with Allianz (over 500 € for 11 days). Our trip to Botswana was canceled due to COVID-19, and they were quick to cite the "epidemic" exclusion to refuse reimbursement. Just to clarify: the flights will be with Lufthansa, departing from Luxembourg. Thanks in advance to anyone who can give us some advice!

Hi there, I’m looking for THE right clinic to get dental implants during my stay in Morocco. I’ve seen some posts on this forum, but they’re over 6 years old. If anyone can share their experiences (good or bad, and location), that would be great. Thanks in advance

Hi, I’m planning a trip to Namibia for 3 weeks in November: should I take malaria prophylaxis, which medication, when to take it, and are there any side effects? At the end of my trip, I’ll spend 5 days up north near the Angolan border and in Etosha National Park. Thanks for sharing your travel tips and advice! Martine