International Travel: Health and Safety Travel Tips
International travel is common today, but diseases that are rare in some countries are still prevalent in others. Travel immunisations and vaccines can ensure better health on your trip and help protect your community upon your return home.
We recommend that you consult a doctor or travel health professional for up-to-date advice on vaccinations for the regions you will be travelling to. You should seek health and safety travel tips as soon as possible because some vaccinations take time to be effective.
The best way to keep yourself safe abroad is to prepare beforehand and be informed. Make sure you have adequate travel insurance, learn the customs of the places you are visiting, and research the latest travel advice.
General Medical Advice
Globalteer staff are not doctors, so we cannot provide specific medical advice, but we can offer general health and safety travel tips.
For all travel it is important to consult a doctor or travel health professional about the vaccines you may need. You should also be up to date with your country's immunisation guidelines. This is likely to include vaccines for diseases such as Tetanus, Diphtheria and Polio.
You should also know that:
- Some vaccines are expensive so you should discuss the risk versus the cost with your health professional.
- Some diseases occur more frequently at certain times of the year, such as during the rainy season.
- Certain medical conditions make some people more vulnerable to infection. This prevents doctors from giving them specific vaccinations.
- Vaccines do not protect against some diseases, so discuss ways to reduce your risk with your health professional.
For more information:
Center for Disease Control
World Health Organisation
NHS Travel Vaccinations
General Safety Advice
Most people travel overseas without problems, but you should always be aware of any risks. You have a big advantage by volunteering with Globalteer as we pick you up from the airport or your hotel. Additionally, Globalteer or local project staff provide an arrival orientation to discuss health and safety travel tips.
Health and Safety Travel Tips
Before volunteering abroad, one common question is “how to stay safe while traveling?” Globalteer carries out health and safety inspections at accommodation, offices and project locations. Although standards are probably below what you are used to, we endeavour to ensure your safety whilst volunteering.
General
When travelling internationally, it is sensible to be aware. Avoid walking alone at night down a dark street, don’t accept lifts from strangers and take care of your belongings.
Theft
Travellers need to carry important items such as passports and credit cards with them. Travellers often must decide whether to leave these items at their accommodation or carry them while out.
As tips for safe travel, we recommend leaving important items in your accommodation is safe. You can also purchase a portable safe, such as Pacsafe, or a money belt to prevent theft.
Accidents
Safety tips for traveling abroad are not only about general things but about traffic as well. Traffic rules often differ greatly from those in your home country. Always cross the road with caution and don't expect drivers to give you the right-of-way, even at pedestrian crossings.
Alcohol often plays a role when travellers experience theft or accidents. Be aware that excessive alcohol can increase the likelihood of such incidents.
Government travel advice
We advise that all volunteers follow the travel safety guides, up-to-date information and advice. You should refer to your government’s guidelines regarding safety while travelling abroad. Here are some links to the government's foreign travel advice.
Argentina
Argentina Howler Monkey Project
Vaccinations
Let your health professional know that you will be working with howler monkeys. Hepatitis B can occur in howler monkeys and therefore, this is a potential risk. However, our project has recorded no cases.
You may also want to consider the pre-exposure rabies vaccination. These injections are available in your home country; however, they are expensive. In the unlikely event of exposure to a suspected animal, medical facilities in Cordoba and other cities provide treatment.
If you are exposed to rabies, you must obtain treatment within 24 hours if you have not received the pre-exposure injections. Treatment includes immunoglobulin injections into the wound and a series of rabies vaccinations. If you have received the pre-exposure injections, you will still need to seek immediate medical attention to receive booster doses.
Health and Safety
Argentina is a safe destination and most visits are trouble-free. Violent crime against visitors is rare in Argentina. Although petty theft and pickpocketing are possibilities. You should follow the health and safety travel tips provided at the orientation session.
As in your own country, or on holiday in any other country, take care of your belongings. You will spend almost all of your time at the project location, which can be considered very safe.
Cambodia
Cambodia Community and Sports Projects in Siem Reap
Vaccinations
Travel safety techniques often become your saviour when you decide to participate in volunteer programs abroad.
Inform your doctor that you will be volunteering with children from impoverished backgrounds. Protect yourself from mosquito-borne disease by using insect repellent. You should also discuss the available vaccines.
Health and Safety
Siem Reap is a very safe and friendly town, but as always when travelling, you must follow the safety tips for traveling abroad. These include usual precautions to ensure your safety. Land mines have been cleared from this popular tourist town.
Cambodia Elephant and Indigenous People Projects in Mondulkiri
Vaccinations
Volunteering with children requires extra care in all aspects including health. If you are going to the Cambodia Indigenous People Project, inform your health professional. They will guide you on all the important vaccines to be taken care of.
Health and Safety
Mondulkiri is a very safe and friendly province, but as always when travelling internationally, you must vacation safety tips to ensure your wellbeing. Our priority is to provide an orientation session to the volunteers before starting the actual work.
Elephants are very large animals. Please listen to the local staff on how to stay safe whilst working with them. Visitors should also be aware that unexploded ordnance (shells, bombs etc.) exists in Mondulkiri. Experts believe that the area will never be fully cleared because exploded ordnance is still being found in Europe from the 1940s. There are virtually no land mines in this area of Cambodia.
Cambodia Bear Sanctuary
Vaccinations
Let your health professional know that you will be volunteering with bears in a rescue centre that is home to many species of animals. Protect yourself from diseases and discuss the important vaccines beforehand.
Health and Safety
You must be thinking, what is the safest way to travel? When travelling, you must take the usual precautions to ensure your safety. Bears are potentially dangerous, so please follow the guidelines of the local staff on how to stay safe whilst working with the bears.
Colombia
Colombia Kids Project
Vaccinations
You should discuss the vaccine options with your healthcare professional. Discuss the details of your project, including accommodation, work, and responsibilities. Yellow fever is a risk in certain parts of Colombia. Although this risk is low in Medellin but proper care is advised.
Health and Safety
Firstly, forget everything you know about Colombia as it is probably incorrect. Colombia has had a remarkable turnaround in security. Millions of overseas tourists visit Colombia each year without any trouble. In fact, Medellin is now one of Latin America’s safest big cities.
Colombia still has its problems and there are regions that are too dangerous to visit. As with any big city, there are areas you should not visit after dark.
Staff will tell you about the safe and unsafe areas on arrival and general health and safety travel tips. There are plenty of areas in Medellin that are safe, where you can enjoy the amazing nightlife the city has to offer.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica Sea Turtles Project
Vaccinations
Let your health professional know that you will be volunteering on the coast of Costa Rica and discuss the relevant vaccinations.
Health and Safety
Generally speaking, Costa Rica is a very safe country for travellers, but you should be on guard and act sensibly, especially if travelling alone.
Globalteer’s orientation session includes all the safety advice and guidelines regarding interaction with locals.
Thousands of tourists visit Costa Rica every year and have no problems whatsoever, so don't think much and enroll in the volunteer program. You will have one of the best experience of your life.
Indonesia
Indonesia Wildlife Rescue Centre
Vaccinations
International travel safety tips mention that volunteers must have up-to-date vaccinations for Tetanus and Hepatitis A & B. Hepatitis B can occur in apes. Therefore there is a potential risk. Although the centre has recorded no cases.
A rabies pre-exposure vaccination is not required by the centre, but you may consider it to protect yourself from infection from stray dogs outside the centre.
Health and Safety
Northern Sulawesi is safe and friendly, but as always, when travelling, you must take the usual precautions to ensure your safety.
We will take a session upon arrival to advise you of all the necessary precautions to stay safe whilst working with animals. You will spend almost all of your time at the project location, which is considered very safe.
Laos
Laos Wildlife Sanctuary
Vaccinations
Discuss with your doctor that you will be a wildlife volunteer abroad. There you will work in rescue centre with a huge variety of animals. Malaria risk is present throughout the year in the whole of the country, except the city of Vientiane. While the risk is low in other urban areas and areas surrounding Vientiane, you should discuss this with your doctor. Medications to reduce the risk of disease may be recommended.
Health and Safety
Laos is a very safe and friendly country, but you must take the usual precautions to stay safe. Most visits to Laos are completely trouble-free. You will spend almost all of your time at the project location, which is safe.
Unexploded mines and ordnance are a hazard throughout Laos. However, the risk is mostly in Xieng Khouang Province (Plain of Jars), Luang Prabang Province and areas of the Lao-Vietnamese border. As a precaution, don’t stray off main routes in rural areas, and don’t pick up metal objects.
Malaysia
Borneo Marine and Sea Turtle Conservation
Vaccinations
Inform your health professional that you will be volunteering on the Borneo coast, and if applicable will be diving.
If you do require anti-malarial medication before your volunteer placement in Borneo, please avoid Larium as the side effects when diving can be severe.
Health and Safety
As with all adventurous activities, accidents are always possible when diving. These risks are minimised by requiring divers to complete PADI training first if they are not already certified. Divers are taught about the effects of pressure on the body and to dive within their limits. They also carry equipment to monitor depth and time. Trained divers know how to use dive equipment safely and how to perform safety checks on themselves and their dive buddies.
All dives for pleasure, or while conducting volunteer duties on the reef, are supervised and led by qualified staff. The project does not offer decompression diving, so the risk of the bends is all but eliminated.
Underwater hazards
The most dangerous thing underwater for volunteers is jellyfish. You can’t always see them and while poisonous species are extremely rare, they have been seen in the area. Stings from all jellyfish are best avoided by wearing a stinger suit. Scorpionfish, stonefish and lionfish are all painful if they sting you but are easily avoided by wearing wet shoes in the shallows.
If you put your hand in a hole in the coral reef a fish or possibly a moray eel may bite you. Sea snakes are rare and not aggressive.
Of course, a diver may forget their training or panic. While volunteering, all work is conducted in shallow areas, where the surface is always in easy reach.
Pleasure dives or deeper research dives are closely controlled by experienced staff, and permitted only when a volunteer is ready. The possibility of seeing a reef shark, which is harmless, is slim, and the chance of seeing any bigger sharks is incredibly unlikely.
Hazards on land
The biggest hazards on land are sunburn, dehydration, trips, falls, and minor cuts and scrapes. Cuts are slow to heal in tropical environments, especially if you are in and out of the ocean several times a day. The project has a well-stocked first aid kit on site, and there is always a trained first-aider nearby.
Travel warning
There are currently some travel warnings in place for Pom Pom Island due to some isolated local incidents. You can read up-to-date information and advice from the FCO website or your own government travel website:
Peru
Peru Community and Dog Rescue Projects in Cusco
Vaccinations
You should inform the health authority that you will be volunteering with children and rescued street dogs. They will let you know about health precautions and discuss the various vaccination options.
Health and Safety
Cusco has a low crime rate, but, as in all countries, there is a chance of minor incidents, so always be vigilant. Violent robberies are rare.
Altitude sickness can be a problem for some visitors so please discuss this with your health professional.
Peru Conservation & Wildlife Rescue Projects in the Amazon
Vaccinations
A Yellow Fever vaccination is required for any part of the Amazon.
Malaria
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Puerto Maldonado falls into an area affected by malaria. We advise people to seek information from their doctor about the need for malaria medication before travelling to Puerto Maldonado.
Malaria is still relatively rare in Puerto Maldonado and in Tambopata. Although this situation may be changing quickly as more people move to the Madre de Dios region due to major road-building projects and the modern gold rush.
Rabies
Rabies is uncommon in the region of Madre de Dios and is generally only carried by bats, which you will not be handling during your volunteer programme.
Pre-exposure injections are available in your home country at travel clinics; however, they are expensive. In the unlikely event of exposure to a suspected rabid animal, treatment is available in Puerto Maldonado, Cusco, Lima and other cities.
If you are exposed to rabies, you must obtain treatment within 24 hours if you have not received the pre-exposure injections.
Health and Safety
The project is in a very quiet area with little crime. However, you should always be vigilant. Small-level criminals often target foreigners as they are easy targets. You should try to be aware in the crowded areas and keep your valuable items safe.
Thousands of tourists visit Peru every year and have no problems whatsoever, so don't be afraid. Just take the basic precautions and you will have an amazing experience.
Thailand
Thailand Elephant and Wildlife Projects
Vaccinations
During conservation volunteering abroad, inform your doctor that you will be working at a wildlife rescue centre with a huge variety of animals. Hepatitis B can occur in wildlife and therefore this is a potential risk, although no cases have been recorded at the project. Volunteers with elephants are also based at the wildlife rescue centre.
Health and Safety
Thailand is a very safe and friendly country, but as always, international travel safety tips should be followed and general precautions taken to stay safe. Most visits to Thailand are completely trouble free. You will spend almost all of your time at the project location, which can be considered very safe.