Explore the Wonders of Travel

TIP 1: 

DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM YOUR DRINK EVER. EITHER TAKE YOUR DRINK WITH YOU OR DISCARD OF IT. 

WHEN VISITING ANOTHER COUNTRY AT A RESORT, DRINK SOMETHING THAT YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH. THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO EXPLORE. AT LEAST IF YOU DRINK SOMETHING YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH, YOUR TASTE BUDS WILL KNOW IF SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT. 

TIP 2: 

DO NOT DRINK TAP WATER:

If you want to enjoy the rest of your vacation, then it would be in your best interest to avoid drinking tap water while in the Dominican Republic or anywhere. Many tourists have learned this the hard way, ending up with bad cases of the stomach bug just because they drank water from the tap.

To be extra sure that you don’t get sick from the water, avoid using it even for rinsing after brushing your teeth. Stay away from the ice too as some establishments may not have the same purified ones used by most hotels and resorts. Stick to using bottled water and make sure that the ice only comes from purified sources.

TIP 3: 

DO NOT LEAVE WITHOUT TRAVEL INSURANCE:

Being worry-free while on your dream vacation is something that you couldn’t put a price on, so make sure to sign up for travel insurance at least 1 month before your planned vacation.  This could save you huge amounts of money should something unexpected happen while traveling abroad. Travel insurance covers for missed flights, lost baggage costs, medical emergencies, and costs. Be sure to get this sorted out before your trip.

TIP 4:

ENROLL IN ”STEP” BEFORE YOU TRAVEL:

The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is a free service to allow U.S. citizens and nationals traveling and living abroad to enroll their trip with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)

Create an account at STEP.state.gov and provide the details of your specific trip, including dates of arrival and departure for the countries you choose.

The State Department will email you new Travel Advisories and Alerts as soon as it issues them, so be sure to provide an email address that you can access during your trip.

Also, subscribe to OSAC: 

Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC)

OSAC is a public-private partnership within the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security that promotes cooperation between American private/non-profit companies and the U.S. government on security issues.

OSAC publishes travel advisories and alerts, which are sortable by world regions and security categories, though they may not be updated immediately during evening and weekend hours.

You may also subscribe to OSAC’s daily newsletters for additional security information. See OSAC.gov for more details.

Twitter/Facebook: 

The State Department will post Travel Advisories and Alerts to its Twitter and Facebook accounts. 

List of countries with travel advisory levels

To see all travel advisories, visit travel.state.gov/traveladvisories, where you can sort by country, level or date updated.

U.S. Embassy RSS feeds

You can download an RSS reader app from your favorite app store and subscribe to the RSS feed for any U.S. embassy to receive all alerts for a specific country. 

Tip 5:

TRAVEL SMART...GET VACCINATED:

Make sure you are up to date on all recommended vaccinations before traveling abroad. 

International travel can be a fun and enriching experience, but it can also pose health risks. The type of risks you might face during travel depends on a number of things including:

• Where you are traveling.
• Your activities while traveling.
• The state of your health.
• Your vaccination history.

Many vaccine-preventable diseases that have become rare in the United States, such as measles and pertussis, are still common in other parts of the world. Certain activities, such as attending crowded events, can increase the spread of infectious disease. No matter where you plan to go, you should get the recommended vaccines to lower your chances of getting and spreading disease.

Plan Ahead to Vaccinate

Talk with a health care professional about needed vaccines when you begin to plan international travel. If your primary health care professional does not stock travel vaccines, you may need to visit a travel clinic to get the vaccines you need.

• See your health care professional at least a month before any international travel. You may need this much time to complete a vaccine series, and your body needs time to build up immunity. Find out vaccine recommendations and requirements for your travel destination.
• Ask about routine vaccines when you talk to your health care professional about travel. In addition to getting any recommended travel vaccines, make sure you and your family are up to date on all routine vaccines, such as MMR  vaccine, before you travel.
• Check if yellow fever vaccination is recommended or required for your destination and plan ahead. Only a registered provider can offer this vaccine, and you must get it at least 10 days before travel.

Other Tips to Travel Smart and Stay Healthy

Vaccination is the first step toward staying healthy while traveling. Here are other important ways to avoid illness:

• Be careful about what you eat and drink. Follow these Food and Water Safety tips.
• Bugs (including mosquitoes, ticks, and some flies) can spread serious diseases. Use EPA-registered insect repellent and learn other ways to Avoid Bug Bites.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Don’t touch animals, especially monkeys, dogs, and birds. Follow other tips to Be Safe Around Animals.

Visit the CDC (Center for Disease Control) at www.cdc.gov

CDC is one of the major operating components of the Department of Health and Human Services.

CDC works 24/7 to protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same.

CDC increases the health security of our nation. As the nation’s health protection agency, CDC saves lives and protects people from health threats. To accomplish our mission, CDC conducts critical science and provides health information that protects our nation against expensive and dangerous health threats, and responds when these arise.