Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
United States
Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention
(
&
800/311-3435;
www.cdc.gov) provides up-to-date infor-
mation on health hazards by region or
country and offers tips on food safety.
The website
www.tripprep.com
, spon-
sored by a consortium of travel-medicine
practitioners, may also offer helpful advice
on traveling abroad. You can find listings
of reliable clinics overseas at the
Interna-
tional Society of Travel Medicine
(www.
istm.org).
WHAT TO DO IF YOU GET
SICK AWAY FROM HOME
If you suffer from a chronic illness, consult
your doctor before your departure. Pack
prescription medications
in your carry-
on luggage, and carry them in their origi-
nal containers, with pharmacy labels—
otherwise they won't make it through air-
port security. Carry the generic name of
prescription medicines, in case a local
pharmacist is unfamiliar with the brand
name. Have prescriptions translated into
the local language before you leave home.
For travel abroad, you may have to pay
all medical costs upfront and be reim-
bursed later. See “Medical Insurance,”
under “Travel Insurance,” above.
STAYING SAFE
The U.S. Department of State's Consular
Information Program provides Consular
Information Sheets, Travel Warnings, and
Public Announcements. Travel Warnings
are issued when the State Department rec-
ommends that Americans avoid travel to
a certain country. Public Announcements
are issued as a means to disseminate infor-
mation quickly about terrorist threats and
other relatively short-term conditions
that pose significant risks to the security
of American travelers. Free copies of this
information are available by calling the
Bureau of Consular Affairs at
&
202-
647-5225
or via the fax-on-demand sys-
tem:
&
202/647-3000.
Consular Infor-
mation Sheets and Travel Warnings also
are available on the Consular Affairs Inter-
net home page at http://travel.state.gov.
Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary,
Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia are gener-
ally safe for tourists, though you should
exercise the same caution you would in
any unfamiliar city and always be aware
of your surroundings when walking in
less trafficked areas or at night.
Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia are less
safe and visitors should take precautions
to keep their valuables secure from pick-
pockets and others who prey on the
unaware in major cities. Corruption is
widespread in these developing countries
and visitors should be skeptical about
policemen who stop you and demand pay-
ment for fines levied for bogus charges. If
you are confronted with a policeman
demanding cash on the spot to pay a fine
assessed for an alleged infraction, you
should insist on going to the nearest
police station to pay. But even before you
go out, put jewelry and laptops in the
hotel safe if you will be gone for the day
and don't need them. Never leave any
valuables or documents, including pass-
ports, in your hotel room when you are
gone.
DEALING WITH
DISCRIMINATION
Discrimination in Romania is usually
reserved for members of the Roma minor-
ity (Gypsies) and for children with HIV.
Bulgaria is slowly coming into compli-
ance with E.U. antidiscrimination guide-
lines, but it, too, denies equal treatment
to Roma (and women in general). The
Russian constitution states that everyone
is equal before the law and prohibits dis-
crimination on the basis of race, ethnic-
ity, national origin, or language, but there
is no provision for punishment of anyone
who breaks the law. In Russia, most dis-
crimination is aimed at former Soviet cit-
izens and select minorities, including the
Roma. In the other Eastern European
