How to Prepare Your Family’s Travel Medical Portfolio

It would be advisable to put together a travel medical portfolio on a family vacation. The kit comes in handy in case someone gets ill or meets an accident, particularly in a foreign country.  Your portfolio must include the following documents:

• Copy of your complete itinerary (This includes travel, hotel, and business meeting information)
• Travel health insurance card (Name, address, and telephone numbers of the insurance company)
• Description of present illnesses or medical conditions (speech, hearing, memory, and visual)
• Basic medical history which is essential for diagnosis and treatment
• List and dates of immunization including the type of vaccines and dates administered

Incidentally, history must have birth dates, allergies, blood types, medical devices, recent surgeries, and current prescriptions of medications. If you are pregnant, put that on top of your information sheet because the condition is important for doctors and nurses. Medicines must contain doses and schedules as well.

Medical insurance details are equally important. The insurance company must be informed for arranging the payment of medical care or having a relative flown to your hospital location. There are insurance packages that provide benefits like a refund for travel and accommodation expenses if the attending doctor recommends that a next of kin should be with the patient at the hospital.

Useful Pointers for Travelers

Preparation of the family travel medical portfolio is not difficult. It’s just a matter of organizing all the requirements. Here are a few tips in coming up with a simple folder.

• Modify or update all relevant medical information at least once a year. You should indicate changes in medicines and physicians as well as the discovery of new allergies. This step makes portfolio management easier.
• Maintain both printed and electronic files so updating will be less stressful. Save a copy on your mobile phone and print a copy before your flight.
• Update the portfolio before every trip. Bear in mind that each outing is different. For instance, your children and spouse are with you for a holiday so you need their medical details as well. If you intend to visit a country where specific vaccines are required, you need to take note of the dates and physician’s contact information.
• See to it the portfolio is small and very handy. The complete information must fit into an index card that you can put inside your purse or wallet, handbag, or money belt. Secure the information together with travel documents (passport), airplane tickets, credit cards, and cash.
• Share the medical travel portfolio with your traveling companion. The information will speak for the individual even if he or she loses consciousness and becomes incapacitated. Or, you may be the one unconscious so the same principle applies. Leave a copy of the travel portfolio with your spouse, relative, colleague, or business partner at home in case you are traveling alone. The contact details (phone and email) must be easily accessible. The information always speaks to

You will certainly have peace of mind by preparing this travel medical portfolio correctly and promptly.