Family Travel Health: While You're There

Once you arrive, most health problems on a family holiday come down to a handful of familiar culprits: too much sun, not enough water, something that disagreed with a tummy, or an accident in or near the pool. A few sensible habits keep the risks low without spoiling the fun.

Sun and heat

• Apply sun cream generously and often. Use a high-factor, broad-spectrum product and reapply as the label directs, especially after swimming or towelling dry.
• Cover up. UV-protective swimwear, wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses that offer UV protection do a lot of the work, and they don't wash off.
• Find shade in the middle of the day. The sun is strongest around midday. Plan a long lunch, a siesta or indoor time, and save the beach for mornings and late afternoons.
• Keep babies out of direct sun altogether, using shade, clothing and a parasol or sunshade.
• Watch for heat exhaustion. Tiredness, headache, dizziness, feeling sick or being unusually irritable are warning signs. Move to somewhere cool, give fluids and seek help if they don't improve quickly.

Drinking water

Children need more fluids than usual in hot weather, so offer drinks regularly rather than waiting for them to ask. Before drinking tap water, or using it to clean teeth, check whether it is safe locally. Where it isn't, use sealed bottled water, and ask whether ice has been made from safe water or simply skip it. Adults enjoying a drink in the sun should remember that alcohol adds to dehydration, and holiday measures are often generous.

Food and tummy bugs

• Choose food that is freshly cooked and served hot, and be wary of buffet dishes that look as if they have been sitting out.
• Busy restaurants popular with local people tend to have a high turnover of fresh food.
• Where hygiene standards are uncertain, stick to fruit you peel yourself, and avoid salads washed in tap water, unpasteurised dairy and raw or undercooked shellfish.
• Hand washing before meals and after the toilet matters as much on holiday as at home. Carry sanitiser for when there's no sink.

If someone does get diarrhoea or vomiting, the main risk for young children is dehydration. Keep up small, frequent drinks and use oral rehydration solution. Get medical advice promptly for babies, or if a child is very drowsy, has blood in their poo, has stopped weeing or isn't keeping fluids down.

Bites and animals

Use an insect repellent suitable for your children's ages, cover arms and legs at dawn and dusk, and use nets or plug-in repellents where mosquitoes are a problem. Check for ticks after walks in long grass. Teach children not to stroke or feed stray dogs, cats or monkeys, however friendly they seem. In many countries rabies is a risk, so any bite or scratch from an animal abroad should be washed thoroughly and seen by a doctor the same day.

Pools and the sea

• Supervise constantly. Drowning is fast and often silent. Agree which adult is on watch, and swap over so nobody gets distracted by their phone or book.
• Check villa pools. Is there a fence, gate or alarm, and can doors to the pool area be locked?
• Lifeguards aren't guaranteed. Many hotel pools have an attendant rather than a qualified lifeguard, and many beaches have no lifeguard at all.
• Learn the beach flags and stay out of the water when a red flag is flying. Ask locally about currents and tides.
• Be careful with inflatables. Offshore winds can carry a lilo or ring out to sea surprisingly quickly. Floats and armbands are not life-saving devices.

Safety around your accommodation

Take a quick look round when you arrive: balcony railings, furniture that could be climbed, window catches, pool access and anything breakable or hazardous within reach. If you are renting privately, a portable carbon monoxide alarm is a small item that gives peace of mind. With a baby or toddler, see our guide on how to baby-proof your holiday accommodation. Wear helmets for cycling and life jackets on boats, just as you would at home.

Finding a doctor abroad

• In an emergency, call the local emergency number (112 in EU countries).
• For anything else, call your travel insurer's assistance line first. They can direct you to an approved clinic and explain how payment works.
• Hotel reception or your rental host can usually recommend a local doctor.
• Pharmacists abroad often give advice on minor ailments, and in much of Europe pharmacies are marked by a green cross.
• Take your GHIC if you are visiting a state-run service in a country that accepts it, and keep all receipts for any claim.

Most family holidays pass without anything more than a grazed knee, and a bit of preparation means you'll handle the rest calmly. If you haven't packed a medical kit yet, see what to pack for family travel health.