Cdc Travel
Getting ill while travelling abroad can be an unexpected inconvenience that has the potential to put a spanner in the works of even the most well prepared trips. It can come from absolutely nowhere and affect people in a variety of different ways, be it food poisoning to something more serious that could result in complete cancellation of the remainder of your travels. New environments, food, diseases, lack of hygiene and viruses are all potential causes of illness while travelling and can leave you feeling completely lost as you realise that what would normally be a simple trip down to see your local GP and pick up a prescription is suddenly not quite so easy. However, luckily, even in the less common countries for travellers, there now exists a number of ways of tackling whichever type of illness you may pick up, with some countries offering resources with sickly tourists in mind.
For that reason, we have compiled a list offering a selection of a the top three travel health sites, whether you are planning a trip to the neighbouring country or venturing to the outback of Australia for the trip of a lifetime. No matter what the nature of the travels, keeping on top of your health throughout is a vital point to consider and this starts with knowing how to get the best treatment and avoid further health concerns wherever it is you may be going. Many countries now have improved facilities that allow common illnesses to be treated, however accessing the remedies can be more difficult than anticipated, making this list even more important to acknowledge. With so many similar sites available, it can be difficult to know which one is best to refer to, hence we took into account a range of factors to ensure that only the best were selected. Each one was thoroughly assessed, with each review containing a brief summary of the service, its highlights, what makes it unique and its potential drawbacks, while the pros and cons of each one are listed in an easy-to-read set of bullet points below each review. There are hundreds of services all promising to offer the best health-related information, however we’ve chosen only the ones that most suitably fit our criteria by considering a number of factors outlined below.
A vastly important factor when reviewing any type of online platform is its user interface – or UI – and how easy it is to achieve what you set out to do whilst on it. A good, user-friendly interface with simple aesthetic is an obvious, yet often underrated, aspect of many websites, and something that can ultimately influence the entire experience for customers trying to find information on where to get the best treatment when travelling through foreign territory. While a website may offer a vast array of options and added features, an overcrowded and confusing homepage can make using even the platform’s most simple function difficult for many users. Frequently, the best sites are those with a simple, minimalistic aesthetic that make no attempt to over complicate the service offered by adding too many extra features, while they also seem to be the ones with the fastest loading speeds. Those that have an abundance of pop-up adverts and promotions can also make searching for information a more stressful experience than it ought to be. Therefore, we made sure that, when reviewing the various travel health sites, we considered the overall usability and how easy it was to find what you were looking for before going on to assess any other factors.
Although perhaps not as essential as simple navigation or good aesthetic, yet still a feature worth noting, was whether the travel health sites offered a blog on their platform. Articles contained on the blogs offer a useful resource for gaining tips, advice and general information on a variety of health-related topics aimed at travellers that would be difficult to obtain elsewhere. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, is an example of one of the sites that features a great section for attaining such information. Their ‘Healthy Travel Packing Lists’ is particularly useful when planning a trip abroad, as these provide a breakdown of all the recommended items you may want to consider taking with you on a trip to that specific country. Although most of the lists are similar regardless of the country, some, where dangers of disease are greater, have contain more exclusive items. TraveDoc, on the other hand, is a fantastic website for finding and booking appointments with GPs abroad, however they lack a blog containing information on how the system of clinics works in each country, what would undoubtedly be an infinitely useful asset. Therefore, when reviewing the various travel health websites, we ensured that we assessed the presence of a blog as this would make the service more comprehensive.
The level of customer service offered by each of the travel health sites was another important aspect that was considered. Included in this was the range of options for actually getting into contact with customer service in the first place, as just one form of contact can feel limited, especially when abroad and making a phone call has the potential to be expensive. The presence of an live online chat was considered a great addition, where customers are quickly put in contact with an expert who is on hand to clear up any queries they may have without the need to login to their email or wait in line on the phone. Nevertheless, once in contact, the level of attention is important, as there is little use in being told there is 24/7 customer support without somebody quickly responding to your queries on the other end. Each one was therefore assessed not only on how many ways there were of getting into contact but also how prompt the agents were at replying and how fast they could get you an answer.
Finally, the presence of verified feedback from former customers was also factored in, as this can often be the most accurate and well-informed way of discovering about a particular campsite and its facilities. As, unlike the company themselves, customers do not have a vested interest to promote the service as anything other than what it is, they can be a better reference than any other in attaining information on what to expect. For example, TraveDoc offers a selection of approved GPs worldwide that each carry their own set of feedback from previous travellers. This helps to provide an unbiased perspective, giving a good idea of what the doctor is really like and, hence, whether they are right for you. Therefore, we strived to look for those websites that included a good selection of verified user reviews when assessing the various platforms as they undoubtedly contribute towards making the service more transparent for customers.
Overall, this list provides a selection of the three most helpful websites for all your health-related needs while on the move in another country. Health issues can be unexpected and sudden, causing you to change your plans and seek medical attention. However, even if you are covered with travel insurance, you may still need to know exactly where to get the best help. With this list, you have everything you need in one convenient place, finding out general information or booking a last minute appointment with a local GP. We have taken into account the aforementioned factors to provide you with only the most genuine and useful websites, so that you can have peace of mind when venturing to new locations that should anything happen to your health, you will know exactly what to do, no matter where you are.
