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      School is ending; summer is beginning...and that means the travel season is upon us! Whether you are planning a few long weekends to domestic destinations, or a few weeks of sightseeing through various international locations, making proper preparations for your trip and knowing what to do if the unexpected happens will keep you safe and give you peace of mind. At Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., we want our clients to enjoy their travel, and we provide the following information on how to plan your vacation.

    If traveling to a foreign country, always check the U.S. Department of State Travel Warnings found at oia.stanford.edu. Continually updated, this website lists all countries against which the U.S. has issued travel advisories, and describes the level of warning (e.g. "warns against all travel and advises all U.S. citizens to leave immediately," or recommends no travel"). Certain countries where all travel is warned against are obvious (Iran, North Korea, Libya, Syria), but others may come as a slight surprise (El Salvador and Egypt, for example). Some countries are on the travel warning list only for specified regions of their country, and not the country as a whole (Nigeria).

    One area of preparation that applies to both domestic and international travel is learning what illnesses or diseases are endemic to the area you are visiting (Texas Children’s Blog). If you are going to Boston and plan on attending a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, be aware that Lyme disease--spread by ticks--exists in the northeast. If your trip includes hiking the Appalachian Trail, make sure you are familiar with the signs and symptoms of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. If climbing to high altitudes, know the warning signs of altitude sickness and what to do if it strikes.

    The Fort Myers personal injury lawyer Randall Spivey advises everyone to visit their doctor before traveling. Make sure your immunizations are current, and if going to a region where a recent outbreak of measles or tuberculosis has occurred, ask if you can get a booster vaccine. Take preventative medications with you, and if you are on regular medication for medical conditions, take extra supplies of it. Talk with your health insurance company about what medical services--hospitalization, surgery, medicine--are covered abroad; Medicare and Medicaid do not apply to care provided outside of the U.S.

    Even the best planning cannot prevent all mishaps when traveling. At Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., we recommend leaving a copy of your travel itinerary and a way to contact you with a non-traveling family member and your lawyer. Ensuring that you are able to be contacted is essential in case an emergency develops at home. If a loved becomes ill while you are away, or if your home is damaged or broken into, you may need to be reached immediately. Review your homeowner's insurance policy to make sure its coverage is current; you may want to include the policy in the items left with a family friend and an attorney. You may also want to include a copy of your passport, airline ticket, driver's license, and social security card.

      Finally, although we do not like to think about being victims of violence or crime while on vacation, the fact is that tourists are targets for both, in this country and abroad. If a U.S. citizen encounters any unexpected problems abroad--a lost or stolen wallet, or an attack--he or she should go directly to the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate for assistance.  If the victim of a theft, an attack, or an accident here in the U.S., report the incident to the local police immediately, and then call a Fort Myers personal injury lawyer.