Travel health, defined.

Plain-English definitions for medical and travel health terms — so you're never lost in translation.

A

  • A&E / Emergency Department — An emergency department is the hospital unit that treats urgent, unplanned medical problems — the first place you go …
  • Accompanying Dependants Coverage — Insurance extension that covers your family members travelling with you on the same policy — typically spouse and chi…
  • Advance Directive — A legal document specifying a person's healthcare wishes if they become unable to communicate — including do-not-resu…
  • Altitude Sickness — Altitude sickness is a group of symptoms caused by reduced oxygen at high elevations, typically above 2,500m.
  • Annual Multi-trip Policy — An annual multi-trip policy covers unlimited trips within a year, with a per-trip day limit.
  • Approved Panel Physician — A doctor officially authorised by a country’s immigration authority to conduct visa medical exams. Results from non-p…

B

  • Blister Pack — A blister pack is sealed, individually dosed medication packaging that proves authenticity and protects tablets durin…
  • Border Denial Coverage — A travel-insurance rider that reimburses your non-refundable trip costs if a country denies you entry on arrival.

C

  • Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) — Travel-insurance add-on that reimburses part of your trip cost if you cancel for a reason not on the standard covered…
  • Certificate of Coverage — A document from your insurer confirming you have active coverage — often required for visas, long stays, or before a …
  • Chest X-Ray and TB Screening — A tuberculosis screening required by many countries as part of the visa medical exam — typically a chest X-ray, somet…
  • Claims Process — The claims process is how you request reimbursement from your travel insurer after paying for medical care abroad.
  • Cold Chain Medication — Cold chain medications must be kept refrigerated (2-8°C) during storage and transport to remain effective.
  • Controlled Substance — A controlled substance is a medication whose possession, import, and use are restricted by law due to abuse potential.
  • Copayment — A copayment is a fixed fee you pay at the point of care — your insurer covers the rest.
  • Counterfeit Medication — Counterfeit medication is fake or substandard medicine that may contain wrong doses, no active ingredient, or harmful…

D

  • Deductible — A deductible is the amount you pay out of pocket before your insurance starts covering costs.
  • Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) — DVT is a blood clot in a deep vein, usually in the leg, that can develop during long-haul flights or extended immobil…
  • Dengue Fever — Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection causing high fever and joint pain, common in tropical destinations.
  • Direct Billing — Direct billing means the hospital bills your insurer directly, so you pay nothing (or only a copay) at the point of c…
  • Discharge Against Medical Advice — When a patient leaves a hospital before the medical team recommends, formally documented to note the provider is not …
  • Dosage Equivalence — Dosage equivalence is confirming that a medication available abroad delivers the same amount of active ingredient as …
  • Drug Interaction — A drug interaction occurs when one medication affects how another works, potentially causing side effects or reduced …
  • Drug Scheduling — Drug scheduling is how governments classify medications by abuse risk, determining who can prescribe and sell them.
  • Duty of Care — A legal and ethical obligation that healthcare providers owe patients to take reasonable steps to avoid causing harm.

E

  • EHIC / GHIC — The EHIC/GHIC gives EU and UK citizens access to state healthcare in EU countries at local rates.
  • Elective Procedure — An elective procedure is planned, non-emergency surgery or treatment that you schedule in advance.
  • Emergency Assistance Hotline — An emergency assistance hotline is your insurer’s 24/7 phone line for medical emergencies, evacuations, and urgent he…
  • Emergency-Only Coverage — Travel insurance that only covers unexpected emergencies — hospitalisations, accidents, evacuations — not routine car…
  • Endemic Diseases — Diseases consistently present in a specific region or population, with predictable ongoing transmission — distinct fr…
  • Excess (Insurance) — An excess is the fixed amount you pay towards each insurance claim before your insurer covers the rest.
  • Exclusion — An exclusion is a specific situation, activity, or condition that your insurance policy will not cover.

F

  • Fit-to-fly Certificate — A fit-to-fly certificate is a doctor’s letter confirming you are medically safe to travel by air.

G

  • GDPR & Health Data — European privacy law that classifies health information as special category data requiring explicit consent and stron…
  • Generic Medication — A generic medication contains the same active ingredient as the branded version but is sold under its INN at lower cost.
  • GP (General Practitioner) — A GP is a doctor who treats general health problems and refers you to specialists when needed.

H

  • Health Declaration Form — A document required by some countries or airlines where travellers declare their health status, symptoms, or vaccinat…
  • Heat Exhaustion vs Heatstroke — Heat exhaustion is overheating with heavy sweating; heatstroke is a life-threatening emergency where sweating stops.
  • HIPAA — A US law that sets national standards for protecting sensitive patient health information from disclosure without pat…

I

J

  • Jet Lag — Jet lag is a temporary sleep disorder caused by crossing multiple time zones faster than your body can adjust.

L

  • Liability Waiver — A legal document signed before an activity that limits or waives a provider's responsibility for injury or harm.

M

  • Malaria Prophylaxis — Malaria prophylaxis is preventive medication taken before, during, and after travel to malaria-risk areas.
  • Medical Evacuation — Medical evacuation is the emergency transport of a patient to a facility with better care, often by air ambulance acr…
  • Medical Evaluation Coverage — Insurance coverage that pays for a pre-flight or pre-treatment assessment by a qualified doctor — often required befo…
  • Medical Negligence — A claim that a healthcare provider's failure to meet the expected standard of care directly caused harm to a patient.
  • Medical Power of Attorney — A legal document authorising a named person to make healthcare decisions on your behalf if you are unable to do so.
  • Medical Records Request — A formal process for obtaining copies of your own health records from a provider, hospital, or clinic — a legal right…
  • Medical Repatriation — Medical repatriation is transporting a patient back to their home country for ongoing treatment or recovery.
  • Medical Tourism — Medical tourism is travelling abroad specifically to receive planned medical treatment at lower cost or shorter wait.
  • Medical Underwriting — Medical underwriting is the insurer’s process of assessing your health conditions to decide coverage terms and pricing.
  • Medication Import Rules — Medication import rules determine what medications you can legally bring into a country and in what quantities.
  • Medication Passport — A medication passport is a document listing all your medications with dosages, used to cross borders and access care …

N

O

  • Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) — ORS is a precise mix of salts and sugar dissolved in water that treats dehydration faster than water alone.
  • Out-of-Pocket Cost — Out-of-pocket costs are the medical expenses you pay yourself, not covered by insurance.
  • Over-the-counter (OTC) — OTC medications can be bought without a prescription — but what counts as OTC varies dramatically between countries.

P

  • Patient Rights — Patient rights are the legal protections you have when receiving medical care, including abroad.
  • Pharmacy (Apotek / Farmacia / Pharmacie) — A pharmacy dispenses medications and health advice — the name, opening hours, and what they sell varies by country.
  • Pre-authorisation — Pre-authorisation is your insurer’s advance approval for a specific treatment, required before the hospital proceeds.
  • Pre-existing Condition — A pre-existing condition is any health issue you had before your insurance policy or trip began.
  • Prescription Medication — A prescription medication requires a doctor’s order to dispense — rules on foreign prescriptions vary by country.
  • Prescription Transfer — A prescription transfer is using a prescription from one country to obtain medication in another.
  • Primary Care — Primary care is the first level of healthcare you access for general health problems, usually through a GP.
  • Prophylaxis — Prophylaxis is any preventive treatment taken to stop a disease before it starts, from vaccines to daily medication.

Q

  • Quarantine — Quarantine is a mandatory period of isolation imposed to prevent the spread of infectious disease after exposure or a…

R

  • Rabies Post-exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) — Rabies PEP is a series of urgent vaccinations given after a potential rabies exposure, such as an animal bite abroad.
  • Reciprocal Healthcare Agreement — A reciprocal healthcare agreement is a treaty between countries giving each other’s citizens access to public healthc…
  • Referral System — A referral system requires you to see a GP first before accessing a specialist or hospital department.
  • Reimbursement — Reimbursement is your insurer paying you back after you have paid for medical treatment out of your own pocket.

S

  • Second Opinion — A consultation with a second independent clinician to confirm or challenge a diagnosis or treatment recommendation.
  • Specialist Consultation — A specialist consultation is an appointment with a doctor who focuses on a specific area of medicine.
  • Sum Insured / Coverage Limit — The sum insured is the maximum your travel insurance will pay for medical expenses on a single trip.

T

  • Telemedicine — Telemedicine is a remote medical consultation via video call, phone, or chat with a licensed doctor.
  • Travel Clinic — A travel clinic is a specialist healthcare service that provides pre-trip vaccinations, advice, and prescriptions for…
  • Travel Health Advisory — A travel health advisory is an official government notice about disease outbreaks or health risks in a specific desti…
  • Travel Insurance — Travel insurance covers unexpected medical costs, trip cancellation, and emergencies while you are abroad.
  • Traveller’s Diarrhoea — Traveller’s diarrhoea is a digestive infection from contaminated food or water, affecting up to 50% of visitors to hi…
  • Triage — Triage is the process hospitals use to prioritise patients by urgency — it determines how long you wait.

U

  • UHIP (Universal Health Insurance Plan) — Mandatory health insurance for international students at Ontario universities — provides basic medical coverage durin…
  • Universal Healthcare — Universal healthcare means a country provides medical coverage to all residents, though visitors are not always inclu…

V

  • Vaccination Requirements (Immigration) — Vaccines required by a country before it will grant a visa, issue residency, or permit entry — separate from travel-c…
  • Visa Medical Exam — A health examination required by many countries as part of long-stay, work, or immigration visa applications — typica…

W

  • Waiting Period — A waiting period is the time after buying insurance before certain benefits become active.
  • Waiver for Pre-existing Conditions — An insurance feature that waives the standard exclusion for pre-existing conditions, so claims related to them are co…
  • Walk-in Clinic — A walk-in clinic sees patients without an appointment, handling non-emergency issues same-day.
  • Water Purification — Water purification is any method of making local water safe to drink, from tablets to UV treatment to boiling.
  • Water-borne Pathogens — Bacteria, viruses, and parasites transmitted through contaminated drinking water — responsible for most traveller’s d…

Y

  • Yellow Fever Certificate — A yellow fever certificate is official proof of vaccination required for entry to certain countries — valid from 10 d…