EU citizens resident in the UK or Ireland are covered by
reciprocal health agreements for free or reduced-cost emergency
treatment in many of the countries in The Rough Guide to
Europe (main exceptions are the Baltic states, Switzerland,
Slovenia, Morocco and Turkey). To claim this, you will often need
only your passport, but you may also be asked for your NHS card or
proof of residence. In EU countries and Norway, far from it being
simpler, you'll also need form €111, available from post offices,
DSS offices and travel agents, which you must get before you leave.
Without an €111 you won't be turned away from hospitals but you
will almost certainly have to pay for any treatment or medicines.
Also, in practice, some countries' doctors and hospitals charge
anyway and it's up to you to claim reimbursement when you return
home. Make sure you are insured for potential medical expenses, and
keep copies of receipts and prescriptions.
There aren't many particular health problems you'll
encounter travelling in most parts of Europe. You don't need to
have any inoculations for any of the countries covered in The
Rough Guide to Europe , although for Morocco and Turkey typhoid
jabs are advised, and for some parts of Turkey, even malaria pills
are a good idea for much of the year. When travelling, remember to
be up to date with your polio and tetanus boosters.
Tap water in most countries is drinkable, though you may prefer
bottled mineral water, either for the taste (mains supply in some
places can be very hard or heavily chlorinated), or to be on the
safe side, though you only need to avoid tap water altogether in
southern Morocco and parts of Turkey. Diarrhoea and sickness from
tap water or - in southern Europe - food, are reasonably likely, if
only in a mild form. The best thing to do is carry anti-diarrhoea
tablets with you at all times. One of the biggest problems you may
face if travelling in southern Europe is the sun: don't spend too
much time in direct sunlight if you're not used to it, and
certainly not without any kind of sun block cream; just half an
hour on your first day's sunbathing is probably the limit - more
than this can leave you beetroot-red and nauseated. Mosquitoes,
too, are a problem Europe-wide, especially in the south and places
where there's a lot of water around; the Netherlands, for example,
harbours particularly virulent species. It's hard to know what to
do about them: most people develop an immunity to bites after a few
days' exposure; until then an antihistamine cream like Phenergan
can ease the itching. As for repellants, citronella oil is
excellent, though not long-lasting, and some people swear by Avon
Skin So Soft bath oil too. Finally, AIDS is as much of a problem in
Europe as it is in the rest of the world, and it hardly needs
saying that unprotected casual sex is highly inadvisable.
For minor health problems it's easiest to go to the local
pharmacy. You'll find these pretty much everywhere and we've
detailed out-of-hours ones in the text. In more serious cases your
nearest consulate will have a list of English-speaking doctors, as
will the local tourist office, and in the larger cities we've
listed the most convenient casualty departments (emergency
rooms)