Too Sick to Travel?

Posted Tuesday, June 05, 2007 11:00 AM

By now you've probably heard of the Atlanta lawyer who made headlines for traveling to Europe for his destination wedding and honeymoon while sick with a serious form of tuberculosis. This made me wonder: How ill do you have to be to abandon your travel plans and stay home? Being diagnosed with TB would hopefully keep most people off a plane, but I've definitely flown with a cold before. Would you fly with a bad cough, strep throat, or even the flu? Where would you draw the line?

Travel Tip: If you get seriously sick in a foreign country, don't hesitate to go to the hospital -- your hotel should be able to get help the quickest. If you don't need emergency treatment but could still use some meds, use a guidebook to translate and write down your symptoms. Hand over the paper to the pharmacist -- you don't want to take a chance mispronouncing your malady.