If you have swine flu, do not travel until after your symptoms have stopped. If you need to cancel your holiday and are going to claim on your travel insurance, keep all the original documentation you receive, including the label from your medication, as insurers will need it to validate your claim.
If you have swine flu, do not travel until after your symptoms have stopped.
If you are going on holiday, take the same precautions that you do when at home. Know where you can get medical advice if you or your family feel unwell and make sure you have over-the-counter medication for coughs and sneezes.
Further travel advice will depend on your destination.
If you are in England or Wales and develop flu-like symptoms you should call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.
If you are in Scotland and develop flu-like symptoms you should call NHS 24 on 08454 24 24 24.
If you are travelling to Europe, make sure you have your free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This entitles you to any necessary medical treatment, including for swine flu, during a visit to another European Economic Area country.
You can get an EHIC application form from the Post Office, by calling 0845 606 2030 or by following the link below.
Whenever you go abroad, always check the latest travel advice from the Foreign Office.
If you are looking for advice on how swine flu, or influenza A (H1N1), could affect your travel plans, you should:
You can access Foreign Office travel advice by country by following the link below or you can telephone 0845 850 2829 for the same information. The telephone line is open 24 hours a day.
It is up to individual airlines to decide if they let a person with flu-like symptoms to fly. Several airlines have refused to let people with symptoms of flu to travel.
If you are prevented from boarding a flight when trying to return home from abroad you can seek Consular advice from your nearest Diplomatic mission.
If you need Consular advice or assistance, call 020 7008 1500 (+44 20 7008 1500 from abroad). This line is open 24 hours a day.
Travel insurers who are members of the Association of British Insurers will accept the unique ID number generated by the National Flu Service, together with the label on your anti-flu drugs which states your name and date of issue, as proof of diagnosis to validate a travel insurance cancellation claim.
If you use the National Pandemic Flu Service to get anti-flu medication and need to make a travel insurance cancellation claim, make sure you keep all the original documentation you receive, including the label from their medication, as insurers will need it to validate the claim.
The Foreign Office has provided a dedicated free phone number for all British nationals overseas to call if they are concerned about the swine flu pandemic 0044 207 928 1010. You can also keep up-to-date with the latest advice for British nationals overseas on the Foreign Office website.
Health and well-being
