After receiving all of the appropriate vaccines for her family trip due to possible risks of contracting a foreign disease, sophomore Kelsey Drews went to Mexico for a family vacation. When traveling in general, there are precautions that one needs to follow to stay safe.

“When making plans to travel, one example of a classic mistake people often make is not allowing enough time for themselves at the airport.” American Express Travel Agent Carol McKercher said. “Security can sometimes take up to an hour or more just to get through.”

Getting the correct vaccines to keep you healthy is important if you are traveling to foreign countries. It is advised to get the Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine, or the MMR vaccine, for when traveling out of country. People who do not get this vaccination are at the risk of catching measles in other countries and spread it after coming back to the United States.

“When I went on my family vacation the major vaccine that was really needed was the flu and the MMR vaccine.“ sophomore Kelsey Drews said. “Also, my family avoided drinking tap water, we drank from water bottles. Last year I had accidentally drank the tap water in Mexico and caught a bug that made me extremely sick.”

When traveling it is also a good idea to buy travel insurance. If your trip gets cancelled the insurance is important to have obtained because, most insurance is cheap and will normally cover delays, trip cancellations, and lost luggage.

“What many people do not realize is that if your ticket is at a lower price after you have already bought it the airline will help to reissue it and give you the difference back,” McKercher said. “It will be in credit, for an example ‘Delta Money’. The credit will be able to be spent at another time.”

When packing, most do not realize there are some objects in their luggage that can set off the airport alarm systems. Some of the most common objects that set off the metal detector alarms in airports are headbands, aluminium foil wrappers from gum, candy, and cigarettes, body piercings and inhalers.

Not getting the appropriate vaccines and packing incorrectly are some major mistakes people make that can cause them chaos and possibly ruin their trip when flying. It is important to stay healthy and safe while away on a trip.