Is it time to travel again? A guide for primary care nurses

Spring has sprung, the grass is ‘ris, I wonder where my passport is?’ So goes the ditty that many people will be chirping as the UK lifts the remainder of the current travel restrictions .

Travellers have short memories and thoughts of measles, malaria and Zika have been replaced long ago by memories of sun-drenched beaches, flip-flops and welcoming family hugs, but what about the travel health advisor? COVID-19 has consumed all our thoughts, time and patience during the past two years; what do we remember about travel health and advising the traveller?

The author is the first to admit that when a traveller consulted at the beginning of the year, excited to be travelling to Cameroon for the Africa Cup of Nations, the immediate feeling was one of mild panic. Having spent the first year of the pandemic telling people, ‘do not travel’, the past year has seen a steady increase in the number of folk, emboldened by their vaccine status, willing to board a plane, train or cruise ship.