Today I’m going to cover traveling for business.  Section 06 is mostly concerned with the pretravel assessment but there are during and post travel considerations as well.  According to the CDC Yellow Book business travel is projected to grow and although this was written pre-covid it may still be true in spite of the amount of online communications that are now occurring.  The Yellow Book differentiates between small/midsize companies and large ones with the expectation that the large companies are more likely to have medical offices or provide travel related counseling services.  Additionally, they posit that self employed business travelers may not seek pretravel counseling in spite of it being beneficial.  The CDC’s recommended pretravel considerations include: amount of time travelling, locations visited including potential hazards associated with the job and general region as well as the underlying health of the traveler.  In and of themselves, these considerations are not different than they would be for any other travelers.  The CDC recommends having a point of contact both at the remote worksite and at home as well.  They also recommend the traveler should consider what equipment they may need to do their job in a different location and to know the local health and safety regulations.  Anyone who travels for work should also be counseled to expect changes in weather, security, accommodations/dining and in their personal health and should plan accordingly for what could reasonably be expected to happen.  Upon returning home a traveler will need some time to reacclimate so should plan to give themselves this time to adjust.

Below is a packing list that was kindly given to me to prepare for work related travel.  I took off our specific work clothing requirements, but it is a comprehensive list of other general items to be considered.  Additionally, there are many similar checklists that can be found online.  Keep in mind that different things may need to be packed depending on the location where the traveler is going and how austere the environment is.  Also keep in mind “less is more” because a traveler is going to have to transport whatever they bring so I liked the last items on the list because they serve as a reminder to be creative with what you have.

Protein bars

Cash (small bills and quarters as may not be able to break ATM bills or find an ATM)

Solar charger

Spare reading glasses

Medications

Toiletries

Sleeping bag

baby wipes

water bottle

power pack for cell phone

Iphone lightning charger cord

Mini usb charging cord

computer

computer power cord

computer mouse

watches

pocketknife (checked bag)

band aids

Leather gloves

Duct tape or electrical tape

Paracord

Earplugs

Sleeping mask

Handkerchiefs

Hand sanitizer pocket size

Leatherman multi-tool (checked bag)

Water purification device

Combination lock

Chap stick

Insect repellant

Mess kit

Waterproof phone holder bag

Waterproof 20 Liter bag (OR LARGE TRASH BAGS)

Headlight/flashlight

Batteries for flashlights AA/AAA

Laundry bag

Foot powder/body powder

Small notebooks

Quick dry towels

Mosquito net

Subdued colored flat sheet (to go over cots)

Scrubs for hospital/patient care or for sleeping if you own them

Pillow (or pillowcase that you can put other garments in to serve as a pillow)

Reference: Brunette, G. W. (2017). Cdc yellow book 2018: Health Information for International Travel. Oxford University Press.