Summer vacation is right around the corner. We hope you have delightful travel plans, whether they will take you across the country, around the world, or just beyond the back yard. What can you do to stay healthy while on vacation?

What are the best first-aid items to tuck in your luggage? We’ll provide some practical advice for common ailments you might encounter on the road. Here’s the CDC’s recommendations for packing your travel kit.

You may want to check with your insurance company before you leave the country to find out if you will be covered abroad. If not, consider travel insurance. IAMAT is a non-profit organization that offers a way to find a doctor who speaks English in countries that don’t.

If you are traveling abroad, make sure your list of drugs that you take has the generic names. These usually don’t change from country to country. If you need to look up brand names of foreign drugs, this link can help.

Staying in hotels or hostels can mean exposure to bedbugs. We’ll tell you what to look out for and how to keep from bringing them home.

We welcome listener questions and stories about staying healthy on vacation.

Coby Schal, PhD, is the Blanton J. Whitmire Distinguished Professor in the Department of Entomology at the North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC.

The podcast of this program will be available the Monday after the broadcast date. The show can be streamed online from this site and podcasts can be downloaded for free. CDs may be purchased at any time after broadcast for $9.99.