Thankfully, Europe doesn’t have the same major health concerns that may be found in parts of Africa or Asia for instance. As regards vaccines and precautions, Europe is quite safe and this includes France. France actually has one of the best health care systems in the world!
Flying into Beauvais or Charle de Gaulle and hopping on the train to take you right into the heart of Paris is simple and not too long of a journey. If you’re looking for a weekend trip to Paris, check out the deals at Voyage Prive.
French Food
You might think of Paris as the city of les croissant and le croque monsieur and les fromages. But in recent years there is a bit of a health buzz in France to work on balancing the diet. Sure, the visiting tourist loves a good old snack in Paris in one of the many bakeries, patisseries, cafés and street food.
You might notice, French people are in general quite thin, and this is no genetic coincidence! They walk everywhere, so exercise levels are higher than that of other European countries. This is coupled with smaller portion sizes and whole-food diets. Have you tried the cooked snails yet?
Health Tips for Paris
EHIC
If you are a European citizen, then you are entitled to the public health care equivalent of which you would receive in your home country. This is under the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) and would entitle you to free or reduced costs for necessary health care should you fall ill or be involved in an accident on your trip.
Regular Medication
If you are taking medication regularly, then bring it with you in its container, clearly labelled. However, if you suffer from a serious condition, it might be worth your while in getting a letter from your doctor, outlining your condition and the medication you are on to treat it.
Knowing the “sick” Phrases
Many pharmacy staff are trained to advise on minor complaints, where prescription medicine isn’t required. However, knowing the basic phrases for such terms as “headache”, “nausea/vomit”, “band aid” would be a great help as these would be more common requests in pharmacies. Often, it would be just travel sickness or maybe a lightly upset stomach due to trying new food that visitors might complain with.
Health Insurance for Paris Travel
Before booking travel insurance, check with your own personal health insurance policy to see if you’re covered for your trips. For instance, you might be covered for emergency treatment overseas, but you should double-check for the worst case scenario, should you find you have to be brought home as an emergency.
If you intend on staying in Paris or any part of France for a long duration, you should strongly consider getting travel insurance. You will want cover on your personal possessions, cash lost during your trip, cancellations of your itinerary and any lost baggage and some medical emergencies.
You can also take out short term policies for short stays, to include treatments should you fall ill.
If planning on staying over one year, then you should look at annual health insurance policies.
If you need a visa for France, proving you have health insurance is compulsory before you apply.
Some more useful information about Traveler’s Health in France can be found here.
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