Health issues for Brits buying overseas property or living abroad
While expat health insurance should be considered an expensive but necessary expense for most people who are planning on living abroad on a permanent basis, standard travel insurance will probably suffice for most others taking occasional trips to holiday in their overseas property. However, while it is sensible to have insurance for emergencies, nothing beats being prepared for the kind of health issues you might encounter when abroad.
Preparations you can make before visiting or living abroad
The UK Department of Health´s website contains a lot of useful country-by-country information about healthcare provisions, and is a good place to start your research into the country where you are buying overseas property.
Depending on where in the world you are planning to buy or visit overseas property, you may need inoculations against certain diseases. Check out the World Health Organisation´s country-by-country health status and inoculation recommendations.
Essentials for your luggage when on holiday or living abroad
Whether living abroad permanently or not, if you wear specs you should take a spare pair of glasses with you. Also take a prescription with you in case you should need an emergency replacement. Similarly, take a prescription for any medication you take - while you won´t be able to ´cash in´ the prescription, it will at least show that you take the medication (which could even be illegal in your destination country) legally.
It is usually a good idea to take a good supply of any medication or oral contraception with you when you travel to your overseas property, but you may find that your usual medicines are readily available over the local pharmacy counter. Some expats living abroad even find familiar brands are cheaper than in the UK. Take care, however, with dose levels, as some countries prescribe medication at higher doses than in the UK.
Avoiding illness when staying in your overseas property
Bear in mind that the climate of your destination may worsen or improve some existing ailments. Rheumatic problems may be relieved by warmer weather, for example, but some skin conditions may be aggravated by long hours of sunshine.
In most cases, already healthy Brits living abroad or taking a holiday in overseas property manage to survive perfectly well by exercising common sense and being extra vigilant about standards of hygiene - especially with food and water. Find out in advance if the tap water in your overseas property is safe to drink and if you are not sure, buy bottled. The same always applies to drinking water when you don´t know its source. A pretty gurgling stream is no guarantee that the water is not contaminated with fertilisers from run-off up stream.
For most northern Europeans living abroad or staying in their overseas property on holiday, one of the most serious health risks comes from the weather - ironically one of the most popular motivators to buying an overseas property in the first place! If you will be in a warmer climate or a higher altitude, protect yourself with adequate suncreams and sunblocks and don´t forget to increase the amount of water you drink.
Is your health up to travelling or living abroad?
Only you can decide if the health of your family is robust enough for your trip - whether that trip is a two-week holiday in your new overseas property or a permanent relocation. If you have children or suffer ill-health, you should check out the local system of healthcare before you buy an overseas property, research what level and standard of care you will receive as a tourist or foreign resident, and at what cost, and whether or not you will need (or can afford) expat health insurance. You can then decide whether your dream of living abroad in your own overseas property is realistic or not.
