The Best Thing To Do If You Get Sick While Vacationing In France

When you pictured heading to the top of the Eiffel Tower at sunset to take in the views or strolling the South of France's Mediterranean coast, you probably didn't think that you would be sneezing and coughing — but getting sick on vacation is frustratingly common. While you should definitely do what you can to avoid getting a cold while traveling, sometimes it's unavoidable. 

Islands reached out to Victoria Fricke, owner of full-service luxury travel agency Vic's Vacations, to find out what travelers in France should do if they do feel themselves coming down with something. Fricke exclusively let us know that if you have travel insurance, or a travel credit card that provides some coverage, you may want to reach out to them and ask where you should go for treatment before walking into a doctor's office — or at the very least save your receipts. If your travel insurance isn't able to help you or you aren't able to reach them, Fricke suggests asking your hotel concierge where you should go. Not only can they probably call you a cab if you don't feel up to walking, they may know a good clinic for English speakers. At the very least, they can definitely point you in the direction of a hospital.

If you wake up one morning with a sore throat or a slight stomach ache, you may not have to get your travel insurance involved right away. Victoria Fricke told us to try heading to a pharmacy first, stating: "Something to note about Europe is their rules aren't the same — you can get many drugs from the pharmacy without a prescription. So, something you know you need from a Med Check visit at home, you may be able to get from the pharmacist directly."

Not only does grabbing your meds at the pharmacy save you time that you might want to use for sightseeing — if you're not contagious and are still feeling up to it — it can save you a significant amount of money, too. However, if you're truly sick and need to be checked out by a doctor, consider calling a 24/7 online medical service or heading to a nearby clinic and getting checked out. It's better than getting sicker and missing more of your trip.

While there are plenty of options open to tourists traveling in France for medical care, Victoria Fricke reminded us that if something is really wrong, you should always go to the hospital. There's no guarantees about what it might cost, but if you decided you needed travel insurance before you left for France, you may be able to get some of your medical expenses reimbursed. To give yourself the best shot at being covered, Fricke advised: "Hold onto all receipts as you'll need to submit them for your insurance. Also, keep the medical reports given of what was wrong, treatments given, etc."

If you have a serious medical emergency while traveling, such as getting injured in a bad car accident, Fricke suggests reaching out to the closest U.S. Embassy for help. In France, you can find the embassy in Paris; consulates are in Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Rennes, and Strasbourg. While they can't provide you with medical treatment, Fricke told us that they can help connect you to the support that you may need.