Tips: How to travel safely in flu season

Last spring thousands of travelers canceled trips to Mexico after a swine-flu outbreak there emptied beaches and resorts.

Staying home won't protect you from swine flu now: Forty-six states have reported widespread flu activity.

"The thought that the virus was just a Mexico problem is gone," said Sondra Wilson, owner of several Travel Leaders travel-agency locations in Washington. "We know it's here and all around us." She said her clients are booking travel to Mexico, but trips there and elsewhere are being booked closer to departure dates than in the past.

Here are some questions and answers about travel insurance, basic hygiene and other aspects of traveling during the swine-flu outbreak.

Q: Is it OK to travel during the swine-flu outbreak?

A: The CDC says "some travelers at increased risk of complications from flu may want to consider postponing travel." The agency identifies those in the high-risk categories as pregnant women, adults older than 65, babies and children under 5, and those with chronic illnesses. If you are in a high-risk category and must travel, the CDC recommends that you talk to a doctor about whether to take flu medications with you in case you can't get medical care right away.

Q: Will I face a health screening if I fly?

A: The United States is not screening either inbound or outbound air travelers, according to the CDC. But you may face screening in other countries, including having your temperature taken by a walk-by thermal scanner or with an oral or ear thermometer. Last spring and summer, the U.S. State Department received many reports of U.S. citizens who were quarantined in China during the swine-flu outbreak. In some cases, they had no symptoms but had merely been on flights that stopped in Mexico en route to Asia. For more information from the State Department, visit travel.state.gov.

Q: How can I protect myself against swine flu? Should I wear a face mask?

A: The CDC says there is little information on the effectiveness of disposable paper face masks. They are not recommended in most settings.

The most important thing you can do is to wash your hands frequently with soap and water, or use an alcohol-based hand rub. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. To protect others, use a tissue or cough and sneeze into your sleeve.

Frequent travelers have other rituals, too. Anne Banas, executive editor of SmarterTravel.com, says she cleans airplane tray tables with sanitizing wipes, and she avoids putting items in the seat-back pocket, where previous passengers may have stored dirty tissues.

Q: Should I buy travel insurance?

A: "We're telling our clients: 'Don't leave home without travel insurance,' " said Mike Weingart, president and managing director of Travel Leaders in Houston.

But traditional travel insurance only offers coverage if you become too sick to travel before departure or if you become sick during the trip.

Traditional insurance will not cover your losses if you cancel a planned trip simply because you are worried about exposure to illness, even if a pandemic is declared, said Judy Sutton, director of product management for Travel Insured International.

To be covered in that case, you'd need a "cancel for any reason" policy, Sutton said. Be aware, however, that "cancel for any reason" policies usually offer only 75 percent reimbursement of your losses and require you to cancel two days before departure.