Never say never. One of these days it will happen, guaranteed. You will be on the trip of a life time, the very trip you’ve been planning for eons, when suddenly you hear that poorly timed comment “Mom, I’m not feeling so great”.  You’ll freeze and immediately think: “this can’t be happening!”

We learned first hand just how paralyzing it can feel to have sickness strike on vacation just this past summer while visiting Disneyland in California. We should have suspected something was up as soon as we were heading out the door with the first comment of “Mama, I’m not feeling so great” but disbelief masked my ability to see illness close at hand.  Pale, burning with fever, and complaining of a sore throat, by the second flight in midair there was no denying she was sick.

Once at our hotel in Disneyland, we gave her what we could – ibuprofen, fluids, and expectorant. She slept well but by the next morning was not much better.  The sleep took the edge off and she was clearly able to function better but being a pediatrician I strongly suspected she had strep, and being a mom I knew she needed to see a doctor.  But, where?

Being an East Coast doc, I was unfamiliar with the West Coast system and being a mom didn’t want to waste an entire day in an ER for a problem I knew was really an office based problem.  Not really knowing what to do, we called the front desk who referred us to a house call physician service that would come to the hotel within an hour, see my daughter, and often provide medication on the spot if needed.

So, we made the call and as promised with in an hour  a doctor from an on-call physician network,  www.housecallphysicians.org,  arrived at our hotel room, interviewed and examined our daughter, agreed with me that strep was likely at hand, handed us a bottle of antibiotics for our daughter, whipped out his credit card machine (this is a pay now, submit to insurance later situation but much cheaper and convenient than a traditional ER visit at a grand total of $240.00), and went on his way. Within 12 hours our daughter was much better and by the next day she was riding Tower of Terror! So, in the end, we lost perhaps a day out of our vacation and had an experience that was reasonable and comfortable.

Even as a physician, I felt like a fish out of water during this entire ordeal.  That was not my medical system and at that moment I was a mom and a tourist. Thankfully, we were in the continental US and not overseas. But, there are many resources you can call and use to get yourself and your family care. House Call Physicians is California based and there are similar groups emerging nation-wide and internationally to address the growing need of traveling and displaced families.

My brother now lives with his family in Vienna, Austria.  While relocating to their new home, their 2 year old developed ear pain in the middle of the night. While a chronic problem for my nephew, they did not have any medications with them and were not familiar enough with the country to know what to do. The hotel they were visiting recommended a 24hour urgent care center which provided top-notch care and gave them the medications my nephew required.  My husband and I had a similar experience a few years prior to that while visiting London. We both arrived not feeling so great and the hotel arranged for a doctor to come to our hotel room. Turns out we both had contracted a bacterial illness while traveling, not too surprising since it was the height of flu season at that time.   Two cases in two different countries but with one very common and important similarity: the hotel staff was the conduit to medical care, and the medical care was able to come to us. The other avenue we could have each taken would have been to call our local US Embassy or Consulate. Those offices are always available to US Citizens while traveling overseas and are available to help find medical care when needed.

It is disappointing when sickness strikes on vacation and the person sick will likely feel horrible for any change of plans that need to occur – and plans will have to change a bit while the person is actively sick or if fever is present. Keep in mind that the same illness restrictions when at home apply for vacation sickness, too. The way to think about it is if you would be staying home from work or your child from school, you likely shouldn’t be going to a museum or an amusement park. 

Out of the unexpected you’ll often find the most amazing moments of your vacation.  For us, the hotel staff not only helped us get medical care for our daughter, they helped us shake the stress and enjoy our vacation. We couldn’t return to the room without a treat waiting for one of us: Balloons, cupcakes, cards from Mickey and pals.  Totally unexpected and just the “medicine” our family needed.

So, when in doubt, call the front desk!

US-Based On Call Hotel Groups

Inn-House Doctor (Chicago, Houston, Boston, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Dallas, Washington, DC, Las Vegas)

Hotel Docs (Miami)

House Call Physicians (California)

Finding Doctors Overseas

US State Department Emergency Information When Travelling