Travelling safely outside the UK if you have lymphoma
If you’re living with lymphoma (including if you’re in remission), there are a number of things to consider when planning a trip outside of the UK.
We have separate information about travel insurance if you, or someone you are travelling with, has lymphoma.
On this page
Lowering your risk of infection
Frequently asked questions about travel safety and lymphoma
Planning a safe trip
Give some thought to making your travel plans as safe as possible. This includes sun safety and taking steps to lower your risk of infection.
Check with your medical team if:
- your travel plans are safe, including your chosen transport method and accommodation
- there are any activities or places you should avoid
- they know anything about the medical services available where you're going and how to access them – if you're using a travel company, you could ask them for this information
- there are any travel vaccinations you need
- you need to take precautions to protect yourself against malaria.
Many of my patients are naturally eager to book a holiday soon after completing treatment, to give them something positive to look forward to. It’s important they know that their immune system is weakened and time is needed to regain energy and strength. I usually therefore advise travel outside of the UK is safer 3 months after finishing treatment.
Lowering your risk of infection
Lymphoma and its treatments can affect your immune system and make it harder to fight infections even if you're in remission.
Take general precautions and follow advice from your medical team to prevent infection.
Take extra care to help lower your risk of infection when visiting areas of the world where you could come into contact with new infections. You might also need travel vaccinations.
- Choose accommodation that has high cleanliness standards – you could check reviews from other people who have recently stayed there.
- Pack sanitising gel with you in case soap and water isn't readily available to wash your hands.
- Follow basic food safety and hygiene guidance – this is especially important when cooking meat, eggs and seafood. Keep in mind that there can be higher risk of infection from buffet food.
- Use only clean water to wash with, rinse your toothbrush, drink, and wash fruit and vegetables with – the simplest way is to boil it first.
There is more information on our website about infection: risk and prevention.
Unless you are sure that it is clean, I advise drinking bottled water – check that seals on the bottles are not broken before you open them. Another way to make water clean is to sterilise it. You can do this by boiling it for one minute, or by using a filtering system or sterilisation tablets. Avoid ice in drinks, unless you are sure it is made from safe water.
Sun safety
It’s important to stay safe in the sun. Speak to your medical team for advice about protecting your skin from the sun. There is also general information on the NHS website about sunscreen and sun safety.
Be aware that some lymphoma treatments (including radiotherapy, some types of chemotherapy and some targeted treatments) can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight (photosensitive). Other medical conditions could also have an impact.
Re-apply sunscreen regularly, and make sure that exposed skin is well covered. Factor 50 is preferrable.
If you’re travelling to a hot sunny country, it’s a good idea to wear high factor sunscreen and a hat, even on cloudy days.
Things to take with you
When you travel, take:
- your travel insurance policy details – you could take a photo of this information so that you have an electronic copy on your phone or tablet
- your UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) if you are travelling to a country where it is valid
- your medical team’s contact details – some people set up a medical information page on their mobile phone, which is accessible on the home screen without unlocking your phone if others need it in case of an emergency
- your most recent hospital letter, which could be as an electronic copy (by email or on your NHS app) or a printed copy
- any medical warning cards your medical team has advised you to carry, for example an irradiated blood products card in case you need a blood transfusion
- a note of the telephone number of the local emergency services where you’re going – you can find foreign travel advice on the UK Government's website, where you can search for health information by country.
Taking medicine with you
Some countries require you to keep your medications in their original packaging, rather than in a dosette box or just strips. This includes any that are not in tablet form, for example, subcutaneous injections. You could split it between baggage, in case any is lost.
Take a letter from your medical team to explain why you need the extra medication. Make sure you request this from them at least a month in advance of travelling. You might also be able to get a letter from your GP surgery, although you might need to pay for this.
Travel vaccinations
Travel vaccinations can help to protect you from serious infections that are not found in the UK.
Ask your GP whether you need any travel vaccinations – speak to them about your lymphoma diagnosis and find out if they are safe for you to have and when you should have them. Seek advice about travel vaccinations early. Some might need to be ordered in, and some need to be given well in advance of your travel date (around 8 to 12 weeks before) in order to be effective.
If you have lowered immunity, you might need other vaccines, including those against flu (influenza), meningococcal meningitis and pneumococcal infections.
Depending on where you’re travelling to, you might also need to protect yourself against malaria.
The NHS website has general information about travel vaccinations and a list of available travel vaccines.
You can find out more about where to get travel vaccinations in our frequently asked questions section.
Is it safe for me to have travel vaccinations?
Make sure you tell your GP and the travel clinic where you have the vaccinations, about your lymphoma diagnosis and treatment history. They can advise if it’s safe for you to have any of the generally recommended vaccinations, and any additional ones you should have.
If it’s unsafe for you to have a vaccination, think carefully about the possible risks and benefits of making the trip. You could talk this decision through with a member of your medical team or your GP.
Live vaccines and inactive vaccines
Live vaccines are made using weakened but living bacteria or viruses. These might not be suitable for people who have lymphoma because they could cause an infection.
In general, inactivated vaccines (made using killed bacteria or viruses) are safe for people with lymphoma.
Your medical team can give you advice specific to your situation. As a general guide, the Department of Health guidelines say that you should not have live vaccines for at least:
- 3 months after finishing a course of high-dose steroids
- 6 months after finishing chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment
- 12 months after finishing treatment to dampen your immune system after a stem cell transplant
- 24 months after you have had graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), a complication that can happen after an allogenic stem cell transplant.
Malaria and mosquitoes
Malaria is a serious tropical disease carried by some types of mosquito. A mosquito bite, and the wound itself, could lead to infection.
Take precautions to protect yourself from mosquito bites if you decide to travel to an area where malaria is widespread. The risk of developing malaria is high in tropical and subtropical parts of the world. This includes Africa, parts of Asia and South America. Your GP might also advise that you take anti-malaria tablets.
On the Travel Pro website, there is country-specific advice and tips to help you stay well when you are outside of the UK, and you can also find out more about malaria.
If you have had your spleen removed (splenectomy), you are more at risk of becoming very unwell if you develop malaria.
To avoid mosquito bites while having an evening meal outdoors, tuck your trousers into your socks, or spray ankles with repellent.
Protecting yourself from mosquito bites
Take steps to protect yourself from mosquito bites. Different species bite at different times of the day, so take precautions at all times.
You can help protect yourself by:
- wearing clothes that cover as much of your skin as possible – mosquitoes cannot bite through material
- using an insect repellent – those that are 50% DEET-based are generally considered to be the most effective, though some studies have found that these products could reduce the effectiveness of sunscreens
- sleeping under a mosquito net – those treated with long lasting insecticide (LLIN) are considered to be most effective, and will also protect against bites from ticks and other insects.
If the risk of malaria from mosquito bites is high, apply DEET before applying factor 50 sunscreen.
Keeping your room cool
Mosquitoes are also generally less active in lower temperatures. Try to keep your room cool without opening windows and giving mosquitoes a way in. Use air conditioning if you can. If it isn’t available, a fan can also help keep mosquitoes away if you are directly under the air movement.
If you do open doors or windows, use a well-fitted fine mesh netting to prevent mosquito bites.
Anti-malaria tablets
Ask your GP if you need to take anti-malaria tablets to lower your risk of getting malaria. They can also advise which type is most suitable for you, and when you need to take them. It is important that you take the full course of tablets.
Some tablets need to be taken for a few weeks before you travel, so make sure you seek medical advice in plenty of time.
Whether or not you need anti-malaria tablets depends on a number of factors including:
- where you are travelling to
- your age
- your medical history
- whether you’re currently having lymphoma treatment.
Anti-malaria tablets are not available on the NHS. Although your GP can prescribe them, you will still need to pay for them in full. The costs of these can vary depending on the length of your trip and which tablets are needed. Make sure you buy them from a reputable pharmacy.
Frequently asked questions about travel safety and lymphoma
It’s important to make sure that any water you drink or wash yourself with is clean (sterile). Avoid eating unpackaged foods, like salads or unpeeled fruit or vegetables unless you’re certain they’ve been washed well in sterilised water. You can sterilise water by boiling it.
Sparkling (carbonated) bottled water should be safe to drink. However, be aware that still bottled water can contain bacteria that could be harmful to you if you have a lowered immune system.
You can find out more about drinking water safely on the Medline Plus website.
Some vaccinations are available on the NHS at GP surgeries. These usually include vaccines against cholera, hepatitis A, polio (usually given as a combined diphtheria/tetanus/polio vaccine) and typhoid.
Some vaccinations are not available on the NHS (for example yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and rabies vaccines). Yellow fever vaccine is a live vaccine, so it might be unsuitable for people who have lymphoma.
You need to pay for vaccines that are not available on the NHS. You will need to arrange to have these either at a pharmacy that offers travel health services, or at a specialist licensed centre.
Masta is one website that has an online search tool to help you find a travel clinic.
Trusted Information
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024. Insecticide-treated bed nets. Accessed March 2026.
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GOV.UK, 2025. Immunisation against infectious diseases. Accessed March 2026.
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GOV.UK, 2023. Mosquito bite avoidance: advice for travellers. Accessed March 2026.
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Medline Plus, 2024. Drinking water safely during cancer treatment. Accessed March 2026.
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UK Health Security Agency, 2024. Guidelines for malaria prevention in travellers from the UK 2024. Accessed March 2026.