How do I plan & embark on a RTW trip as an HIV+ gay man?
August 24, 2011 11:57 PM Subscribe
How do I plan & embark on a RTW trip as an HIV+ man?
I'm about to turn 25 and thanks to healthcare legislation I've been given a small window of time to travel unencumbered by the fear of loosing health insurance.
I'm about to turn 25 and thanks to healthcare legislation I've been given a small window of time to travel unencumbered by the fear of loosing health insurance (I can now return to my parents insurance until I'm 26).
Right now I work in advertising full time (salaried, exempt + benefits) and spent the summer/continue to work 80-85 hour weeks... I feel like I'm loosing my mind. Relatively certain that advertising isn't a trajectory I want to continue with, I think I need some time to think about where to go from here.
I'm in the process of accumulating a decent amount in savings from work & family & want to plan to spend 6 months (approximately) traveling, likely using a round the world airline ticket.
I'm gay, in good health otherwise & take medication (prezista + truvada + norvir once a day). My current intention is to travel alone, carry only one bag & utilize mostly hostels. I'm only vaguely aware of travel restrictions for HIV+ people but have started to do some research on hivtravel.org. I don't have any specific destinations yet, but would like to visit a couple locations in Asia, Australia & Europe. I have a strong interest for themed spaces (theme parks & the like) so that's something I want to incorporate into my travel, too.
Any advice or experiences about traveling with 90+ days of medication, countries to avoid, immigration/visas for HIV+ travelers & first hand experiences of long term travel would be immensely helpful. Thanks!
I'm about to turn 25 and thanks to healthcare legislation I've been given a small window of time to travel unencumbered by the fear of loosing health insurance (I can now return to my parents insurance until I'm 26).
Right now I work in advertising full time (salaried, exempt + benefits) and spent the summer/continue to work 80-85 hour weeks... I feel like I'm loosing my mind. Relatively certain that advertising isn't a trajectory I want to continue with, I think I need some time to think about where to go from here.
I'm in the process of accumulating a decent amount in savings from work & family & want to plan to spend 6 months (approximately) traveling, likely using a round the world airline ticket.
I'm gay, in good health otherwise & take medication (prezista + truvada + norvir once a day). My current intention is to travel alone, carry only one bag & utilize mostly hostels. I'm only vaguely aware of travel restrictions for HIV+ people but have started to do some research on hivtravel.org. I don't have any specific destinations yet, but would like to visit a couple locations in Asia, Australia & Europe. I have a strong interest for themed spaces (theme parks & the like) so that's something I want to incorporate into my travel, too.
Any advice or experiences about traveling with 90+ days of medication, countries to avoid, immigration/visas for HIV+ travelers & first hand experiences of long term travel would be immensely helpful. Thanks!
How long can you go without your medication? It may be seized from you (legally or illegally) at a customs checkpoint at an airport and you won't be able to get any more.
posted by twblalock at 2:04 AM on August 25, 2011
posted by twblalock at 2:04 AM on August 25, 2011
I assume that this is something you'll discuss with your doctor, but I would urge you to spend some time talking through worse-case scenarios vis a vis your medication. For instance, it may be that some medications in your regimen have a longer half-life than others, which could lead you to being on what is in effect mono-therapy if you have to stop cold turkey. Maybe you need to have a few extra pills of the shorter acting meds secreted somewhere else on your body so that you can taper off if need be. Things like that, in other words, emergency planning, might be important.
posted by OmieWise at 5:37 AM on August 25, 2011
posted by OmieWise at 5:37 AM on August 25, 2011
Best answer: NAPWA, Australia's National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS, has lots of advice on Travelling with HIV. Australia doesn't restrict entry for tourists who have HIV - those health requirements are for longer-stay visas - but you won't be eligible for publicly funded healthcare while you're here. Here's a guide for travellers on accessing care in Australia, and a more general guide to travelling with HIV.
This company provides travel insurance specifically to people with HIV, but only if they're from the UK or the EU. Maybe they can suggest a similar company which can cover you from the US? And I assume you know this, but please make sure your travel insurer knows you're HIV positive - every policy I've ever had has explicitly excluded coverage for HIV. That doesn't mean you're uninsurable, but it might mean you need to shop around and look for HIV-specific policies.
posted by embrangled at 5:45 AM on August 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
This company provides travel insurance specifically to people with HIV, but only if they're from the UK or the EU. Maybe they can suggest a similar company which can cover you from the US? And I assume you know this, but please make sure your travel insurer knows you're HIV positive - every policy I've ever had has explicitly excluded coverage for HIV. That doesn't mean you're uninsurable, but it might mean you need to shop around and look for HIV-specific policies.
posted by embrangled at 5:45 AM on August 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
Oh, there's also Positive Travel Info. It's intended for Australians, but seems to have some good general advice about travelling with HIV.
posted by embrangled at 5:50 AM on August 25, 2011
posted by embrangled at 5:50 AM on August 25, 2011
Wherever I've travelled (Asia, Africa, Europe) I've always got my doctor just before departure to provide an updated list on headed notepaper of medication I need to take, and plastic-sealed it to keep it clean and legible. On only two occasions was the medication I was carrying an issue with immigration (Uzbekistan, Turkey), and on each occasion showing the doctor's certificate immediately solved the doubts and I was free to continue inbound, nothing seized or otherwise a problem.
In retrospect, you might want to ask your doctor to list not only the proprietary name of the brand you're carrying, but also in parentheses the active ingredient, in case you need to re-stock somewhere en route with a local equivalent brand.
posted by aqsakal at 7:17 AM on August 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
In retrospect, you might want to ask your doctor to list not only the proprietary name of the brand you're carrying, but also in parentheses the active ingredient, in case you need to re-stock somewhere en route with a local equivalent brand.
posted by aqsakal at 7:17 AM on August 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
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Here's the guide to the kinds of medicine you can't bring into Australia--it doesn't look like many of the prohibitions apply to you, but check. Our Customs and Quarantine are a lot more tolerant of medicine than of plant and animal products and food, so don't do that.
I'm assuming you're a US citizen. In that case you aren't covered by our national health scheme (Medicare) so you'll have to rely on your own insurance for any health care you receive here, or prescriptions you refill. The short story is take your US prescription to prove to AQIS at the airport that your medicine is yours, but expect to have to find a local doctor to get a local prescription if you need one.
Here's the place for tourist visas. There are health requirements and you may have to undergo a medical examination to get a visa, although they're at pains to point out that merely being HIV+ is not necessarily a reason to refuse you entry.
One-bag hostel travelling is so common in Australia there's an industry around it, it's a very popular way to see the country. The Australian place for theme parks is the Gold Coast.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 12:44 AM on August 25, 2011