HealthyTravelBlog.com educates and prepares travelers

A new health and travel blog has been launched to facilitate a conversation and raise awareness of important issues for international travelers. HealthyTravelBlog.com addresses topics ranging from the quality and availability of care around the world to trends in technology and insurance  to planning and prevention to promote health and safety and manage chronic conditions.

The blog has been created to meet the growing need for a convenient and accessible resource for those who travel and live abroad.

Much of the blog’s content will be generated by HTH Worldwide, a global health and safety services company. Along with other contributors, HTH staff and partners provide updates on news and trends help people prepare to stay safe and healthy when they travel for business trips, vacations or study abroad programs.

“International travel should be safe, easy and rewarding, but people often don’t fully prepare to ensure their health and safety,” said Angelo Masciantonio, director and CEO, HTH Worldwide. “We’re trying to start a conversation that raises awareness of some important issues.” “The goal of this blog is to provide a forum where we can help bring to light some of the best practices in preparing for international travel and give travelers the resources they need should they require medical assistance while overseas.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 50 percent of Americans traveling to developing countries get sick or injured over the course of their trip. Nevertheless, people preparing for an international trip have high expectations for fun and success. Even with economic concerns curtailing business and leisure travel, Americans are expected to spend and enormous amount of time traveling abroad in 2009:

• 200,000 Americans will study abroad
• American business people will spend 100 million days abroad
• Americans have planned 300 million vacation days abroad

HTH Worldwide is committed to supporting international travelers in the quest for exciting and safe travel. Through a wide range of industry leadership initiatives such as HealthyTravelBlog.com, as well as proprietary products and services, HTH is working to improve the health and safety of international travelers.

About HTH Worldwide
HTH Worldwide provides health insurance plans and global medical assistance services for business and leisure travelers as well as students abroad. HTH programs are distinguished by a contracted community of over 5,000 hospitals and doctors in 180 countries. HTH combines its health and safety research, advanced Internet and mobile applications, and extensive experience in designing and delivering international health insurance plans to ensure customers’ health, safety and peace of mind. HTH was recently named one of North America’s fastest growing companies in Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500. For more information, visit www.hthworldwide.com.