N THE past several years there has been a remarkable interest in traveling, and each year more and more United States citizens vacation abroad. The speed, comfort, and convenience of modern transportation, plus increased leisure time and higher wages, have enabled many persons to enjoy foreign travel. In 1957 the U.S. State Department issued approximately 600,000 passports. Although this number represents a steady increase over the past years, it does not include Americans who live abroad-working, studying, or enjoying retirement-nor those who travel to nearby places such as Mexico and the West Indies where passports are not required. About 75 to 80 percent of the passports are issued to individuals who plan to visit the major countries of Europe. Nurses have many opportunities for travel in professional capacities -foreign assignments with large oil companies, consular and embassy positions with the state department, overseas assignments of the federal services, and so forth. In addition, more nurses each year travel as part of the large tourist group. And, regardless of whether the nurse is determined to "forget about nursing" during her vacation, she will inevitably be consulted by her fellow travelers as a source of medical information and for actual help in the event of illness. Therefore, the nurse has more than an ordinary interest in the health hazards of travel.