Exotic epidemics like Ebola and the Zika virus disease, malaria, even traveler’s diarrhea — they can worry you if you’re considering international travel. No one wants to endanger their well-being or have health problems cut short the vacation of a lifetime or a productive business trip.

How can you protect yourself?

“Prevention is better than cure,” says Stuart Cohen, director of UC Davis Health’s Travelers Clinic.

There, he and other doctors help business and pleasure travelers get ready to go abroad. And he has some serious credentials as chief of the health system’s Division of Infectious Diseases and director of Epidemiology and Infection Prevention for its medical center in Sacramento.

The Sacramento clinic and others like it advise travelers about health risks specific to their itinerary, provide vaccinations in advance of their trip and even antibiotics to carry with them, and address how they can deal with any existing health conditions.

Cohen says travelers-to-be should start by their planning by asking themselves some key questions about their intended travel. They also can get information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website specific to international travel.

Read more to learn about Cohen’s tips and other resources for travelers.