It depends on the period of time you plan to be abroad. Travelling can be stressful for the body, and the combination of long journeys, accumulated tiredness, variety of food, little time to stay somewhere to recuperate or even going out at night, besides the fact that in many parts of Europe it is normal that the weather changes drastically could help to catch colds or headaches.

For long stays it could be very useful to bring a first aid kit all the basic medicines to deal with colds, small cuts or digestive problems. For example some kind of pain
medication, a generic cold medicine, stomach-upset pills and skin patches for blisters and cuts (there are less common things that could be useful like dressings, alcohol, antibiotics or insect repellents).

Before taking too many medicines, you should think where are you going to travel, the weather there and what kind of problems is your body used to. Try to narrow the odds as there are plenty of pharmacies all around Europe . If you're travelling with several people, divide the medications to each traveller to decrease the space taken up.

Take the prescription if you have medicines that need prescription.

Specially for women, across Europe you will be able to buy all your normal hygiene products, but if you are more comfortable with what you are used to, bring them from home. The same goes for the contraceptive pill, which may be possible to procure in Europe with a doctor's prescription, but remains unavailable in certain countries.

There are not, in general, any immunization requirements to travel to the UE, except for some requirements for certain territories very far away from the continent.

If something more serious happens you will need to see a doctor or to go to hospital, and without insurance it is really expensive. To protect your belongings and your health you should travel with adequate insurance, of course if you can afford this.

If you are citizen of the European Union, ask for the E111 form or the European sanitary card, available for free at the closest social security centre. From June 2004, an European card for medical insurance has been introduced to facilitate the access to the sanitary attention in the EU and to accelerate the expense reimbursement. It is replacing the E111 form that continues being valid during the period of change. 14 countries already are distributing the card and the rest will have to do it at the end of 2005.
The E111 (form or card) allows to receive medical assistance taken in the EU countries, along with Iceland , Liechtenstein , Norway or Switzerland . Each country has its own norms on the state medical aid. In some the treatment is free, in others it is necessary to pay part of the costs and in others it is necessary to pay all in advance and to request a reimbursement on your return; keep, therefore, all the prescriptions and receipts.
If you are going to travel to other countries you ask if the E111 covers them. It can happen that you obtain the E111 and that to only is going you to be valid for certain countries. In such case either you remove an insurance for that country or risk if the stay is not going to be very long.

If you are a citizen of the European Union, take an "E111 European Form or Card" available from your nearest processing centre. This allows you to have refunded the medical and pharmaceutical cares taken at any of the European Union countries on your return. If you are travelling to other countries out from the Union ask if the E111 cover them. It could happen that the E111 will only be valid for some countries of your plan. In this case you can ask for a complementary private insurance for these countries or take a risk if the stay is not going to be so long.

For extreme sports such as bungee jumping, cliff diving, canoeing and rock climbing, check your insurance policy before as maybe it doesn´t cover the injuries sustained in this way. There are many types of travel insurance and you have to decide which one you prefer. As for your belongings, if something is stolen report it immediately to the local police, even if they cannot do anything, as you will need the police report to claim your insurance money.

In some cases if you pay the travel with a credit card (VISA for example) some kind of trip insurance is included, but you will have to check anyway.

Use common sense for food and water. Make sure any meat is fully and freshly cooked, all salads and fruits are washed (peel them if you are still not sure) and be careful with dairy products and seafood. If in doubt, don't eat it. The quality of the water depends on where you are, but even in places where the water is safe if might differ in components from what you are used to, and cause upset stomachs. In doubt drink bottled water. If you are in an area where you know the water is unsafe to drink, avoid salads that will have been washed in it, and ice cubes in drinks.
If you fall sick, you will have to decide if you want to continue and maybe spend a good portion of the holidays sick or better rest to have fewer days but healthy.