International travel is growing despite economic and geographical challenges. Travellers should seek pre-travel advice 4 to 6 weeks before departure. Required immunisations include yellow fever and meningococcal vaccines. The common recommended immunisations are based on risk assessment. These include typhoid, cholera, hepatitis A, Japanese encephalitis and rabies vaccine. Common illnesses in returned travellers are mainly due to gastrointestinal diseases, febrile diseases and dermatologic diseases. Evaluation of the travel-related illness requires an understanding of geographical distribution of infections, risk factors for transmission of infection, incubation periods of common infections, clinical presentation and appropriate laboratory investigations. Syndromic approach to the evaluation of illness in a returned traveller is important for post-travel diagnosis.