(MONEY Magazine) – Six months exploring the Indian subcontinent? A jaunt up the 1,600-mile Orinoco? Hiking the Himalayas? Exotic, exciting and extended describe the kind of trips that appeal to retirees today. But with more adventurous travel comes greater risk of illness and injury. Fortunately, you can avoid disaster by taking precautions. You might start with a pretrip travel clinic. Many big-city hospitals have such a service. At the travel and immunization center of Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y., for example, you pay $25 for a consultation that includes advice tailored to your health and your destination. For additional fees ranging from $15 to $35 each, you can get all the recommended shots. ''Travel clinics are probably better equipped than general physicians are to offer specialized advice on such matters as tropical diseases and food precautions,'' says Beth Weinhouse, author of The Healthy Traveler (Pocket Books, $6.95). Or you can research the perils particular to your destination on your own. For the most current health warnings, consult your state or local health departments. A strain of malaria that recently appeared in West Africa, for example, may require that you take one type of medicine before you leave and bring another along with you for treatment, should you need it. Health departments can also tell you whether the water is safe to drink, what precautions to take if it isn't, and what kinds of special immunizations and preventive medicines you will need. You should have a polio booster, for instance, if you are traveling to China. One crucial item you'll want to pack is a list of English-speaking doctors < in the country you are bound for. The International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers compiles such a list; for details write to IAMAT, 417 Center St., Lewiston, N.Y. 14092. Be sure you carry adequate health insurance, no matter where you go. Travelers over 65, who may be especially vulnerable to ills and spills, need protection most. But Medicare won't pay for emergency treatment in any foreign countries except Canada and Mexico. But you can extend your basic Medicare coverage overseas with one of the supplement plans offered by the American Association of Retired Persons (800-523-5800). The plans, which cost from $12 to $49 a month depending on the level of benefits, will reimburse you for 80% of medical charges, up to $25,000 a trip, after a $50 deductible. Don't buy one of the private travel health plans with coverage only for the time you spend abroad until you've double-checked what you have. A number of regular policies -- and premium credit cards such as MasterCard's Gold Card -- already cover you for emergency care abroad. Should you decide that you need a travelers' health policy -- generally priced at $20 to $50 a week -- shop around. Two providers you might consider: Access America (800-851-2800) and HealthCare Abroad (800-237-6615). Finally, call the Department of State in Washington, D.C. (202-647-5225) for the phone numbers of the U.S. embassies in the countries where you will be traveling. The embassies can be of enormous help in finding medical care or even arranging for emergency transport home should you need it.(

BOX: First-aid kit When you pack for your trip, be sure to include at least the following:

-- Aspirin or a substitute and an antacid -- Diarrhea medication and a mild laxative -- A sunscreen and an insect repellant -- Antifungal and anti-itch agents -- An antibacterial cream or spray -- Band-Aids, bandages, gauze and tape -- A thermometer, scissors and tweezers -- Rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs