Online doctor, colds and flu
Speak to a Doctor About Colds and Flu Online, in English.
Cough, sore throat, fever or blocked nose while travelling? Colds are caused by viruses, and NHS guidance is direct: antibiotics only work for bacterial infections, which is worth knowing before you spend a morning of your trip looking for some. If the real question is whether your symptoms need an antibiotic at all, that is a doctor's question: Pomodoc connects you by video with an English-speaking doctor licensed to treat you where you are, for a fixed €40. What video cannot do is listen to your chest or take a swab; if that is needed, you will be told so.
Most colds clear up on their own. A doctor is worth it when the symptoms arrived fast, when they are not improving, or when you are not sure it is only a cold.
- €40
- per consultation
- No insurance
- or local registration needed
English-speaking doctors, licensed to treat you in the country you are in.
Medical Advice for Cold and Flu Symptoms
Colds and flu can cause similar symptoms, including coughing, sore throat, fever, tiredness, headaches and a runny or blocked nose. A doctor can help assess your symptoms and advise whether you may need testing, treatment or further medical care.
With Pomodoc, you can speak directly with a doctor by video. Discuss your symptoms, ask questions and understand your next steps from wherever you are.
- Consult securely by video
- Avoid unnecessary travel and waiting rooms
- Get clear guidance about your symptoms and treatment
- Access care while travelling or living abroad
Is It a Cold, or the Flu?
They share most of their symptoms, so the symptom list is not the useful part. NHS guidance separates them on how fast it arrived and how much it has taken out of you.
More like a cold if
- it came on gradually, over two or three days
- it started with a blocked or runny nose, sneezing or a hoarse voice
- you feel unwell, but still well enough to carry on with your normal activities
- it is easing within one to two weeks
Colds are caused by viruses, and NHS guidance is direct about what follows: antibiotics only work if you have a bacterial infection. That is worth knowing before you spend a morning of your trip looking for a pharmacy.
More like flu if
- it came on very quickly, within a few hours
- you have a sudden high temperature, an aching body and a headache
- you feel exhausted and too unwell to carry on
- you have a dry cough rather than a runny nose
Either way, a doctor can tell you what your symptoms point to and what to do next. Pomodoc connects you with an English-speaking doctor by video, from wherever you are staying, for €40 per consultation.
Not sure which side you are on? The symptoms genuinely overlap, which is why this is a reasonable thing to ask a doctor rather than to guess at.
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How It Works
Medical advice by video in three simple steps
Start online
Tell us which country you are in and what is going on. It is a short form, not an appointment request.
Join by video
See your English-speaking doctor using your phone, tablet or computer.
Get clear guidance
Discuss your symptoms and receive advice about your next steps.
Why Use Pomodoc?
Explain it in English
Describe your symptoms and ask questions in English, instead of translating them first or hoping the clinic has someone who speaks it.
Get help without leaving your accommodation
Attend your appointment from your hotel, holiday rental, home or workplace.
Save time while travelling
Avoid searching for a local clinic or waiting in an unfamiliar healthcare setting.
Understand what to do next
A doctor can help you decide whether you need treatment, medication or an in-person appointment.
Travellers who needed a doctor abroad
I was very happy to find this service
I was very happy to find this service! I was able to get a video visit with a physician promptly and get care.
Easy, competent, nice
Doctor was very nice and adequately thorough, explained everything very well. The whole process was far easier than expected.
Reliable and efficient
Reliable and efficient, able to provide medical support while you're away from home.
Reviews of Air Doctor, our medical partner, published on Trustpilot.
More About Colds and Flu While You Are Away
How long each one usually lasts
NHS guidance puts a cold at about one to two weeks, and notes it can last longer in young children. The difference from flu is less about the symptoms than about the arrival: flu symptoms appear within a few hours, while the NHS common cold page says cold symptoms come on gradually over two to three days.
The same guidance gives thresholds worth holding on to when you are away and unsure whether to keep waiting. For a cold, it says to see a GP if there is no improvement after 10 days, a high temperature has lasted more than three days, or you feel short of breath or have chest pain. For flu, it says to get urgent help if you feel short of breath or there is no improvement after seven days.
Antibiotics will not shorten a cold
Colds are caused by viruses, and NHS guidance states plainly that antibiotics only work if you have a bacterial infection. The sore throat that arrives with a cold is usually viral too, and NHS guidance says you do not normally need antibiotics for a sore throat because they will not usually relieve your symptoms or speed up your recovery.
If the real question is whether your symptoms need an antibiotic at all, that is a question for a doctor rather than a guess at a counter in a language you do not read.
What a video consultation can do here, and what it cannot
A doctor can take a history, ask how the illness started and how it has changed, see you on camera, and advise whether what you are describing needs testing, medication or an in-person appointment. For most colds and for uncomplicated flu, that conversation is what settles the next step.
What it cannot do is listen to your chest or take a swab. If a doctor thinks either is needed, the useful outcome of the call is being told so, and being told before you go looking for a clinic in an unfamiliar city rather than after.
Looking after yourself in a hotel room
NHS self care advice for a cold is unglamorous and it travels well: get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluid to avoid dehydration, and eat normally where you can. For the sore throat that comes with it, gargling warm salty water or drinking hot lemon and honey can ease the discomfort.
Two cautions from the same guidance, both easy to get wrong away from home: do not give aspirin to a child under 16, and do not let a child inhale steam from a bowl of hot water, because of the scalding risk.
Good things to know.
Is it a cold or the flu?
The most useful difference is speed. NHS guidance describes flu symptoms appearing within a few hours and leaving you too unwell to carry on, while the NHS common cold page says cold symptoms come on gradually over two to three days and usually leaves you well enough to get through the day. The symptom lists themselves overlap almost entirely, which is why a doctor is the reliable way to settle it.
Can a doctor prescribe anything for flu by video?
Sometimes, and it is not decided in advance. A doctor may issue a prescription when it is clinically appropriate and local rules permit, and some medicines cannot be prescribed remotely at all. It is also worth knowing that most colds and mild flu do not need a prescription: the useful outcome of the call is often being told what to manage at home and what to watch for. Medication you buy at a pharmacy is not included in the €40.
How long should I wait before speaking to someone?
NHS guidance gives thresholds rather than a single answer: a cold that has not improved after 10 days, a high temperature lasting more than three days, or flu symptoms that have not improved after seven days. With flu, feeling short of breath is a reason to get urgent help rather than to keep waiting. Emergency care, rather than a consultation, is for sudden chest pain, severe difficulty breathing where you are gasping, choking or unable to get words out, or coughing up blood.
I am due to fly home. Can a doctor tell me whether to travel?
A doctor can talk through your symptoms and what they might mean for a flight, which is often the reassurance people are actually looking for. If an airline or an insurer needs a document from you, check with them first about what they will accept, because their requirements vary and Pomodoc cannot promise a particular document in advance.
Do I need insurance or a local health card to use Pomodoc?
No. You pay €40 per consultation directly, and no local registration or insurance is involved. Pomodoc does not bill an insurer on your behalf.
Is €40 the whole cost?
€40 is the price of the video consultation with a doctor, and it is fixed. Medication you buy at a pharmacy, and any in-person care you go on to need, sit outside it.
When is a video consultation not the right call?
Not when it is an emergency. A video consultation is for suitable non-emergency concerns: and for a cold or flu, sudden chest pain, severe difficulty breathing, or coughing up blood mean getting emergency care instead. In the country you are in, in a life-threatening emergency call the local emergency number first. It is also not the right tool when a doctor needs to examine you, take a swab or run a test — if that is what your symptoms need, the useful outcome of the call is being told so early, and the guide above says which routes are better for that.
Sources
- FluNHSThe flu symptom list, the onset and severity difference from a cold, the seven day threshold, that feeling short of breath with flu is a reason for an urgent GP appointment or NHS 111, the urgent groups (including pregnancy or recently giving birth, a weakened immune system, feeling very unwell, and worry about a baby or child), and the emergency symptoms: sudden chest pain, severe difficulty breathing, and coughing up blood.
- Common coldNHSThe cold symptom list and its gradual onset over two to three days, the one to two week duration, the 10 day and three day thresholds, that feeling short of breath or having chest pain with a cold is a reason to see a GP, that antibiotics only work on bacterial infections, the self care advice, and the aspirin and steam cautions for children.
- Sore throatNHSThat the sore throat accompanying a cold is usually viral, and that antibiotics will not usually relieve the symptoms or speed up recovery.
- Les numéros utiles nationauxMa Sécurité, Ministère de l'IntérieurThat 112 reaches emergency services across the EU from any phone.
Sources last checked: . General information, not a diagnosis.
Need Medical Advice for Colds or Flu?
Speak to an online doctor by video and get guidance about your symptoms for €40.
- €40, fixed price
- English-speaking doctors
- 139 countries
- Prescriptions where available
Video consultations are for suitable non-emergency medical concerns. In a life-threatening emergency, call your local emergency number, or 112 from any phone in the EU. This page is general information, not medical advice about your own situation.