Should every traveler know the symptoms of deep vein thrombosis?

Sure!: Good knowledge to have. Sudden onset of one sided calf swelling with pain, in the setting of prolonged immobility is the typical history. To prevent it, i suggest walking the aisles (plane) every 1 to 2 hours to keep the circulation solid.

Never a bad idea: Commonly, deep vein thrombosis causes pain and swelling but sometimes they will only cause one or the other. Occasionally, they cause no symptoms. If a blood clot is small and in what we call calf veins, you might only get pain without swelling. If the clot is only blocking part of the vein, but not all of it, you also might get no swelling.