A Round-Up of Unique Newsletters : Some may look unsophisticated, but their specialized information is the main attraction.

Travel newsletters abound. So do health newsletters. And a handful focus strictly on travel health, according to the Newsletter Publishers Assn. of Arlington, Va. Such publications fill a niche, bridge an information gap and attract a loyal readership, even though in several, the information is the attraction rather than polished prose and sophisticated graphics. Here is a round-up of newsletters that specialize in travel health or include travel-related health tips.

The Diabetic Traveler: Published quarterly since 1988, The Diabetic Traveler tries to encourage diabetics to live--and travel--as normally as possible. Publisher/editor Maury Rosenbaum, a former travel marketing specialist, conceived the idea after arranging a cruise for a diabetic family member. An insulin-dependent diabetes himself, Rosenbaum said he found general information about travel ing with the condition lacking. So he created a six-page newsletter that focuses on practical information, such as how to eat on the road and how to adjust insulin on long-distance trips through different time zones. He also includes straight travel information such as adventure vacation packages for diabetics, the basics for buying travel insurance and information on specific destinations.

Subscription information: One year, including four issues, is $18.95 from The Diabetic Traveler, P.O. Box 8223 RW, Stamford, Conn. 06905. For a sample copy send $2.

The Mature Traveler: Targeted to travelers over age 50, this 9-year-old Reno-based newsletter, published by Gene and Adele Malott, works health into some of its stories. For example, if a destination story takes the reader on a high altitude journey, precautions about how best to acclimatize are included. A recent piece on the Alaskan and Canadian Dempster Highway, which crosses the Arctic Circle, included information on the perils of the trip; another told the story of a 70-year-old couple who took a cycling vacation. The newsletter debuted in 1984.

Subscription information: One year, including 12 issues, is $24.50 from The Mature Traveler, P.O Box 50820, Reno, Nev. 89513. Sample copy: $2.

The Travelin’ Talk Newsletter: The newsletter of the Travelin’ Talk Network--a group of more than 800 members who converse by phone and letter about different destinations--is based in Clarksville, Tenn., and is published quarterly for disabled travelers. About 25% of the newsletter information is health-related, according to publisher Rick Crowder, who said he has also addressed such topics as accessible restrooms and companies that specialize in medical escorts for those with impaired mobility.

Subscriptions are offered in exchange for voluntary contributions to the network. Write Traveling’ Talk, P.O. Box 3534, Clarksville, Tenn. 37043. Registration in the network varies from $1 for some individuals to $50 for travel industry companies.

Handicapped Travel Newsletter: Billed on its front page as the “World’s Best and Most Comprehensive Publication on Disabled Travel,” a recent issue of this bimonthly newsletter contains several photos of editor Dr. Michael Quigley. But interspersed between the self-promotion was valuable information about how disabled people can complain about airline service, where to get information about traveling with asthma and allergies, advice on accessibility of cabins on various cruise ships and other issues that might make travel easier for the disabled. A Vietnam veteran who uses a wheelchair, Quigley says he tries to cover information about land travel, public transportation and cruise information in his newsletter first published in 1983.

A one-year subscription for six to eight issues is $10 from Handicapped Travel Newsletter, P.O. Drawer 269, Athens, Tex. 75751.

The UC Berkeley Wellness Letter: Started in 1984, this newsletter is largely devoted to personal health but sometimes covers travel health. For example, a story on cholera appeared in the Wellness Letter following the outbreak on the Aerolineas Argentinas flight from South America to Los Angeles in 1992. Other travel-related topics have included travel immunizations and jet lag.

A one-year subscription, including 12 issues, is $24 from the Wellness Letter, 48 Shattuck Square, Suite 43, Berkeley 94704. Write to request a free sample copy.

The Harvard Health Letter: Based in Boston, the Harvard Health Letter’s main focus is personal and preventive health, but travel health topics are covered on occasion throughout the year. First published in 1975, a typical piece would be one on traveler’s diarrhea.

A one-year subscription, including 12 issues, is $24. Write to Harvard Health Letter, P.O. Box 420300, Palm Coast, Fla. 32142-0300. For a free sample copy, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the letter at 164 Longwood Avenue, Dept. LA, P.O. Box 380, Boston, Mass. 02117.

Traveling Healthy & Comfortably: Published bimonthly by pediatrician Karl Neumann, Traveling Healthy is aimed, Neumann said, at “veteran travelers, physicians and travel professionals.” The current issue includes a piece on how to stay healthy in cold climates, a piece on how to prevent frostbite and another on how to pick sunglasses for snow country.

A one-year subscription, including six issues, is $24 from the newsletter at 108-48 70th Road, Forest Hills, N.Y. 11375. For a sample issue, send $4.