20 Tips To Prepare Your Health Before Traveling
Picture these two potential trips:
1) You take a few health precautions before you leave and end up having a wonderful and exciting trip
2) You ignore the health precautions, get ill and spend the rest of the holiday trying to arrange treatment in a foreign language, and return home to an astronomical bill
Which would you prefer?
The truth is, although your health should be one of your number one priorities when going abroad, most of us leave it until the last minute, or totally overlook it.
Well, I want you to change that before you take your next trip. All you need to do is follow my simple guide.
Remember — your trip may last a few weeks, but your health will affect you for life.
When you book (or think about booking)
1) Check out any potential health risks for visitors to that country. For more exotic locations you may need to have some immunisation shots. Don’t just rely on the travel agent’s advice, as it may be out of date. Always check for up-to-date information for the government (http://www.cdc.gov/travel/).
2) If you need any immunisations, contact your local doctor or a specialist travel clinic as soon as possible, as certain treatments need up to a few months before they become fully effective.
3) If you’re pregnant, or hoping to become pregnant, make sure you mention this to your doctor, as you may be at risk to certain treatments, such as anti-malaria.
4) Also tell your doctor if you’re planning to travel with young children who have not had their full course of childhood immunisations.
5) Ensure you have medical insurance cover
4 weeks before you travel
6) If you need anti-malarial treatments, buy them now, as certain treatments need to be started 2 or 3 weeks in advance.
7) If you suffer from a medical condition such as high blood pressure or asthma, get a check-up to see that you’re stable and that you have enough medication to last for your trip.
8) Get a detailed record of your medical condition and medication, translated into the language of your destination if possible, so if you need to see a doctor or lose your medication, it will make things easier to explain.
9) Find out if there are any restrictions on bringing your medication into the country you’re visiting. You may need to get a letter from your doctor (also true if you need to take needles and syringes).
10) Consider taking medication for non-frequent conditions, such as constipation, as a change in foods or lifestyle while traveling may flare up.
11) If you have a dental problem, remember to get a check up with your dentist too.
Two weeks before you travel
12) Stock up on your sunscreen if you’re going to need it. Experts say you need to check the SPF (and go for 15 and above), and also check the UVA star rating (new this year) and go for a high one.
13) Stock up on insect repellent, especially if you’re sensitive to bites.
14) If you’re going to be doing lots of walking and site seeing, think about your feet and sort any potential problems that could flare up once you’re feet have been rubbed and swollen in your shoes (and also try to break in any new shoes you may be taking to minimise discomfort). Also consider protecting yourself against verrucas, which are very easily spread, if you’re going swimming in public pools.
15) If you’re going to be traveling to remote areas without a supply of bottled water, make sure you get some water purification tablets.
16) Get yourself a first aid and medication trip. Even minor conditions such as travel sickness can ruin a holiday, and prove cause hassle if try to find treatment in a foreign language.
17) You may find that you have trouble sleeping for any number of reasons. If you’re a light sleeper then it may be a good idea to get some sleeping tablets.
18) If you’re going long haul and are worried about the risks of deep vein thrombosis caused by prolonged inactivity (such as sitting in your airplane seat), you can now get special socks that help combat this problem.
When you’re packing
19) Make sure you have a list of all the medication you have bought in preparation so you don’t forget any of it.
20) Don’t pack it all together (especially if you have a serious medical problem). Bags can go missing and you run the risk of losing all your medication in one go if you have it all in the same place.
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