Travelling is thrilling regardless of the purpose behind it, either an active holiday or a calming time at the beach. It is very crucial to have travel health in mind to ensure your health is protected and that your trip goes smoothly.
We cannot deny the importance of health while traveling whether it is an educational travel or a thrilling one. Travel health also encompasses taking particular precautions on arrival at your destination. Here are the top ten guidelines for travel health.
1. Bring Along A First Aid Kit
First aid kits are very crucial in ensuring your trip is safe. Some of the requirements of the kit include a pair of scissors, bandages, thermometer and antibiotic creams for minor accidents that may happen during the holiday. There should also be alcohol wipes, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, and blister plasters. Lastly, pain and allergy relief medications are also a crucial part of the first aid kit. These medications can be very expensive abroad, where the generic versions of these drugs may not be available.
2. Get Any Required Vaccinations
Depending upon where you are traveling to, it may be recommended that you get certain travel vaccinations. A doctor can let you know what you should get and they can also administer them for you. The vaccines help to protect you from serious diseases in various countries. Some of the most common vaccines include Hepatitis A or B, rabies, Yellow or typhoid fever.
3. Avoid Jet Lag
Traveling long distances by air may cause your sleep patterns to become confused by the different time zones. It is essential to try and adjust to your new time zone. Some of the practices that help to prevent this include adjusting your sleeping patterns to the time zone of your destination, drinking plenty of water and avoiding alcohol.
Jet lag medications, such as Melatonin, can help you avoid jet lag, by helping your body adjust to new sleeping patterns and time zones. Sleeping pills can have similar effects, but you should always be careful to ensure that you don’t take anything else that could interfere with their effects. A doctor or pharmacist should be able to give you guidance on which sleeping pills would work for you if you need them.
4. Safe-Sex Practices
You can abstain from casual sex or make use of condoms to prevent contracting sexually transmitted diseases or becoming pregnant. Other contraceptives are also available to protect against unwanted pregnancy, but they will not protect you from STIs. If you do have unprotected sex, you could take the morning after pill to prevent pregnancy, and an STI test to ensure you get the treatment you need.
5. Malaria Prevention
Malaria is a killer disease if not treated at the right time. It is crucial to take safety measures against malaria, especially when traveling to countries or areas that are at risk. Make use of mosquito nets or repellents to avoid mosquito bites and take antimalarials as advised.
6. Only Take Safe Food And Water
One of the leading causes of traveler’s diarrhea is consuming unsafe food and water. Traveler’s diarrhea has the following symptoms tummy cramps, fever, vomiting, nausea and frequent bowel movements. Ensure that the food and water consumed is safe. Wash hands thoroughly before handling food and after using washrooms. Where washing facilities are not available, make use of hand sanitizers. In some cases, food and water may be safe, and there are still risks beyond the traveller’s control. Taking prescribed antidiarrhoeal medications is advised.
7. Take All Prescriptions With You
Travel health experts insist that prescription medicines and other over-the-counter drugs that you take frequently should be brought along while traveling. You should pack more than you need in case of delays when the time for returning home comes. Written prescriptions are also crucial in case you need to refill the medications due to emergencies. It is also advised that you take the packaging and patient information leaflets that accompany your medication, as certain countries may take issue with unmarked medication in your possession.
8. Take Travel Health Insurance Cover
It is good to let your health insurance company know when you are leaving the country to find out about your international coverage. If international coverage is not available, inquire if you can get a short-term policy in the event of a travel emergency. If you don’t currently have health insurance, you can usually get a short-term policy online to bring you peace of mind and help you enjoy your holiday stress-free.
9. Keep Exercising Even On Vacation
If you have a daily exercise routine at home, it is important to keep exercising on vacations. Exercise helps you to avoid gaining weight, improves sleep, prevents flight fatigues and helps maintain energy levels in check. Some of the exercises while on vacation include cycling, swimming, hiking and taking walks.
10. Avoid Feet Fatigue
Taking walks and going sightseeing is lots of fun! Investing in comfortable and well-fitting footwear is crucial. It’s also a good idea to carry blister plasters and alternative footwear in case you do experience any problems. You should also keep in mind that wearing shoes or sandals in the sea, can cause the materials to stiffen and you may be more likely to experience blisters if you’ve had saltwater on your shoes.
To avoid feet fatigue, don’t take new shoes because they discomfort you. Moreover, you don’t have to wear the same shoes two days in a row. Always provide more options by packing multiple pairs. Additionally, try to stick with flat shoes because they offer you excellent comfort with great arch support.
Last but not least, don’t ever put shoes on without wearing socks.