New and exciting destinations beckon travel enthusiasts daily, but make sure your dream vacation does not turn into a medical nightmare by carefully preparing for each trip in advance. Before traveling, check a reputable source for updated information on potential health concerns impacting the region in which you plan to travel.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has an excellent travel site ‘wwwnc.cdc[dot]gov/travel’ chock full of invaluable information ranging from which vaccines you will need prior to traveling to your destination to advice on avoiding health hazards in specific regions, such as the novel Corona virus outbreak in the Arabian Peninsula which has claimed 20 lives as of May 17, 2013. Here is some Wellness and yoga retreats of India.
The following travel tipsshould help you begin to plan a safe and healthful vacation.
1. Take your own first aid kit and stock it with alcohol wipes or another antiseptic, bandages, gauze, an ace bandage, tweezers, scissors, cotton-tipped applicators, antibiotic ointment, and topical steroid cream.
2. Don’t forget to pack plenty of medication – both prescription and over-the-counter medication. To be safe, take two bottles of each medication, each appropriately labeled and containing enough medication for your entire trip. Pack one bottle in a carry-on bag and the other in your checked luggage. In case either is lost or stolen, you will have a back-up supply to carry you thru the trip.
Ask your physician to write a brief note on his letterhead outlining any controlled substances you are prescribed, such as narcotic pain medications, or injectable drugs.
3. Carry hand sanitizer, containing at least 60% alcohol, everywhere you go. In case your travels take you somewhere that soap and water are not always readily available, or worse, the water is potentially contaminated with disease-causing micro-organisms, having your own hand sanitizer can be a life saver. Clean your hands frequently throughout the day. In the midst of having a great time it is easy to forget everything you’ve touched along the way.
4. Avoid bug bites. Cover exposed skin and use appropriate insect repellants.
5. Carry a miniature medical record in your wallet. At the very least, this can take the form of a simple sheet of paper on which you have written a list of your medications (including dosages and how often you take them), your chronic medical conditions, prior surgeries, medication and environmental allergies, personal physician’s phone number, and emergency contact information. No matter how well you know your medical history, if you become acutely ill, you may be too sick to remember vital details which could help health care personnel diagnose and treat you safely. If you are traveling to a country where a different language is spoken, have a professional translate your medical information for you prior to leaving home and carry both copies in your wallet. Alternatively, you can use an online resource such as Google Translate (translate.Google[dot]com) but realize that online translation tools are not perfect.
6. Protect yourself from ultraviolet radiation by using sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher, seek shade during the hottest time of the day (typically from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.) and wear protective clothing.
7. Do not feed or touch any animals you do not know and clean your hands thoroughly after any contact with animals.
8. When traveling to a region where food-borne illnesses are common, drink bottled water, eat food that is thoroughly cooked and served hot, and eat fruits and vegetables that you clean and peel you.
9. Purchase travel insurance and keep a copy of the documents and contact information with you at all times.
10. Learn where to go for help should you become ill, and, if the locals do not speak your language, have a reliable means of communicating with health care professionals, such as a translation book or app.