Good Health: Don’t Leave Home Without It
You’ve heard them: stories of woe from your friends and family. It was a vacation derailed by diarrhea. Or a business trip sabotaged by jet lag and food poisoning. Or maybe a spring break trip undone by dehydration, “Montezuma’s revenge” or worse…
You’ve worked too hard to prepare for your travels. Don’t let a few preventable health issues ruin your time abroad. Instead, keep these simple precautions in mind, and you’ll be free to enjoy the trip of your dreams!
Beat the Bugs
? Tropical insects like mosquitoes carry malaria and other serious diseases.
? Wear insect repellent containing DEET and reapply it after swimming or heavy sweating.
? Wear protective clothing like pants and long sleeves when practical.
? Sleep in air-conditioned, well-screened areas.
? Limit outdoor activities between dusk and dawn.
? Use bed nets permeated with a permethrin insecticide.
? Use coils and insect sprays containing pyrethrum to kill insects in living or sleeping quarters.
You are what you eat (or drink)
Almost 50% of travelers come home with diarrhea, but contaminated food and water can give you more than that.
? Only buy commercially packaged water bottles and soft drinks. Be sure to break the seal yourself!
? Consider various water purification methods, such as filters and boiling. Be wary of ice cubes, unless you know they’re made from purified water.
? Eat food that’s well cooked and served hot.
? Avoid leftovers, food from street vendors, unpasteurized dairy products, raw shellfish, cold cuts, salads, watermelon, puddings or canned food if the tin appears swollen.
? When it comes to fruits and vegetables: peel it, boil it, or forget it!
Give your trip a shot in the arm
Your best defense against many diseases is vaccination. Before you step on the plane, you should step into a travel clinic to receive your recommended shots.
? Your destination country may require you to get certain shots. That’s a great place to start! However, these requirements are in place to protect the citizens of that country, not you. To find out what shots you need to protect your health, visit a travel clinic.
? Some vaccines take time to work. Schedule your appointment four to six weeks before you leave. (Procrastinator alert: if you’ve got less than four weeks to go, it’s still worth it to make an appointment. Some shots start to work much faster and even partial immunity is better than none!)
? Remember to include the price of vaccines in your budget. Like travelers’ insurance, a little expense now can save you big bucks in health care costs later.
More tips!
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Passport Health is a trusted name in travel medicine with over 200 locations across the United States. We would love an opportunity to talk to you about your trip and provide any supplies or vaccines you may need to stay healthy. Make an appointment today!
Leah on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 8:12 am
I really enjoyed reading your post. I am thirty-two soon and have itchy feet that are ready to try out foreign soils.
It is a fear of leaving the security of the day to day grind of paying the bills and living a safe and non-challenging way of life that has put me on hold for some time.
I hope (as it has I) your post will inspire others to go and follow their bliss – Leah 🙂
Patricia GW on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 8:54 am
Travel and experiencing a new culture really has put it into perspective, and filled that void with purpose (and joy).
In three weeks I’ll be moving to Paris myself for one month. I have the same feeling – the incredible surreal realization that I’m going to be living there…. it’s thrilling!!
Abby on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 2:11 pm
Oh, Jenny! Escargot isn’t palatable — it’s delicious! I love your writing style; it’s so fun and energetic. Can you believe how far we’ve come? Everyone, Jenny and I were in the exact same industry and have known each other online and via work emails for years and years. But we’ve only met once, many, many years ago. And one of those jobs she was sleeping next to her BlackBerry for was one I’d just left. And now she’s 33 and living abroad, just like I was last year. Kindred spirits. Jenny, you’re a true inspiration — I can’t wait to see how your adventure unfolds!
Debbie Beardsley on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 3:22 pm
Your life in Paris sounds ideal. It is nice to read about people who follow their dreams instead of wishing they had! Enjoy the rest of your journey.
Terriaw on Tue, 7th Jun 2011 1:40 pm
Wow, fabulous and well said! I love your new outlook on like. After experiencing career burnout and feeling a little lost and purposeless lately, you have encouraged me. I look forward to seeing Paris someday!
Jenny on Tue, 7th Jun 2011 6:50 pm
merci for all the sweet comments! @abby we are soooo kindred spirits! well except when it comes to our differing feelings on escargot…;) and congrats patricia on the move! thrilling indeed!
shawna on Thu, 9th Jun 2011 1:32 am
you’ve reawakened my travel bug. must. return. to. france. (someday.) eat a croissant for me!
Weekly Travel Blog Links — LandingStanding on Mon, 13th Jun 2011 6:16 am
[…] how badly I want to go to Paris… If only we could afford living there for an extended period of time during our travels! Any […]
G. Michael Schneider on Sun, 19th Jun 2011 3:36 pm
I am a firm believer in living and working overseas, just as you described. However, many of us actually like our jobs and our homes and are simply looking to renew and refresh our lives, not change it. However, you can have the same type of cultural experience without having to reach into your own wallet and without having to quit your day job–by taking what I call a “working vacation.” My wife and I have done this 15 separate times, from Australia to Zimbabwe, Turket to Tibet, Mauritius to Mongolia. I describe how to do it in my blog otherguysdime.wordpress.com and via Twitter at @otherguysdime. Learn how to have fun without having to have burn any of your bridges behind you.