Danielle Almond gives you her tips for staying healthy whilst travelling.
It is around this time that many of you will be thinking about and organising your trips for the summer. You may even be planning a trip around the world on a gap year. To help you stay fit and well Joanne Dernie has given you a handy guide full of tips on how to best take care of yourself when away.
You’ve spent weeks planning the perfect trip, had an amazing time and return home with a bag of dirty clothes and masses of photos to show your family and friends.
How about returning home with a flesh-eating bug, and a huge medical bill to go with it?
According to Dr. Peter Slowe, founder of Projects Abroad, cases of a particularly nasty flesh-eating bug Leishmaniasis ‘have doubled in the past ten years with gap year travellers most at risk’.
Leishmaniasis hit the news a few months ago when Ben Fogle contracted the illness while filming for the BBC but of course, it’s not just this attention-grabbing illness you should be aware of. Dr. Slowe comments that travellers are failing to protect themselves and are putting themselves at risk of illness or infection. And if you don’t have appropriate travel insurance you could end up footing any medical bills yourself.
The best thing you can do before you travel is to see your GP or a specialised travel clinic to find out if you need any vaccinations, and to give yourself plenty of time. You may need several appointments, so get everything sorted well before you go.
And while you’re away, take care of your health. Depending on where you go, there might be specific activities to avoid or risks to keep an eye out for, so act on the advice you’re given. Nevertheless, there are a few rules that everybody should keep in mind. If you’re going somewhere hot, stay out of the sun when it’s at its peak, and take care not to burn. And be aware of how much alcohol you’re drinking. Alcohol has the potential to blur your judgement and increase the chance of you taking unnecessary risks.
Amy, a Birmingham university graduate, who has recently returned from a 5 month around the world trip went to a travel clinic to sort everything she would need, including Hepatitis A and B vaccinations, Malaria tablets and mosquito repellent kit. However, while Amy says taking care of your health is important, she also says that she ‘wouldn’t be put off’ visiting a country because it seemed too risky.
Most importantly, do make sure you have appropriate travel insurance. As Dr Slowe says ‘Comprehensive travel insurance is the first priority after medical prevention’ to ensure any medical bills are covered. Medical costs can be astronomical, and you don’t want to have to fork out for that yourself.
Danielle Almond
