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It's no secret—we
all love to go on vacation. The promise of warm temperatures, exotic
locations, and the experience of a new culture are all alluring and
exciting. However, all these good things can come to an end if illness
strikes while you are away from home. The good news is that most
travel-related illness can be prevented so that you can enjoy your vacation. All you have to do is plan ahead and be prepared. Here are some tips
to help you stay healthy on your next vacation.
Before Departure
1
Make sure that you have the appropriate travel insurance for your trip. This
is invaluable if something were to happen to you on your trip. Out-of-system trips
to doctors, hospitals, and emergency rooms can be costly so checking out
your insurance company’s policies is key and essential for your piece of
mind. Also, make sure that you have your doctor’s contact information with
you as well as copies of all your prescription medication.
2
Pack your meds. Make sure that you have enough of your prescription medications for the
entire duration of your trip. Carry the medicine in the original marked
containers…baggage scanners and customs agents will thank you for it! Make
sure to bring some stomach and diarrhea medicine, headache medicine,
Dramamine and plenty of sunscreen. All of these can help to relieve some
minor sickness stumbling blocks on your vacation.
3
Pack
light and comfortable. Make sure that you have clothes that are
breathable and don’t forget a comfortable pair of shoes. Find out the
climate of your destination and pack accordingly. Only pack what you
need because carrying around extra luggage is a strain on your back and your
sanity! A comfortable wardrobe on vacation means that you can concentrate on
having fun without suffering from the wrong choice of clothing.
4
Eat healthy foods in the days before your trip. On
vacation we tend to splurge on new, delicious, exotic, and not-so-healthy
food. Eating healthy in the few weeks before you leave will help to build up
your immune system so it can function properly in transit and during your
vacation.
5
Avoid
alcohol. Traveling dehydrates us, especially in low-humidity,
climate-controlled airplane cabins. Avoiding alcohol (which deprives your
system of the water it needs) will go a long way in making yourself feel
good when you reach your destination.
6
Make sure that you get plenty of rest before you travel. This is
especially true if you are traveling cross-country or over the Atlantic
where jetlag can really get you down. Get a good night sleep the night
before you leave, and when you get on the plane set your watch to your
destination time zone so that you can plan your sleep schedule accordingly. When you arrive, adjust to the new time zone as soon as possible.
While You’re There
7 Stay hydrated! You will most likely be doing a lot more walking than
normal on your vacation and this combined with all the alcoholic drinks
you’ll most likely consume will dry you out faster than you think. Drink
juice instead of coffee at breakfast and carry a bottle of water with you
all the time. Staying hydrated on your trip can prevent sickness from
setting in as well as making you feel less tired and more energized.
8
"Cook
it, wash it, peel it, or forget it." This travelers’ mantra is
something that international travelers need to pay attention to. When
traveling, tasting the local delicacies will definitely add to the quality
of your trip, but contaminated food (or food that your digestive system is
not accustomed to) can ruin a potentially wonderful vacation. Ask that your
meat be well done, only drink pasteurized (not fresh) milk and avoid fruit
and vegetables (including salads) that cannot be peeled because germs and
bacteria can loom on their surfaces and make you sick.
9 Try
to eat at regular intervals. Skipping meals lowers your body’s
resistance to sickness. Eating regular meals on your vacation,
hopefully the healthy kind as well, will go a long way in ensuring that you
don’t catch that “vacation cold.”
10
Touch as few things as possible. This may seem impossible, but all you
have to do is think about how many people have touched things before you. Handrails, doorknobs, elevator buttons, drinking fountains, public
restrooms, and hotel rooms…the list could go on and on. Since no one can
realistically avoid contact with most of these things, make sure to was your
hands often and avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth after you have
touched these public fixtures. The germ threat that these things hold is
great, so make sure to take the proper precautions.
A word for the wise: you cannot make yourself completely immune to every
type of possible vacation illness. There are too many germs and too many
places where they lurk in the shadows waiting to latch on to the
unsuspecting vacation traveler. The good news is that most vacation
illnesses can be prevented with a little planning and a lot of common sense. We all know what is good and bad for us, and those rules apply on
vacation as well. Hopefully these tips will serve as a guide for a healthy
and happy vacation. Bon voyage!
Carolyn Schallom is a soon-to-be
graduate of Saint Louis University where she studies History, Political
Science and Spanish. She is in the beginning stages of a writing and
translation career, which is what she wishes to pursue full-time upon
graduation. Her travel (combined with study) experience is extensive in
Europe, especially in Spain. Other hobbies and interests include reading,
practicing Spanish, exercise (especially walking the dog) and long
conversations about almost any imaginable topic.
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