Stay Healthy When You Travel

The concept of budget adventure travel includes a lot of
wonderful experiences, but one adventure you definitely do not
want to have when you travel is getting sick. Not only are you
far from your family doctor or your mother\'s trusty chicken soup
recipe; the very fact that you are in a foreign locale exposes
you to allergies, germs, food and water you have no immunity to.

Here are a few health tips to either help you avoid sickness or
help you cope with it once it befalls you:

--Wash your hands repeatedly throughout the day. This is the
same advice you get at home during the winter flu season for
good reason. Most germs are spread by contact; so the more often
you wash your hands the less contact you will have.

--Get your immunization shots before you leave. Find out from
the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta what shots are
recommended for traveling in what country.

--Get in shape before your trip. Start walking several weeks
before your vacation. If your trip will involve just average
sightseeing, your objective should be to be able to walk 3 to 5
miles without undue exhaustion. Face it; vacationing involves
more walking than you ordinarily do at home, so build your
fitness level so you can tolerate the increased activity.

--Treat cuts and sores immediately. Remember you are exposed to
germs and conditions unlike what your body is used to at home.

--Don\'t drink the local water unless you are absolutely sure it
is safe to drink. Even in advanced societies, the water is just
different from what your body is used to. Fortunately, bottled
water is much more common around the world than it was just a
few years ago. Stock up.

--Maintain high levels of cleanliness. Taking frequent showers
and changing into clean clothing not only feels good, it is good
for you. This is especially true in hotter climates.

--Bring along vitamins, bottled water and peanut butter. The
first two are self explanatory, the latter is a tip passed onto
me by a well-traveled missionary who spent a lot of time in
really (I mean REALLY) out of the way places. He found that
every place had some sort of bread he could eat along with
peanut butter if he just couldn\'t eat most of the local food. He
also recommended bringing a good supply of toilet paper, but I
am presuming you aren\'t going into places so remote that will be
a necessity.

--Carry medical identification if you have allergies or
reoccurring ailments.

--Protect yourself from biting insects. This is especially true
in tropical climates. Not only should you bring insect
repellent, be sure to take practical precautions like avoiding
stagnant water, wear long sleeve shirts and tuck pants legs into
socks if you are going into a place where biting insects are a
particularly bad problem.

--Keep well rested. This is often very hard to do on a vacation
you are paying good money for, but it will save you all kinds of
problems later. Rest up from initial jet lag and take naps if
you are staying out late at night. Your body can endure a lot if
it has enough rest.

--Bring along a basic first aid kit and common over the counter
medicines. There is always a good chance of getting a headache,
indigestion, athlete\'s foot etc. So be prepared.

COPYRIGHT 2006, Charles Brown All Rights Reserved