Whether for holiday, vacation, or adventure, you should always take measures to stay healthy.
The rigor of travel itself, with disturbed sleep cycles, fatigue, change in diet and activity can make you prone to getting sick.
Here are some precautions you should take: Stay well hydrated by drinking lots of water (6 to 8 glasses).
Sitting in one place for even more than a few hours may lead to formation of blood clots in the legs, which can lead to serious or even fatal conditions.
If you are sitting on an airplane for more than a few hours, make sure you get up and stretch or stroll, making use of the leg muscles.
If you are unable to get up while sitting, you can move your foot up and down and in circles for 1 minute.
Then you can straighten your leg as much as possible.
(If need be, you can put pressure on the base of the seat in front of you.
) Hold it tight for 30 seconds.
Next, deep massage your legs from calf to upper thigh for 1 minute.
If you are in for rugged travel, make sure you have a proper first-aid kit.
These can be easily purchased at your local drug store.
Band-aids, wound dressings, pain relievers, ointments, and small scissors are the staple of any good first aid kit.
Make sure you have access to non-contaminated water and if needed, bring along and use some purification tablets.
Boil the local water prior to drinking it to reduce further chances of catching an illness.
We recommend doing both.
If you anticipate the possibility of minor injuries, read on for travel related vaccines.
Of course, always make sure you have access to communication in case of serious illness or emergency.
Vaccines and Medicines If you are travelling to certain areas of the world, special vaccines may be recommended or even required.
Such include yellow fever, typhoid, hepatitis, encephalitis, and the meningitis vaccine.
Check with your travel guide or destination consulate if these are actual visa requirements.
For those who plan to be outdoors, the rabies vaccine may be a good idea.
Also, many people have received routine immunization to tetanus; the protection does wear off however.
If it has been greater than 5 years since your last tetanus shot, we highly recommend getting another one.
Malaria is a problem in many tropical and near tropical parts of the world and there are antibiotics you can take before you travel to significantly lower or eliminate the risk of catching it.
If you are going to an area and are unsure of the quality or access to good medical care, it is certainly helpful to speak with a doctor well-versed in travel related medical problems.
Such a doctor may suggest keeping certain medications with you and educate you regarding "just in case" scenarios as you may need them.
Whether you travel abroad or at home, different places have different strains of the flu virus floating around.
Although the flu vaccine does not cover every single strain, it offers protection from many strains and may be a good idea to get before you leave.
The rigor of travel itself, with disturbed sleep cycles, fatigue, change in diet and activity can make you prone to getting sick.
Here are some precautions you should take: Stay well hydrated by drinking lots of water (6 to 8 glasses).
Sitting in one place for even more than a few hours may lead to formation of blood clots in the legs, which can lead to serious or even fatal conditions.
If you are sitting on an airplane for more than a few hours, make sure you get up and stretch or stroll, making use of the leg muscles.
If you are unable to get up while sitting, you can move your foot up and down and in circles for 1 minute.
Then you can straighten your leg as much as possible.
(If need be, you can put pressure on the base of the seat in front of you.
) Hold it tight for 30 seconds.
Next, deep massage your legs from calf to upper thigh for 1 minute.
If you are in for rugged travel, make sure you have a proper first-aid kit.
These can be easily purchased at your local drug store.
Band-aids, wound dressings, pain relievers, ointments, and small scissors are the staple of any good first aid kit.
Make sure you have access to non-contaminated water and if needed, bring along and use some purification tablets.
Boil the local water prior to drinking it to reduce further chances of catching an illness.
We recommend doing both.
If you anticipate the possibility of minor injuries, read on for travel related vaccines.
Of course, always make sure you have access to communication in case of serious illness or emergency.
Vaccines and Medicines If you are travelling to certain areas of the world, special vaccines may be recommended or even required.
Such include yellow fever, typhoid, hepatitis, encephalitis, and the meningitis vaccine.
Check with your travel guide or destination consulate if these are actual visa requirements.
For those who plan to be outdoors, the rabies vaccine may be a good idea.
Also, many people have received routine immunization to tetanus; the protection does wear off however.
If it has been greater than 5 years since your last tetanus shot, we highly recommend getting another one.
Malaria is a problem in many tropical and near tropical parts of the world and there are antibiotics you can take before you travel to significantly lower or eliminate the risk of catching it.
If you are going to an area and are unsure of the quality or access to good medical care, it is certainly helpful to speak with a doctor well-versed in travel related medical problems.
Such a doctor may suggest keeping certain medications with you and educate you regarding "just in case" scenarios as you may need them.
Whether you travel abroad or at home, different places have different strains of the flu virus floating around.
Although the flu vaccine does not cover every single strain, it offers protection from many strains and may be a good idea to get before you leave.