Simple Health Tips To Adopt When You Travel

Traveling abroad for one business or the other can be very exciting, especially when you have everything planned out. Still, we cannot risk the possibility of getting sick by simply flouting simple health tips when we travel.

Sickness is a part of human daily living and traveling to a different country doesn’t exempt you from the possibility of contracting one. Every day when we leave our houses in pursuit of our businesses, we stand the chance of being exposed to various types of diseases in our environments.

You can never be too careful in trying to protect yourself from unwanted diseases. Traveling abroad calls for you to remain healthy to achieve your aim of going there. The last thing you would want for yourself is to get exposed to a health risk that could jeopardize your travel plans.

Below are some simple health tips to help travelers stay safe and healthy while staying abroad.

Simple Travel Health Tips

1.    Wash Your Hands

This travel health tip might sound very common, but it will surprise you to know that most travelers neglect this routine. Washing your hands with soap and water is one of the commonest ways to minimize and control the spread of infection.

In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service (NHS) recommends that people wash their hands very often as it has a strong influence on controlling the spread of infections. This also extends to different parts of the world, most especially travelers who move from one country to the other to do business.

Simple personal hygiene like washing hands can save you from contracting unwanted infections like diarrhea, food poisoning, gastroenteritis, norovirus, flu and so many other avoidable diseases.

As a traveler, you are encouraged to travel with hand sanitizers and soaps for washing your hands when necessary. This will help you limit the chances of contracting infections.

2.    Drink Sealed Bottled Water

Water is very essential to humans as it helps us to stay hydrated. When you travel abroad, you must look out for the level of sanitation in your destination. Ways the locals relate to their environments and the purity of the local tap water. These tips will help you avoid unnecessary sicknesses. If you are not sure of the level of cleanliness in your destination, it is best to avoid their local tap waters and go for only sealed bottled water.

Always check for their seals and look out for authenticity as some could be fake water companies selling local tap waters.

3.    Avoid Contaminated Foods

Eating contaminated foods is one of the primary causes of diarrhea and gastrointestinal infections that oftentimes travelers experience. As water is essential, so is the food we consume also essential.

Not all foods are good for our bodies, as a traveler you should be careful with the kind of food you consume as you could stand the chance of exposing yourself to harmful bacteria.

It is recommended that travelers try to eat fresh, properly cooked, and served hot meals. This method will help reduce harmful bacteria in foods. Also, travelers should try to abstain from the following foods:

• Fresh vegetables and salads washed using local untreated tap waters
• Skinned or peeled vegetables and fruits exposed to the environment
• Already prepared foods exposed for a long time
• Undercooked foods

4.    Eat Familiar Cuisine

One of the exciting things about traveling abroad is getting the opportunity to try out different local cuisines. Eating local foods when you travel abroad calls for a degree of carefulness and stomach tolerance.

Not all foods are suitable for your stomach, so avoid the urge to jump right into every food that comes your way. Eating spicy foods and excess red meat are some ways to ensure you upset your stomach walls. So, it is best to stay away from such foods. 

Indigestion often occurs as a result of food intolerance resulting from the introduction of new foods which irritates the digestive system and causes pains and cramps.

If your stomach is very sensitive to the kind of foods you eat, try to lower the rate at which you consume the local foods. Eat only the foods that are common to you to avoid complications.

See Also: Travel - How To Get Over Travel Anxiety

5.    Stay Active

Exercise is one of the best ways to stay fully healthy and active when you travel abroad. there are so many health benefits attributed to daily exercise and most importantly it helps you fight against unwanted infections.

Regular exercise helps to build your body mentally, and physically and ensures the overall well-being of your person. You stand a better chance to eliminate or fight against infections when you exercise regularly compared to when you don’t. 

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is one great way to live while abroad. you can go on hiking, swimming, jogging, or whatever suits your exercise plans.

6.    Get Vaccinated

Prevention is better than cure and nothing does this better than vaccination. Getting vaccinated before traveling abroad will help protect you from diseases that you might get exposed to. 

Before you travel abroad, you must seek the advice of your health specialist to give you information on which vaccination is best for your trip. You don’t need to be vaccinated for every trip you undertake, certain factors are first considered before vaccination is administered.

7. Protect Yourself From Mosquitoes And Malaria

Mosquito bites can be very painful and itchy. Oftentimes, travelers are faced with the challenge of protecting themselves against this horrible insect. Mosquitoes cause a lot of health problems in different parts of the world by transmitting harmful diseases like yellow fever, dengue, malaria, chikungunya, and Japanese encephalitis.

As a traveler, always look up disease control and health sites like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The World Health Organization (WHO) for updates on possible disease outbreaks in your travel destination. This information will enable you to prepare better. 

Even when you travel to areas with little to no risk of mosquito bites, always go with mosquito protective coverings in case of any potential outbreak or at least keep yourself from its painful bites.

It is not news that mosquitoes transmit malaria, it is therefore important for travelers to take antimalarial drugs regularly to avoid suffering a breakdown while abroad. 

Antimalarial drugs like other medications have their side effects, it is advised that you seek your health specialist on what type of antimalarial drug is best for you to avoid complications.

8.    Book An Appointment With A Travel Health Professional

When making plans for our travel, always remember to include an appointment with a travel health professional. They help you with most information centered around staying healthy while living abroad.

Most travelers often overlook the importance of this appointment while some book them at the last minute. It is recommended that you see a health professional at least 6-8 weeks before you embark on your journey. It provides them enough time to examine you and recommend relevant vaccination for you.