Introduction to Stay Healthy During Traveling
- Getting sick is part of daily life, and being on the highway does not exclude you from that reality, especially when you are exposed to a whole new range of bugs, worms, and ecosystems when traveling yourself.
- The truth of the matter is, the more probable you are to pick up a few things or two, the longer you fly.
- However, the trick to reducing the odds of this is to consciously fight, in the first place, the risk of being sick. The last thing you need to do is put yourself at greater risk than you need to be. Much better than every treatment is avoidance.
Wash Your Hands
I know this will sound easy, but it’s incredible how many people neglect it, and as a physician, the mere act of washing your hands has also been hammered into me as a major element of medication safety since day one of recruit training.
In the European Union, the National Health Service (NHS) has had a significant effect on infection prevention in a clinical environment by clearly stressing the value of washing your hands, but the same applies to any aspect of everyday life, and traveling the globe is no exception.
To avoid the spread of disease, hand safety is essential and can greatly reduce your risk of diarrhea, vomiting, food poisoning, gastroenteritis, flu, norovirus, MRSA, or even hepatitis A Small packets of hand gel are carried by many passengers, and these are nice as a substitute, but they are not a substitution for good old water and soap.
Wash your hands underneath hot water for at least thirty seconds before and after eating, and always while going to the bathroom, whenever possible.
Drink Bottled Water
If you can not be certain of the regional water’s safety or you are traveling in places where hygiene is not that nice, then it should go without saying that the local water supply should be avoided.
Even if it’s drinking without any problems by locals, your stomach does not have the right microbes to prevent you from getting sick, avoid local water — even ice in your beverages — in places that don’t cleanse their city water.
- I suggest that you always buy tap water at the very least and double-check that the seal is still intact on the top of the bottle (selling bottles refilled with tap water is a popular scam). Using bottled water to clean your teeth is also a smart idea.
- But I prefer to use a water bottle with an integrated philter, as this continuously eliminates the need to purchase water bottles, preserving both energy and money.
Be Careful of Food Contamination
- Food poisoning on any travel trip is one of the main causes of traveler’s diarrhea and intestinal issues.
- If you’re not careful when traveling with your food, you could theoretically be exposed to diarrhea, E. Coli, Shigella, Salmonella, Giardia, staphylococcus, Haemophilus histolytic, Venema, Cyclospora, cholera, and so much more.
- As much as technically possible, you must always ensure that every food you consume is fresh, properly prepared, and boiling served.
Would the person who handles the food wear protective gloves and often change them?
Is there still a separate individual handling the money, or does the person frying the food replace the damaged gloves whenever they carry funds?
Is handwashing a habitual incidence?
Is food item left out from the open or is it properly stored?
These items may seem insignificant but they are significant.
You will want to stop the following – or be very cautious –:
- Salads that could have been cooked in raw local water
- Raw fruits and vegetables (if you have, they are normally fine) that you have not peeled or filleted yourself.
- Nutrition which has been left out for a length of time and vulnerable
- Community food, such as in overcooked, raw, or reheated food buffets, especially meat, fish, or rice.
- You probably won’t prevent a bit of stomach ache on your journeys — particularly if you’re traveling long-term — but if you’re conscious of good food hygiene practices and follow them as often as possible, then you will mitigate the risk of getting sick at the very least.
Don’t Be Afraid of Having Familiar Food
One of the utter true benefits of traveling and one you can never miss out on is eating fresh cuisine and digging deeper into the street food. That said, it needs a degree of rational thinking too.
If your belly is not used to it, going right into a diet of spicy sauces or mainly red meat is a sure way to guarantee some kind of gastrointestinal upset.
Food allergies occur whenever the gut is unable to adequately absorb the food you have consumed, or when something entirely fresh and distinct has been added to it, which may irritate the digestive system, leading to stomach problems, cramps, gas, diarrhea, vomiting, and constipation.
Try and Stay Active
The workout is one of the easiest ways to keep fit and active and combat unnecessary infections. Well established and well-reported are the advantages of exercise: it enhances your general health and well-being and improves your immune system, making you less vulnerable to disease.
And when you get ill, your body will fight off the disease better and get you back on your feet quicker. Of course, since fit people always get sick, it’s not full-proof, but usually the fitter you are, the stronger the self will be at trying to brush off that irritating bug or disease.
I still try to maintain a balanced lifestyle, and because I fly, that doesn’t change.
You should Protect Yourself from direct Sun
Sunburn can severely ruin a nice experience on travel! Since snorkeling for too long and failing to reapply sun cream I got badly sunburned years ago in Thailand. That is not an event I would like to repeat!
Current sun protection guidelines suggest you should use a factor 15 minimum, but I recommend at least SPF 30.
It goes beyond having bad sunstroke though, to shield oneself from the sun. If you are traveling in a country or area with a hot or tropical climate, you should also remain well moisturized, as well as cover it up with long sleeves and even a cap and jumper.
When you don’t, then fatigue will set in soon, and this can lead to more extreme conditions such as dehydration, sunstroke, and heatstroke, which can become a life-threatening emergency if left unsupervised.
I once cut off a day’s traveling short in Yemen when I saw heat exhaustion signs and symptoms emerging in another tourist and had to help her get rinsed and cooled.
It happens much better than most other people believe so use water, cover-up, and keep moisturized, so be smart.
Get Vaccinated
In my role as a registered nurse, vaccines are possibly among the most important travel health issues that people have asked my opinion about.
However, due to the particular nature of individual cases, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to these questions, but there is one natural fact: If you can defend yourself, it is a great idea to do so.
Better to be safe than prevention but nothing better than someone being protected against it is to protect you from the possibility of having a disease.
Regularly scheduled vaccines are the ones that everybody receives during their preschool and adolescent adult life; exact timetables differ from country to country (and even the delivery of the vaccine itself), but these typically include the BCG vaccine, the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, and diphtheria, tetanus, as well as varicella (DTP) vaccines; hepatitis B; meningitis A (for at-risk groups);
Protect Yourself from Mosquito Bites
For any traveler, bee stings are an utter nightmare. At least, sore and itchy welts can merely bother you, and at worst you can spread a whole array of illnesses, such as dengue, encephalitis, encephalitis virus, and dengue fever, not to include malaria.
In certain parts of the world, malaria can be an issue, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization, as well as the Fit For Travel page of the NHS are outstanding places to find out how infectious diseases like dengue or measles occur.
It is always a great idea to stop insects from attacking you during the first place, even when you’re in a lower-middle to no-risk location, even if it is just to avoid the discomfort of severe bites.
Should go without saying that utilizing protective steps is the best thing you can do to shield yourself from being bitten:
Air-conditioned rooms are perfect since they are also better enclosed and less prone to let them in.
Further visit: 9 Amazing Smart Travel Gadgets for Any Trip in 2020
Only cover-up.
Wear light, loose cotton clothing that covers most of your skin, particularly around higher mortality times and locations, such as near water bodies or twilight or just after dark, the start realizing to feeding malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
Sleep where appropriate under denatured alcohol-coated nets.
Where applicable, use anti-mosquito coils and plug-in devices.
Still apply a decent dose of DEET spray 30–50 percent, and start applying periodically. Some may choose more natural options, but these are either not as successful or are often not scientifically proven to be successful at all.
Have enough nap while on the way
Whilst also we sleep, our blood cells increase in the number, particularly at night. If you are deprived of sleep, the body’s protective system weakens.
Back slow it down
Filled itineraries leave little space for self-care or rest, so you’ll need to keep pace.
Consume a healthy diet
Many of us say, “I’m on holiday and I can drink or eat as often as my stomach can manage,” but that can interfere with our digestive system and overall health.
To boost the immune system safe and solid, eat good, nutritious meals with such a lot of fresh, colorful fruits and vegetables.
Conclusion
Traveling is a wonderful experience and you’ll learn a lot along the way. You can see new places, learn new things, and also make life-long partnerships.
You will begin to feel a lot freer and performing different tasks will come back. But don’t just plan it, just go for it … Just go to college once. You’ll never get that much time ever!
