The whole fun and excitement of travelling would be marred if you fall sick with any ailment while you are travelling on a holiday and your entire trip would be wasted. As such, it is important to stay healthy and be able to enjoy as planned. The following basic guidelines will help you in this regard.
Precautions during the Flight: You have to be careful in what you eat and drink right from the time you step into the plane. You should avoid coffee or alcohol and ask for orange juice with no ice. You should take short walks hourly during long flights and keep flexing your ankles and avoid crossing your legs to avoid getting a blood clot in your legs.
Have a Nutritious Diet: During long trips, avoid having inadequate diet and eat less of carbohydrates and more of proteins. Proteins provide more resistance to infection and they rebuild muscles. They should be consumed with the day’s largest meal to get the most nutritional mileage. Supplemental super-vitamins are also good for feeling healthy.
Be Extra Careful When Eating Out: Use your judgment while choosing the restaurant and avoid unhealthy-looking ones. Always choose well-cooked food, especially meat which should be avoided completely at some places. Insist on having well done food and avoid pre-prepared foods that often gather germs. Choose to eat only thick-skinned fruits.
Cleanliness is Next to Godliness: Wash your hands often and keep your nails clean and do not touch your eyes, nose and mouth, if possible. Keep a hand sanitiser like Purell always with you and use it in addition to washing your hands with soap and warm water.
Avoid Sex with Unknown Persons: While travelling, avoid having sex with unknown persons as sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV, are widespread. If at all, use condoms that are effective in avoiding transmission.
Physical Exercise: Travelling offers ample opportunities for physical exercise which should be exploited to the full along with having healthy food, lots of activity, and fresh air. If you are used to working out regularly, you will have plenty of options for keeping in shape while travelling. In Europe, you can use a bike to go to nearby places of interest, thereby burning some calories and getting to know the destination more intimately. Swimming is also recommended as Europe offers plenty of inexpensive public swimming pools. You can also indulge in playing tennis whenever you get the opportunity.
If you are visiting London for a holiday, it would be best to stay at Park Grand London Kensington as it offers comfortable accommodation in a clean and hygienic environment of a posh area of the city.
Sleep Well: To stay healthy, particularly while travelling it is important to sleep for at least 7 to 8 hours per night.
Keep Basic First Aid Items With You: If you are travelling, it is important to keep all basic first aid needs with you to be able to tackle any minor health issues that may arise. The basic medicines that you should keep with you include Tylenol or Paracetamol for headaches, sore feet, sprains, bruises, Italian traffic, hangovers, and many other minor problems. Tylenol along with putting cold washcloths on your forehead is also helpful in bringing down high temperature.
If you are travelling to London on a low budget, you can find plenty of budget hotels London that provide decent accommodation in clean and hygienic surroundings.
For treating swelling which is often caused by a physical injury and is painful, use a package of frozen veggies as a substitute for ice pack. For a swollen foot or leg, keep an anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen (Advil of Motrin) with you and soak the affected area in cold water in a bucket or in a cool swimming pool.
For treating the common Cold symptoms, try to sleep well and have plenty of fluids such as juices. Suck on vitamin C with zinc tablets to increase your resistance to cold. You can keep Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) or any other cold capsules with you.
For dealing with abrasions, first clean the abrasions thoroughly with soap and then bandage it with a piece of clean cloth that can be sanitised by boiling for 10 minutes.
For treating blisters, use moleskin, bandages, tape or two pairs of socks. Many people use Body Glide, a solid anti-chafing stick sold in running shops and sporting-goods stores and others use Band-Aid’s Friction Block stick which prevents blisters in spots where your shoe rubs against your foot.
To deal with motion sickness, take medication such as Dramamine or Marezine one hour before any need is anticipated. It also causes mild sleep but Bonine treats motion sickness without any drowsiness.
Diarrhea is a common problem in countries like India and Mexico and even in some places in Europe and US. It is best to eat yogurt, which has enzymes that can ease your system into the country’s cuisine. Diarrhea usually runs its course and the best thing to do is to let it run its course and take it easy for 24 hours. Take a bland diet such as bread, rice, boiled potatoes, clear soup, toast without butter and weak tea. If there is no relief after a day, take lots of water to replenish lost liquids and minerals. Take bananas that are effective in replacing potassium. If you have blood in your stools or if you have fever greater than 101 degrees Fahrenheit, don’t take antidiarrheal medications but go to a doctor as you may need antibiotics.
For treating constipation which can be caused by eating too much bread and is as prevalent as diarrhea, get exercise and eat lots of roughage like raw fruits, leafy vegetables, prunes, or bran tablets.
You must always take care that the water you drink is pure and not contaminated. Always insist on RO water in countries in south-east Asia. Remember that you can only enjoy your trip if you stay healthy.
Fergus Brandon is a travel writer by profession and nomad by choice. He was born in Cambridge and completed his masters (International Tourism Management ) from London School of Commerce. He is working as the travel Editor for TheMontcalm hotels group.
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