Health-Related Travel Tips

A health condition can dampen your travel plans or make them a disaster. The best prevention is preparation. Here are a few travel tips to help you prepare for a few health conditions.

My other half is diabetic; therefore insulin is one of our constant traveling companions. Keeping the insulin cool use to be a problem before our discovery of reusable ice packs. You should be familiar with what I am referring to, the small individual ice packs uses to chill sandwiches, snacks, and beverages. When we travel we take a few of them with us. We keep a few frozen ones with us in an insulated carrier so the insulin is available when needed. We also keep a few in the hotel's mini fridge in case we decide to do something later in the evening so there are backups. Diabetes has not interfered with our travel plans since.

When traveling in some remote rural and jungle type environments insect pest can become quite a problem. An insect crawling up the legs of my trousers is one of the pest problems I remember all to well. To prevent mosquitoes and other pesky bugs from crawling on and biting my legs one of the safari guides made a suggestion I slightly modified but continue to use. His recommendation was to tape the cuff of my trousers with duct tape before embarking on the safari. I have since graduated from duct tape to small bungee cords around each of my trouser cuffs. Both work very well to keep the creepy crawling critters from safari-ing my legs and other unmentionables.

Providing the correct medical information during an emergency situation can be a matter of life and death. The hope is nothing will happen of this magnitude during your vacation travels but the reality is it could possibly happen. One way to provide a handy medical record for any travel emergency is to keep a few of your doctor's business cards with you. On the back of the cards list all of the medication you take and other important medical information. Keep a copy of the card in your wallet or purse and in your luggage back in your hotel room. If a medical emergency should occur, this small preparation will ensure you get the proper medical treatment.

Vacation is the time to have fun, relax, and rejuvenate. Don't let an accident or illness keep you from achieving that travel goal. Prepare for any potential medical emergency before you leave. Have a safe trip.