Written by guest blogger Emma Higgins. Emma has been writing and traveling on and off since 2009. Her blog, Gotta Keep Movin’, is full of stories and advice from her trips, which include Europe, India, Morocco, South America, the USA and Canada. Her main focuses are budget travel and volunteering, and she has been involved in sustainable farming in Argentina, animal shelters in Peru, and even tried her hand at making goats cheese in British Colombia.
Staying healthy is one of the most important things to consider when you’re preparing to travel or volunteer abroad, especially if you’re headed to a country known to harbor various infections and viruses. Many pharmacies abroad are more stocked up than you would imagine, so you can often buy whatever medications and supplies you need while you are on the road. Having said that, if you’re traveling to the back and beyond, there are certain things you will need to prepare yourself with beforehand.
Injections
Make sure you take a trip to your doctor or a travel doctor before you go abroad to discuss what injections might need for the country you’re traveling to. Some of these vaccines are optional, and it’s really up to you to decide if where you’re going poses a high enough risk to get vaccinated. Some shots, such as the Yellow Fever vaccine, are a necessity and various countries won’t let you in without a certificate to say you’ve had it.
Medication
Make sure you stock up on any of your prescription medications you’ll need during your trip, and talk to your doctor about options for those meds if you will be away for a long time. Pack a few packets of the painkillers you’re used to taking, just for those random headaches and colds.
Check malaria maps online to see if you’ll need any malaria tablets, and figure out how long you’ll need them for, if possible. There are different malaria-prevention options available, and they come with varying degrees of risk and at different prices. Some medications you take for a few days after you leave the malaria zone, others you take for up to a month after. Choosing which malaria medication is best for you is really a personal choice, but some are available at a very low price if you want to have some on hand in case you do travel into a malaria zone.
Anti-diarrhea tablets
These are a backpacker’s best friend on the road and have saved me from getting really sick so many times. The branded pills, like Imodium, work very well and you can buy them in many places all over the world. However, you don’t have to opt for the name brands, as they can be pricey. The active ingredient in these tablets is called ‘loperamide’ and anything containing this active ingredient will help you out, whether it’s branded or not. It’s a personal choice as to how bad you get before you start taking them, but I will take one or two the second I start to feel the tiniest bit bad, and for my body that seems to nip it in the bud entirely.
First aid kits
It’s not necessary to carry around a full first aid kit with you when you’re traveling abroad, but for places where there are viruses that can be transmitted through blood, it’s a good idea to have something. Band aids and antiseptic cream are the two things I will always carry with me, so if I get a cut or scrape I can smother it in cream and cover it to stop the risk of infection.
Added extras
Two things I won’t leave without are sun block and dissolvable vitamin C tablets. It’s great to get nice and tanned while you’re away, but the sun is no joke and if you’re out in it a lot you’re going to need something to protect you. If you’re taking malaria tablets, you should know that these make you more sensitive to the sun, so block is a necessity.
Vitamin C tablets that dissolve into water have been invaluable when I’ve started to feel a bit under the weather. I never thought they worked very well, but having taken one as soon as I felt a cold coming on and feeling fine the next day, all my faith is restored.
It’s possible to buy health supplies almost anywhere when you need them, so don’t panic and think you have to pack everything you could need for every possible situation. Go with the basics to cover you for the inevitable and you’ll be all set for most of the things that will come your way.
Check out Healthy Travels: Part 2 here for tips on staying healthy on the road!
Note from United Planet: The steps you take to travel healthy are ultimately up to you and your own judgment.
ABOUT UNITED PLANET
United Planet is a non-profit organization with a mission to create a global community, one relationship at a time. Established in 2001, United Planet offers volunteer abroad, virtual internships, internships abroad, gap year volunteering, and global virtual exchange in more than 40 countries.
