Staying healthy when we travel can be a challenge for some destinations. Yet this should not be an obstacle to visit in remote unknown places.
On the contrary with education and precautions we can feel safe and relax on our holidays.
Become safe before your trip
When we first decide to travel, we usually book hotels and airplane flights. However we should also consider our healthfirst. Moreover there are many ways to take precautions for a healthy travel.
Firstly you should make a visit to your own family doctor. There are countries where you need to take specific vaccinations.
Moreover your doctor can also give you advice on other medicine you should take along your travel. Furthermore having a small pharmacy with you may be a necessity if you are travelling with children or seniors.
Secondary you might consider to pay for a health insurance for your travel. It might seem an additional expense you will not want to pay but it can also save you from potential problems.
Although health services are similar across the globe, cost and quality varies enormously. Having insurance you may choose to have the best service if you choose, even if is expensive.
Eat really healthy food when you travel
Healthy diet may be all about more greens and less meat. However as travellers we are not familiar with the food quality in each country. Yet local products may be much better to buy than imported ones. This is because their fresh rather than the others.
But this is not only the case. It is important to be aware of how they produce the food. If they use to many pesticides to grow the green, it is not safer than meat. Therefore we must known the legislation and practices. One way is to learn to read their labels.
Another aspect of ‘healthy food’ is how they are cooked. By eating in restaurants and hotels we have no idea how our food is prepare. If in gourmet restaurants and five-star hotels can serve not healthy food.
One way to observe how your food is made is by buying street food. Although it may seem not the most appealing idea eating in dusty roads or on foot, you can at least see what you eat.
Beware of the environment pollution status
Healthy travel depends also on environmental threats that can affect your health. Therefore you show be aware of pollution sources that expose you in danger.
Therefore you may well swim in a lake where the local dump their sewage. In addition even in tourism amenities you should be inform on your choices. For instance the hotel water may be appropriate to bathe but not to drink.
That is why you should seek this type of information from your travel agency. Alternatively you can search online in international organisation, such as the World Health Organisation.
In addition you should obey the local law, such as for bathing waters. Moreover you can always ask the locals for information. For instance you might ask prior an environmental local NGO on your concerns. They most possibly reply with recommendations.
Choose activities for the body and the mind
Healthy travel may also be a chance to improve your health. Now than ever we all tend to travel for experiences. Moreover we increasingly want to turn our holiday into a wellness trip. Even seniors are more interested in light physical exercise in nature.
But being active on our leisure time should not be a burden. There are many activities that are fun but also need some physical effort, such as cycling or hiking.
On the other hand these activities have impact also on our mental health. Can you think anything more relaxing rather than walking in the deep forest among tall trees? Still there are culture, like in Japan, they consider nature being the medicine on mild depression.
Healthy Travel in the future
Healthy travel may seem a lot to prepare and do while you enjoying your trip. However as you make your suitcase, you should also spend some time for it as well. But as sustainable tourism is on being responsible when you travel, destinations should also protect us from any health issues.
As you may realise from above the key is to be informed. Therefore as you are buying your travel guides, you may also want to invest in guides on healthy travel.
Dr. Bezruchka wrote ‘The Pocket Doctor: A passport to Healthy Travel‘ which provides travellers with all the information they need to prepare for a trip.
It is a pocket-size book that explains how to stay healthy and how to care for health problems that may arise during the journey.
Finally healthy travel it is about taking care ourselves while travelling. Taking actions to protect our health is making our journeys safe and enjoyable.
Originally published at www.konstantiaachilleos.com