Don’t Get Sick On The Road: Travel Tips

No one enjoys getting ill, but when you’re far from home, sickness can quickly turn from troublesome to terrifying. Though you hopefully won’t get sick while you travel, a big medical emergency can strike at any time, whether or not you’re ready for it. In order to minimize stress and inconvenience, it’s significant to be prepared for the unexpected – if and when it strikes.

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Photo Credit: pocketdora | cc

And with being prepared it’s best to make sure that a travel health kit is inside your bag before you even step inside that plane. You’d want something that can get you out of any horrible situation and save you the inconvenience of finding a doctor and filing all the troublesome insurances plus protect you from spending a lot of money. You’d want a kit that’s compact enough to bring but all the things you’d need. Think through the trip you’re taking: the location and the weather conditions are something you’d need to consider and from there buy what you need in adequately small portions.

Here are some of the illness you’d want to look out for and what you’d need to bring to combat the illness:

Allergies

Get the best antihistamine you can buy especially if you have a lot of allergies. This medicine can also be used for itching, skin rashes and insect bites.

Constipation

Long travel time such as plane or train rides plus unfamiliar food such as those with too much cheese or dairy products might cause some clogging in your colon. It will be best to have some laxatives on hand for this type of situation.

Diarrhoea

Too much spicy or greasy meals might mean you’re buddying up with the toilet during the trip. Ensure that you keep yourself hydrated by drinking oral rehydration solution. And you may also take some loperamide which is useful if you’re on the road. Anti-diarrhoea drugs, such as loperamide, can relieve symptoms of diarrhoea by slowing down the movement of bowel contents and sometimes by increasing water absorption from the gut. Loperamide can be taken once or twice a day, over a long period.

Pain

Painkillers are indispensable for headaches, muscle pain, toothache and menstrual pain. Take a remedy containing aspirin, paracetamol or ibuprofen. If you’re the type of person who has high pain tolerance or those with sensitivity to let’s say paracetamol or ibuprofen it will be advisable to ask a prescription from the doctor and get that filled out before you head out.

Sores and Sunburn

Take a skin-disinfecting agent with you to clean sores, eg a small bottle of chlorhexidine. Antiseptic wipes are also useful as it can be of multiple purpose during the trip such as wiping down a toilet bowl so you can sit on it or cleaning off a small wound. Select a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15. The higher the SPF, the better the protection. Buy sunscreen labelled “broad-spectrum” as this would mean that it protects against both UVA and UVB rays. Don’t use creams that are past their expiry date as it would no longer be effective.

Remember it doesn’t take much to ensure that your dream vacation doesn’t end up with you getting sick so why take the risk?

This post was brought to you in partnership with Chemmart.com.au

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