Health considerations in your travel plans

It is difficult to admit yet it is worth sharing as it may help avoid many any miserable health experiences abroad. On our recent trip to India, we suffered from diarrhea for most of the trip. We went to a see different doctor on daily basis in hope if a new medicine or advice will work. Before we knew it, it was time to return back to US. We got better when we came back to US. If we had known better, we could have avoided such problems simply by taking with us the necessary medicine to protect our health.

If you don’t have a robust digestion system to begin with, you may not stay out of trouble when going abroad. But you may concentrate on enjoying the trip rather than worry about your health if you prepare well in advance and follow tips such as:

• See a doctor prior to leaving:
  • To have basic physical exam
  • Receive enough needed prescription to last the duration of your trip. Remember to have the prescription(s) filled prior to departure date.
  • Get any advice from the doctor about any medical concerns you have
• Make sure to take with you on your trip copies of your prescription for contact lenses and glasses.
• Consider carrying prescriptions with your carry-on instead of in a checked luggage.
• Drink caned or bottled water and soft drinks-particularly if you are not sure of the quality of the water abroad
• If needed you may also take with you a first-aid kit that has items such as:
  • Bandages
  • Sunscreen
  • Thermometer
  • Foot cream or powder
  • Optional insect repellent
  • Lotion (to protect against insect bites, poison ivy, sun burn, etc.)