It’s just not about travelling light
The biggest mistake I made three years back when travelling with my son to a pilgrimage centre, was to give him hot (supposedly boiled) drinking water from a hotel. I thought boiled and hot water was safe, until I realized that my son had got a stomach infection from drinking the water. He was only three years old at that time, and suffered a queasy stomach quite badly.
Such mistakes often happen, if we don’t take sufficient travel health care precautions, when we are away from our home. To ensure that your travel memories are all good ones follow these health care tips while on road.
Before The Trip
It is always a good idea to acclimatize oneself, with the local climate and sanitation. Talk with your travel operator, read reviews about the place, and get to know up-to-date travel information about the place.
Take medical records, health insurance information, phone number of your doctor, and non-prescription medicines along with a first aid kit. Check if you need to take any type of vaccination before you head out to the place.
Eat Healthy
Half the battle concerning health is won if you eat healthy. Salads, food from the street stalls which is not fresh, vegetables and fruits which are cut and peeled, unclean milk, cheese and mayonnaise, sea food, cold meat etc should generally be avoided. Raw, uncooked, un-pasteurized foods and contaminated water can lead to stomach infections. Drink bottled water, and tea, coffee which is made from boiled water. Do not use ice for your drinks.
Street food
If you wish to savor street food, then follow the crowd. If a stall or restaurant is busy, it probably means it is safer, than lonely hangouts. It is best to go slow, and let your stomach get adjusted to local cuisine, before plunging in to the potpourri of street food on offer.
It is best to carry peel able fruits and vegetables, nuts, light snacks like Rusk, bread, peanut butter, khakras, instant oatmeal, granola bars, sandwiches, etc if you wish to avoid gastrointestinal problems.
