It can certainly be a challenge to take good care of yourself when you are a frequent traveller. Whether you often fly to foreign countries or you prefer to explore the UK in your car or on a train, it’s exciting, engaging, and it can really make life a lot more enjoyable. Travel is something that everyone should do whenever they get the chance.
However, when you are always on the move and coming into contact with many new people, there is a big chance that you could become unwell, which will mean you have to cut short your trip or change your plans. So what can be done? The good news is, there are some fantastically simple ways to keep on top of your health when you’re travelling; read on to find out what some of them are.
Staying healthy when you’re travelling actually starts well before you board the plane or start the car’s engine. To be as healthy as you can, it’s a good idea to stock up on over-the-counter medication, bandages, plasters, alcohol wipes, and useful first aid equipment from a pharmacy such as Oxford Online Pharmacy.
Buying these things in advance won’t be expensive, but it could be extremely useful. When you’ve got a fully stocked first aid kit in your bag, you can attend to any health issues right away and not have to wait for help, which means you’ll have much less disruption when you’re travelling. Plus, the peace of mind that having these items with you will bring will allow you to enjoy your time away much more, without worrying about what might happen if you were injured or became unwell. Hopefully, you’ll never need to use these things, but it’s best to have them with you nonetheless.
To function properly, the human body needs to be hydrated all the time. This means drinking plenty of water wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. Always have a bottle with you, and sip from it throughout the day, and you can prevent yourself from becoming unwell due to dehydration. This is especially important in a hot climate or when you’re flying to a lot of places (or on a long-haul flight), but if you keep it in mind at all times, you’ll stay much healthier.
Dehydration has several unpleasant symptoms, including nasty headaches, painful urination, diarrhoea, and general malaise and confusion. In extreme cases, it can cause organ failure and even death. If you want to enjoy your travelling, you’ll want to keep hydrated.
No one wants the pain and inconvenience of sunburn when they’re away on holiday, whether they’re somewhere hot or enjoying the ski slopes or anywhere in between – it’s crucial to remember that the sun can be intense and cause burns even when it’s not hot.
You need to ensure you keep yourself as safe in the sun as possible. Ideas to do this include wearing a hat, using sunscreen, staying hydrated, and covering yourself when exposed to direct sunlight.
Bring after-sun or aloe vera gel with you on your trip too. It’s best not to get burned at all because no tan is worth the pain and potential additional health issues that sunburn can cause, but if you do make a mistake, then rubbing these cooling gels and creams on the affected area can soothe it so you don’t miss out on too much of your holiday.
For some people, staying active when you’re away from home on an adventure is not going to be a problem. In fact, it could be the very reason you’ve travelled to wherever it is you’ve travelled. You might be on an activity holiday, hiking, mountain climbing, camping, or enjoying water sports.
However, if you are planning a much more sedentary trip away, such as you might do if you chose a beach holiday or just wanted to lie around the hotel pool all day, you’ll need to inject some activity into your day, otherwise, you could become unwell.
Many hotels and holiday complexes will have fitness classes you can join in with, or perhaps a gym you can use. Just half an hour a day is all it takes to stay healthy, and you can probably fit that into your schedule most of the time. Remember, although you’ll want to have some rest and relaxation when you’re on holiday, if you go from being active to doing nothing and then back to being active again when you get home, your body could suffer as a consequence.
Written by Tim Saunders