The Husband, Stacy and I are heading for a mini-vacay to meet up with Rhys in Medellin, Colombia next weekend. I have been checking out what to do and where to do it and am getting excited. This awesome city went from being one of the most dangerous cities to being named “Innovative City of the Year” by the Wall Street Journal, Citibank and the Urban Land Institute in 2013. A Huffington post article recently said, “With the world’s best weather (80 degrees Fahrenheit every day), great restaurants, tons of art/culture and amazing nightlife, it should be on any curious traveler’s bucket list.”
Like all international trips we take, we checked the CDC’s Travel Health Notices for health concerns and risks. I also called Dr. Lisa (my former roommate and favorite Infectious Disease Doctor) to discuss. I then found a great article from HealthTap with 11 Tips for Healthy and Safe Travel. Click the link to read more details on each tip. They are:
1. Stay Hydrated. We will bring water bottles so that we can buy large bottles and bring filtered water with us on the go.
2. Eat Healthy. They suggest “everything in moderation.” I love to try local specialties and also try to make the healthiest possible choices to keep some balance. I will also bring lots of high quality, healthy snacks with me for airports and car rides. Check out this post with healthy eating when traveling internationally from Finds’ fave Amanda Skrip.
3. Avoid Food and Water of Questionable Quality. We always try to do this but many places have awesome street food and it can be tempting. I still remember the Husband’s shock when I tried some candy from a woman selling it in the street in Vietnam. (I did not get sick from that but I did get sick in Moscow and Peru from eating raw veggies.)
4. Wash Your Hands Regularly.
5. Make Sure Your Vaccinations Are Up To Date. Check. My arm still smarts from my Typhoid vaccination.
6. Keep Prescriptions Organized.
7. Get Enough Sleep. This one can be tough when traveling – especially because we are leaving at the crack of dawn. It is good to remember and to try.
8. Protect Yourself Against Mosquitos and Other Bugs. We have some DEET heavy bug spray after Asian travels and our chikungunya concerns in the Dominican Republic.
9. Practice Safe Sex.
10. Monitor the CDC’s Travel Health Notices. Done!
11. Have Access to Medical Advice. They recommend HealthTap Prime (of course). We bought travel insurance with our tickets to cover medical care and medical evacuation. Better to be safe than sorry for sure!
I also will keep in mind my Top 10 Ways To Stay Healthy (+ Sane) When You Travel. My cheat sheet:
Here are some other great links on active and healthy travel:
- How to Travel the Active Way from Move Nourish Believe
- Five Things to Keep in Mind For Healthy Active Travel from Active.com
- Eating Well and Staying Active When You Travel from Independent Traveler
- 12 Tips for Healthy Travel from Travel and Leisure (hypochondriacs beware here but very good points on bringing OTC meds, etc.)
- 10 Tips to Stay Healthy in Flight from the Today Show
What are your tips and tricks for staying healthy when you travel? Please leave them in the comments.
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