How to stay healthy while traveling

Years ago, I was asked to speak at a Belle de Jour event that focused on travel. Many of the participants have not tried solo travel before, so they were raising their concerns and asking my opinion. One of the questions was: what do I do if I get sick when I’m traveling solo?

Know your body

That was my answer. Personally, I think it’s important that you know and understand how your body works. Every body is different, and what might work for me may not necessarily work for you.

At that time, I was still working nights. I am prone to anemia, so I always make sure that I am getting enough sleep. I also find it hard to sleep in unfamiliar places or when in transit, so I take that into consideration when I travel. When I don’t get enough sleep, I get nausea, and that’s no fun. So for this, I take iron supplements to avoid this.

Continuous lack of sleep also lowers your immunity, making you more susceptible to getting sick, that’s why it’s also important to have adequate rest, eat healthily, and take supplements if necessary. But again, this is how my body reacts to a lack of sleep. How does your body cope?

One of the things I’ve learned to do in the past year is to start my vitamin supplements a week before the trip starts. This week is usually quite busy for me since I’ll be running errands and finishing last-minute work stuff just to make sure I can relax during my holiday. This also ensures that my immunity is at least in much better shape when I get to the airport and my destination.

Getting sick while traveling

I’ve actually gotten sick several times while on the road, but luckily, not so bad that I needed to go to the hospital.

I usually get colds and the occasional flu, but luckily I have some medicine with me or had a local friend with me who was able to talk to the pharmacist to sell me the right medicine and to instruct me on the proper dosage.

If you have allergies, food sensitivities, or a medical condition, make sure to always bring your medicine (and some extras), as well as your prescription. Also, it can be hard to convey your food sensitivities or allergies when you’re traveling in a place where you don’t speak the language, make sure to have something in you that is written or printed in the local language about the food and ingredients that you are avoiding.

The time that I did have to consult with a doctor (due to a paranoid health scare), I was so glad that I had travel insurance because I was able to reimburse the cost of all the consultation fees and the tests that had to be done.

Having travel insurance also protects you from draining out your savings because health care in other countries (while very good) can be quite costly. One visit to a specialist in Melbourne already cost me AU$180.

Should I still travel when there’s COVID-19?

In 2009, I made a plan to travel around Southeast Asia for one month. My trip was in June, and a month before I was set to leave, news about the A(H1N1) Flu Virus came out.

It worried me because it was spreading fast, but I really wanted to go on that trip. So I read up on every news article about the virus. I followed its spread, learned where it is spreading, and how it’s spreading.

The precautions that were given then are still the same precaution we are given for COVID-19: maintain good body resistance, keep good hygiene, eat well-cooked dishes.

It’s important to keep yourself informed of what’s happening. Read up on everything you can about COVID-19. So far, what I’ve learned it that while it spreads fast, the mortality rate is very low at 2%. Many of the confirmed cases that were hospitalizes were treated, made a recovery, and were discharged from the hospital.

So should you still travel? Unless you’re traveling to countries where there is a travel ban, you can still proceed with your trip. Just be aware of the risks involved, prepare your body for the trip, and know what to do should you get sick (not necessarily with COVID-19).