Guest Post by Carla from Boomer Biz

You’ve been planning a big trip for ages – and getting sick on the road is the last thing you want. But sometimes, vacations don’t go as expected. Unfortunately, falling ill while traveling is always a risk, so it’s best to be prepared just in case. Nobody is ever prepared for illness.

Applying some healthy lifestyle tips from the blog Today can help you feel your best wherever you are. Furthermore, these recommendations will show you how to care for yourself on the go and get the medical help you need if you happen to get sick on the road.

Save Your Medical Records

If you’re traveling, and you have to see a medical professional who is not your primary care doctor, you can make things easier by bringing your medical records with you. No, this does not mean you need to bring a folder full of healthcare paperwork in your suitcase – instead, you can save these essential records as PDFs on your iPhone. Plus, when you convert file to PDF and save it directly to your phone, you won’t need to rely on WiFi to access it. This makes it easy to pull up your records even if you’re going off the grid.

Prepare for Your Trip

If you get sick on vacation, you might find yourself wondering where you can get medical care. Before you leave, it’s a good idea to look up local urgent care clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies. That way, if you do notice any strange symptoms, you’ll know exactly where to go in order to get help.

What to Pack

As you make your packing list, you’ll want to add a first aid kit. By packing a first aid kit, you can deal with minor aches and pains on your own while you’re out of town. But what should you bring in your first aid kit? Nomadic Matt recommends including bandaids, gauze, ACE bandages, surgical tape, scissors and tweezers, antiseptic wipes, and over-the-counter pain medication. If you take any specific medications on a regular basis, don’t forget to pack those too.

Helpful Supplements

When you’re traveling, your immune system is encountering different germs, which can make you more likely to come down with colds, sinus infections, and other mild yet irritating illnesses. Thankfully, there are a few common supplements you can take in order to support your immune system and protect yourself from illnesses while traveling. GoodRx recommends taking vitamin D, vitamin C, and zinc for better immune functioning. Of course, if you’re wondering whether a particular supplement is right for you, it’s always a good idea to ask your doctor.

Stick to Routines

Why is it so easy to end up feeling under the weather when you’re traveling? When you’re on vacation, you’re usually not sticking to your usual daily schedule, so you end up dropping the habits that make you feel your best most of the time. That’s why making a concentrated effort to maintain your daily routines is key. Try to wake up and go to bed around the same times that you do at home so that you get enough sleep.

Eat Healthy

When you arrive at a new destination, it’s only natural that you’ll want to try the local cuisine. Trying new restaurants, sampling regional favorites, and indulging in tasty treats is all part of the travel experience. But it’s important to incorporate healthy foods into your diet when you’re traveling, too. Pack some nutritious snacks with you for your flight so that you won’t be tempted to buy sweets at the airport. You can also head to the grocery store after arriving at your accommodations and make plans to stay in and cook for some nights of your trip.

Exercise

You might be going on a vacation centered around physical activity, like surfing, diving, hiking, or rock climbing. But what if your current schedule includes a lot of downtime and very little physical activity? It’s a good idea to try to move your body anyway! If you’re staying at a hotel, you may want to hit the gym in the morning before your day really gets started. You might also want to take strolls around the city where you’re staying to explore, or roll up a yoga mat in your suitcase so that you can stretch after a long day.

Seek Care

Maybe you’ve done your best to keep up with healthy habits so that you don’t get sick while traveling – but your efforts weren’t enough. What should you do when you’re not feeling well? If you’re dealing with a medical emergency, you need to head to the nearest emergency room immediately. But if you’re dealing with a minor issue, it’s a good idea to go to urgent care instead – many urgent care centers will be able to see you very quickly without an appointment, so you’ll be able to get efficient care.

Dealing With Insurance

If you’re traveling within your own country, there’s a good chance that your health insurance will provide coverage for emergency care regardless of your location. However, if you don’t have insurance, make sure to let the healthcare providers know that you’ll be paying out of pocket. You can inquire about payment plans, too.

What if you’re traveling outside of your country? It’s a smart idea to purchase travel insurance before you leave. This is the best way to ensure that you have access to affordable healthcare coverage anywhere in the world. That way, if you do get sick on your trip, you won’t have to worry about paying hefty medical bills – your policy will cover the costs for you.

There’s no denying that getting sick while traveling is a drag. One moment, you’re enjoying the trip that you’ve looked forward to for so long, and the next, you realize that you’re coming down with something. But with these tips, you can implement some healthy routines while on your trip to prevent illnesses. Plus, you can follow these recommendations to easily get high-quality healthcare no matter where you are.

Looking for healthy lifestyle tips? You can find them on the blog Starting Today! Browse our website today for guidance on mental and physical health.

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