Healthy Travel Tips is provided by Teri Champigny.
Preparing for a Safe Trip to Europe - Before You Leave
With that in mind, there are several things that most travelers need and are aware of. Vaccinations, visas and passports, electrical adapters, and other preparations must be made before you leave for your trip to Europe. By taking these precautions, you will be more likely to have a safe trip to Europe.
First, you should make two copies of everything important to your finances, stay in the country, and return to America. This includes copying your credit cards, passport, visa, hotel reservations, and plane reservations for the return flight. You should give one copy to a trusted relative or friend that is staying here in America. Keep the other copy with you, but make sure that it is stowed away in a save place. A bag that will likely stay in your room and not on your person is ideal. You should also keep the copies and the originals separate.
Making copies of these important documents will save you from substantial heartache, legal trouble with local and American authorities, and financial problems. If you are robbed of your important documents or credit cards, you can report them stolen, have them canceled, and still have proof of your identity to that you may return home from your European vacation safely.
Another preparation you should make before leaving for Europe is to call your credit card companies and let them know that you’re planning on traveling to a different country. In today’s society of identity theft and credit card fraud, credit card companies often deny charges from locations which they do not feel their customers would be making purchases. If you fail to let your credit card companies know that you will be traveling, you may find yourself in Europe without any money or means of getting money.
For safety purposes, you should also make sure that you pack your clothing in accordance with the culture of the areas you will visit. This will help you avoid trouble as you wander about foreign cities. You should also leave any unnecessary valuables at home, so that there is less reason for someone to try to rob you later.
You should also check with the US State Department for travel warnings related to other countries. There are not often travel warnings posted for European countries, but it is better to be safer than sorry. You can also find the location of the US Embassy in each country that you will visit and register your trip with the US Embassy at this web site.
By registering your trip with the US Embassy and knowing the location of those embassies in the areas that you will visit is very important to your safety. In the event that an emergency occurs, either with your family at home or while you are abroad, the US Embassy will be able to intercede on your behalf, locate you quickly, and help you take appropriate action. Getting maps of the areas you will visit and noting the location of the US Embassy on the map is also good preparation for any emergencies that may arise.
Getting the Right Vaccinations at the Doctor’s Office
There are three main types of vaccinations that you may get before traveling to Europe: routine, recommended, and required. Any vaccinations that you may need should be obtained from your physician four to six weeks prior to your planned trip to Europe. This will give the vaccinations time to take effect, and provide you with more protection.
Routine vaccinations that all adults require are the Tetanus and Diphtheria vaccinations. These vaccinations should be received by all adults every ten years. If your vaccinations are not up to date or over due, you should make sure that you receive them before leaving for Europe. Children require further routine vaccinations, and should also be up to date on their shots before leaving for Europe.
There are no required vaccinations for travel to Europe. However, there are recommended vaccinations that your physician may deem necessary based on your health conditions and health risk assessment. Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B shots may be recommended by your physician. Hepatitis A can be contracted through touch, and can be common in some areas of Europe.
Hepatitis B is transmitted through medical care, blood, and sexual encounters, and may not be necessary. If there is any chance that you may have sexual encounters with locals while in Europe, or if you have a medical condition that may force you to seek medical treatment while in Europe, it may be a good idea to discuss this vaccination option with your physician.
Another recommended vaccination may be gotten from your physician for the Avian flu. This is a common illness in many overseas countries, European countries included. When you speak with your doctor, you should be completely honest about your itinerary and the activities you plan to engage in. This will help your doctor assess your health risk, and recommend any vaccinations he or she feels are necessary. There may be others not listed here, so do not assume that you know best and try to rush this very important doctor’s appointment.
While you are there, you should also obtain a list of your medications and their scientific names from your doctor. Brand names and generics may not be the same where you are traveling. In the event that your medication is lost or stolen and you need to obtain more, you may need to know the exact scientific name for the medication in order to get it replaced. You may also ask your doctor for an additional prescription that will allow you to take extra medication just in case you are delayed for any reason.
Keep this additional medication as well as a copy of your medication list separate from your original list and medications. This way you will be able to get the medical attention or medications you need in the case that you lose your medication and lists.
Dealing With Jet Lag
Jet lag happens when you travel to Europe because you go through several time zones in the process of your flight. Although it can put a major dent into your first day in Europe, it can cause even more issues when you come back to the United States. However, there are several things that you can do to help you overcome jet lag, or avoid it entirely. Like everything about travel in Europe, it’s all about knowledge and preparation.
One way that you can avoid jet lag entirely is by sleeping on the plane. If you have trouble sleeping on planes, you may want to try an over the counter sleep aid. If you have never used sleeping aids in the past, you should try them out before your trip to see how you will react to them. Once you find one that works well for you, you can pack it into your carry-on luggage for use on the plane.
Melatonin is often recommended by veteran travelers as the best way to handle jet lag. However, different people react in different ways to over the counter or prescription melatonin. It is best to try melatonin before your flight to make sure that you will not have any problems with the drug. In some people it can cause sickness, tiredness without sleeping, or even cause nightmares. If you prefer not to take medications, you can get melatonin by drinking red wine on the plane or before your flight.
Another way that you can avoid jet lag is by changing your sleeping schedule before you leave. About a week before your planned trip to Europe, start getting up earlier and earlier in the morning, and going to be earlier and earlier in the evening. By the time you leave, you will be on a sleeping schedule compatible with your destination’s time zone. When you return to the United States, simply reverse the process by staying up later and getting up later a little bit at a time until you are back to your original sleeping schedule.
However you plan to deal with your jet lag, there are a few safety tips to keep in mind. If you are feeling overly tired or nauseous from your jump across the time zones, you need to rest. Don’t try to push through a bad case of jet lag and start having fun right away. If you need to rest for a few hours at the hotel before hitting the shops, then do so.
When you have jet lag, you are more likely to be less aware of your surroundings, and become a more likely target for crimes against tourists. This is not the time for wandering about the city or conducting currency exchanges. If you don’t feel quite yourself, rest first, then handle those tasks that require a fresh and alert mind. This will protect you physically and financially. After all, your vacation will not be any fun at all if you are robbed or scammed out of all of your money on the first day!
Travel Outside The Country, Safe And Sound
There is an undeniable fact that most people have this great desire to have a chance to travel abroad at some time in their lives. For some reasons, others go abroad for work. Whatever the purpose of that travel abroad is, see to it that you make yourself safe from whatever hassles and be prepared for the whole trip.
Here are some of the tips you have to bear in mind so that you will not have a hard time traveling, so that it will be fun and exciting.
What are these tips?
· See to it that you have signed the right passport and visa, double check everything for these are the most important things you have to secure before anything else. And be sure to fill in the information intended for the emergency page.
· Be sure to make copies of your identification so that if your passport becomes lost or stolen you will have the necessary identification to have as ID or to go to your embassy to get a new passport.
· Make a third copy of your important travel papers to leave behind for a relative.
· More readings would definitely help you out. Get to know the country you want to visit. Try to learn some of the language of that country, it is always appreciated that you made the effort to speak in their language. The Consular information sheets would surely be very essential as a reading material. You really have to get to know the country you choose to go.
· As you are in the other country, of course, you have to be under the rules and law of the country you are paying a visit at. For it would surely decide your total stay there. Stay out of the hassles and troubles by being of knowledge.
· Be aware of their custom as well. Do not get yourself that feeling of being an outcast or do not hurt others just because you have gone against their usual beliefs and their usual acts. When you know the culture and the custom, the more you sow seeds f respect to the place and its people.
· And of course, contact the nearest offices that are very helpful to you.
These are the reminders you have to carry with you whenever you go around and see the world. Traveling is indeed fun but you could turn it into a disaster if you do not how to handle and enjoy it with the right steps, information and guide.
As you visit places and meet people, make this as your guide. This would definitely lead you to the places you more than dreamed of.
Staying Healthy and Safe While You Travel
There are two kinds of travelers. One is known as the Safe-Traveler, he understands health and safety rules and follows them to be safe while traveling internationally. The other one is known as the High-Risk Traveler, this traveler follows only his nose for adventure, disregarding health and safety rules that are designed to keep him healthy and safe while traveling in foreign countries. Here are just some of the rules that our Safe-Traveler knows. Will you be safe and follow the rules?
Travel Tip #1
Check with your physician at last 6 weeks prior to your departure date to see what vaccinations you should have to stay healthy on your trip. Vaccinations are protection against diseases that may be active in the country you are traveling to. Some vaccines must be given in a series of shots so you must give enough time to receive the entire series of shots.
Some vaccines are recommended when ever persons travel to a foreign country, some are required based on the particular country you are traveling to and some countries will require proof that you have had these before they will grant you entrance into their borders. Then there are vaccines that are recommended by your physician based on the activities that you plan on doing while overseas, your present health status and any unique situations.
Travel Tip #2
Stay in first-class hotels in city or urban locations where officials will have set up precautions for foreign travelers. City officials have a stake in protecting the tourist and business guest in their country.
Travel Tip #3
Make it a point to learn about all laws of the country you will be visiting so that you will not inadvertently break any that may land you in jail or cause you physical harm, like driving on the wrong side of the road.
Travel Tip #4
Traveling to developed countries, staying for short-term and taking time to learn local custom so that you can respect the locals, their customs and their food, when in doubt about what to do, error on the side of caution.
Travel Tip #5
Talk to your healthcare provider if you have any of the following health conditions to be sure that you are doing all you can be, to be healthy and safe while traveling:
Allergies
Asthma
Cardiac problems
Diabetes
Epilepsy
You will also need to speak with your obstetrician if you are pregnant and will be traveling to a foreign country during your pregnancy. You will need to discuss types of travel that are safe for you and your unborn child. You may need to discuss safe food and water for all the countries you will be staying in, as some foods and some types of water may be harmful to an unborn child.
It is a good idea to travel with a first aid kit and basic first aid instructions. Staying safe and healthy while traveling abroad is a matter of being prepared and being observant of what is happening around you.