Health Advice For Backpackers

"My own prescription for health is less paperwork and more running barefoot through the grass."

- Leslie Grimutter

General

It is beyond the scope of this article to go into all the possible diseases you can contract and how to avoid them (and we also do not want to scare you off!). Please read your guidebooks health chapter, consult appropriate health authorities and check out which medicine and shots you need to get. Do this well in advance since sometimes you have to go back for several shots and a certain time needs to pass between each shot. You may also have to start medication before you leave home so do not leave this to the very last minute.

Make sure you get a health book which shows your certificate of immunizations (where it is actually possible to read what is written, nurses sometimes have the most terrible handwriting!) which you can show if you need to go to a hospital. You may also need to show that you have yellow fever immunizations when you enter some countries e.g. if you come from a yellow fever area.

Compare the prices for immunizations at different places, there can sometimes be quite a big difference.

If you have a prescription drug, talk to your pharmacy what you should bring when traveling (e.g. a copy of the prescription).

If you need medical help your embassy may be able to provide you with a listing of bilingual doctors or you can to go a pharmacy.

Take very good care of your personal hygiene. Make sure anything that goes into your mouth is clean - hey, stop those dirty thoughts!!! :) Wash your hands, use a hand disinfectant or antibacterial wipes. Clean knives, forks, glasses and plates.

Avoiding jet lag

On the plane

Avoid drinking alcohol which makes you dehydrated. If you drink a lot you will wake up and have go to the bathroom.

Get a window seat so that you are not woken up by people needing to use the restroom or stretch their legs. Use earplugs, eyeshades and an inflatable pillow to get some sleep. Take sleeping pills if advisable (check with your physician).

Avoid seats near the toilets which are noisy. Check out sites such as Seat Expert to find out which seats are good on your flight. If you need to use the rest room frequently an aisle seat is better. We prefer window seats in the middle between the rest rooms and the kitchen. You can sometimes choose your seat already when you purchase the ticket or by calling ahead or using Internet check in.

Do a few exercises (you can usually find them in the in-flight magazine) and walk around the aisle a few times.

If you have a large carry-on bag you do not want to store at your feet get on board early so that you can find a place to store the bag. The people who get on board last usually find the overhead compartments full. If you enter the plane late and there is little room left in the overhead compartments on the plane you can take out the things you need on your flight and stow your bag in an empty space on your way to your seat.

After arrival

Adapt to the local time i.e. stay up until it is time to go to bed. This can be hard if you arrive early in the morning but try to hang in there. You can usually adapt to the local time zone around 1 hour per day.

The sun

Think back to the most beautiful sunset you ever saw. Remember the colors, the way the whole sky seemed to glow as the sun slowly disappeared behind the horizon painting colors in the sparkling water?

Besides being beautiful the sun can also be quite dangerous. Consider protecting yourself with long sleeved shirts, hats etc as well as using sun block. Do not forget your ears and the soles of your feet and remember that the sun is reflected from snow and water so you may end up with sunburns in really weird places (such as on the inside of your nose) If you are beginning to get bald do not forget to apply sun screen to your unprotected areas on the head, especially if snorkelling.

If you do a lot of snorkelling you might want to buy a rashy, which is a long-sleeved shirt with sun protection factor 50. If you are out in the sun a lot you may want to consider getting a moisturizing cream to use after you have been out in the sun.

Showers

Many countries have electrical showers. You can recognize them from the fact that electrical cords go straight from the wall into a heating device attached to the wall where the water comes out. Many times it looks like a DIY-job from some wannabe electrician. They do not give the safest impression. Safety issues aside they usually produce lukewarm water at best.

The secret to getting a decent shower is to first turn on the water all the way so that the heating mechanism kicks in, then slowly turn the water off until you only have a small amount of water trickling down. If you turn it back too far the heating mechanism will think that the water is turned off and stop working which makes it instantly ice cold. Just part of what makes life so interesting :)

Sometimes there are different settings on the heating device in the electrical shower. If you want to change setting turn off the water before since changing setting can send a bunch of electric sparks around. You do not want to be underneath it then :)

Hot water often takes a few minutes from being turned on until it arrives to the shower so do not despair if it does not get hot straight away. You may also have to ask the reception to turn on the hot water.

Speaking of showers, do use flip flops when taking a shower. In low end accommodations there are lots of nasty things living on the floor (like foot fungus) who would like nothing better than to take up permanent residence in your feet.

If you do have to take a cold shower the best way is to get your arms and legs wet first, then get a small part of water on your torso. Apply soap and then step into the shower. Well it works for us at least.

Keep your mouth closed while taking showers, do not fill your mouth with water and spit it out.

Sex

Good news! For some reason it is quite easy to meet someone for a little bit of fun while traveling. Maybe it is the fact that people are far away from the responsibilities (and prying eyes) from home. Maybe there are some chemicals in the brain which are released because of the sun and warmth. Or maybe it is lack of competition - after Four days in the jungle you suddenly look like Brad Pitt compared to the spiders, snakes and mosquitoes around you.

Anyway, if you manage to get lucky do not forget to use a condom. You may bring back more souvenirs than you had intended and getting a herpes outbreak on the second day of your seven day jungle trek will make your life ermmmm interesting :) Make sure that the condoms still work. After being crammed into the bottom of your backpack in tropical climate for Three months and thrown around on the back of pick-up trucks (pun intended) the condoms may not be in pristine condition and risk breaking. The local condoms may not have the same quality standards as the ones you can get at home.

Stay safe. But have fun :)

Stomach

Take care with what you eat, having an upset stomach is one sure way to ruin your trip. There is an old saying: cook it, peel it, boil it or forget it. Avoid food which is uncooked or undercooked.

Make sure that the ice you consume is from purified water. Keep anti-diarrhoea pills and toilet paper handy (e.g. in your daypack). If you need a toilet you can find them in shopping malls, restaurants and large hotels (usually close to the lobby).

Avoid tap water, drink bottled water instead (there are exceptions though where the tap water is perfectly drinkable, check your guidebook). If you suspect that the bottle is refilled with tap water ask for it to be brought sealed to your table.

A trick that we have used is to take a small shot of Gammeldansk (herbal bitter) every night before you go to bed. The scientific value of this may be disputed, but it somehow seems to work.

Mosquitos and other annoying animals

Mosquitoes can be really annoying and they can also carry some dangerous diseases. To protect yourself you can use mosquito repellent, long sleeves and trousers, mosquito coil or a mosquito net in order to try to alleviate the situation. Spraying mosquito repellent on your shoes may also help you to avoid leeches. Mosquitoes are usually found in wet areas and at lower altitudes.

Miscellaneous

Beware of altitude sickness if you travel from a low altitude to a higher altitude, it can be quite dangerous. Give yourself enough time for altitude acclimatization.

If you are out in the jungle take a good look before squatting in the impromptu toilet - there are plenty of exotic animals who would love to have your behind for dinner.

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This article is based on the free e-book The Backpacker's Toolbox It contains checklists, templates, FAQs and practical advice (and a few bad jokes) to make your backpacking experience as smooth as possible.

http://www.hellobackpacker.com - practical advice for new and experienced backpackers for all trip stages: get inspired, plan your trip, advice on the road, tips when back home.
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