Let's Get Physical!
- Rebecca Rudd
- Jun 22
- 4 min read
*A practical guide to provide you with all of the necessary information to help protect and maintain your physical health whilst travelling abroad.
*Please note: The following article is based on my experience in England so this could be different depending on where you are based in the world and their healthcare procedures and regulations.
It comes as no surprise that our physical health affects our mental health and vice versa! Therefore, it is essential that when planning and preparing for that all exciting adventure abroad, you factor all the ways in which you are going to look after your physical well-being; after all, it is the gateway to feeling good mentally and being ready to face anything! 'Failing to prepare, is preparing to fail' (as the old adage goes) and you definitely don't want to find your health compromised before realising that it could have, in actual fact, been prevented.
I'm sure we've all had times where we've 'thrown caution to the wind' with our sunscreen regime and ended up with nasty case of sunburn: skin tight, red raw or even worse, blistering. Maybe you've been bitten to death by mosquitoes: left with swollen, itchy stings all over that you just want to scratch and scratch and scratch? It's not pleasant! I was once so badly burnt on the first day of a holiday that I was unable to directly expose my skin to the sun for the remainder of my stay there. Although I immediately regretted it at the time (due to pain and hassle that it caused), I still regret it now having learnt more about the harmful effects of extreme sun exposure.
As previously mentioned in my earlier blogs, last year I went travelling around South America for approximately three months. Knowing that I would be away for this length of time meant that I had to meticulously plan and consider the following areas to safeguard my physical health:
important daily medications;
the required vaccinations for certain countries;
general health;
sun safety and protection;
extra precautions and essentials;
and finally, your non-negotiable (basically the cosmetics or toiletries that you can't live without!).
When it comes to health and well-being everyone is unique and what is necessary for me may not be the same for you. However, in this blog I will share with you my planning and list-making; some of it may be useful and some of it may not be! And as stated previously, depending on where you reside in the world, the procedures and protocols may be different.
Important Daily Medications
This was one of the most important considerations for me due to having a two daily prescriptions. At my medical practice, they will only prescribe three months worth of the prescription at one time. Knowing this, I ensured that I gave them plenty of notice in regards to when I would be requiring this.
I was also advised to keep the prescriptions in their correctly labelled boxes along with a copy of my prescription note from the doctor. Furthermore, I always keep my medication and doctor's note in my hand luggage when travelling and flying, just in case my luggage gets lost!
Vaccinations & Malaria Prevention Tablets
Depending on your itinerary and the countries that you are visiting, there may be certain vaccinations that you are required to get. In England, I was able to get a couple of vaccinations with the NHS but for the majority of them I had visit the local pharmacy and pay for each one. Once you know your itinerary, you can then speak to a GP and pharmacist in order to work out which ones you need to plan accordingly.
In regards to whether or not you would need to take malaria prevention tablets, this can be determined through conversations with your pharmacist and GP. There are now Malaria Risk Maps that will show you whether or not it is a threat in the places you are visiting.
I would allow as much time as possible for the planning and organising of your vaccinations as some require a waiting time between doses etc.
General Health | Sun Safety | Extra Precautions & Essentials |
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My Non-negotiables
These are the items that you simply can't do without! For me it is the following:
my mouth guard to stop teeth grinding whilst sleeping;
facial moisturiser to treat rosacea;
and finally, a high factor sunscreen for my face.
What are your non-negotiables?
My final top tips!
A shampoo bar lasts much longer than liquid shampoo! However, I found that the conditioning soap for my hair wasn't as effective (for long, thick hair) as the usual, bottled conditioner.
Leading on from this, I brought a travel hairbrush but this wouldn't work in my hair so I had to purchase a sturdy, paddle hairbrush for my hair type.
Opt for multi-purpose cosmetics (i.e. an after sun lotion with insect repellent for maximum effectiveness and protection).
Clear sandwich bags were great for keeping things dry and clean.
Safety and comfort over style! For example, my sun hat also contained UV protection and there are many other products that will offer necessary extras...
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