Travel Health
When setting off for a gap year or independent travel experience there are a hundred things to think about; where to go, how long to go for, travel insurance, travel equipment, budgets, transport, accommodation, family, friends and partners left behind, visas and so many more. Travel health often gets put to one side, to be dealt with at a later time.
Living in the UK we are very fortunate, we often take our health for granted and we certainly take our medical facilities for granted. We know that if we get seriously ill there is a doctor that will treat us, within relatively easy reach. In an emergency we call an ambulance and we know they have a target time to reach us in; even in the most remote parts of our country we can be fairly confident that rescue will be on it’s way once the alarm has been raised and if not an ambulance then possibly and air ambulance. These facilities and luxuries are simply not available in many parts of the world. If you are hiking in the Himalayas, there is no reliable ambulance service to come to your assistance if you slip and fall injuring yourself; if you go kite surfing in the Pacific Islands, do not expect a helicopter or the coastguard to come to your rescue if you have a serious accident. It just will not happen.
Add to this lack of facilities to the inherent dangers faced in many parts of the world, which we don’t have to worry about at home and really the subject of travel health may start to move nearer the top of your planning list.
It’s a fact that the rate of accidents and injury goes up when you travel, we put ourselves in situations we simply would not at home.
It is common to hire motorbikes in Thailand and race up and down crazy highways without so much as protective clothing, let alone a helmet. How many people hire and drive these motorbikes for the first time when they are away, never having sat on one before they left the UK?
The very nature of travel carries inherent dangers; for most people travel is all about exploring an unfamiliar world. Many people will take part in activities that are either unavailable or unobtainable at home; hiking up volcanoes, white water rafting down rivers, throwing themselves off bridges with just elastic tied to their legs; but maybe most dangerous of all, we expose ourselves and environments where viruses, bacteria and disease are rampant and sometimes fatal.
Vaccination, prophylactics and prevention techniques are essential in almost any travel experience. The list of potential diseases does not start and finish with Sun Stroke (although this is in itself a very under-rated and dangerous condition), it includes; Malaria, Typhoid, Tetanus, Polio, Diphtheria, Hepatitis A. Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Yellow Fever, Tuberculosis, Dengue Fever, Meningitis, Rabies, Japanese Encephalitis, Cholera, Bilharzias, HIV, Filarzias, Typhoid Fever, Plague, Lyme Disease, Avian Flu, Tick Bourse Encephalitis, Deep Vein Thrombosis, Leishmaniasis, Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), Lassa Fever, Leptospirosis (Weil’s disease), Ebola Fever, Marburg Fever, Onchocerciasis, to name just a few…
Add to this catalogue the ailments of Altitude Sickness or Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) and the more common ailment of Travel Diarrhoea or 'Delhi Belly' / 'Montezuma’s Revenge' as it is better known and it does seem that travel itself can be a real struggle, rather then the fun experience we imagined. Just as common are basic injuries that anyone travelling for a period of time can expect; cuts bruises, blisters, insect bites etc. all add to the hazards faced when leaving home to travel.
But although there are no full proof guarantees on avoiding these dangers, there are ways of reducing the risk considerably and in some cases eliminating them completely. Taking advice from a medical practitioner should always be your first priority, but having a better understanding of the dangers themselves and how to treat minor illness or injury before it becomes more serious, also plays a very important role in allowing you to travel with more confidence and comfort.
During our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety and Awareness workshop (GYITSA) we examine the common and sometimes not so common dangers and diseases you will face on your travels. We tailor all our courses to focus specifically on those areas you intend to travel to and give you advise on what measures you can take to protect yourself from these perils, how they are transmitted, where they are found and how ultimately to avoid them.
We ask all candidates to fill out a Candidate Pre-Booking Form before they attend our workshop. This form asks you for your previous experiences and information about your planned trip. This allows us to prepare for the workshop in advance and make it more relevant to those attending.
We are not and do not claim to be medical practitioners, we don’t give medical advice and do not recommend particular drugs. What we do is give you guidance and an understanding of the risks in the area you are travelling to. No part of the world is entirely safe or protected from diseases that we may never have heard of or considered. Even Southern and Eastern Europe is blighted with diseases such as Dengue Fever and Tick Bourne Encephalitis, so we advise every person intending to travel to visit their doctor first for advice.
Anyone attending our workshop will recieve 10% off Travel Health Products from Nomad Travel & Outdoor.
However we know that despite their valiant efforts, a doctor’s time is limited and so our workshop fills in some of those gaps, by looking at the kind of activities that may place you in unnecessary danger and the equipment you might consider to help protect yourself. We wash away the common myths and re-enforce the message that protecting yourself and your family is better then relying on good fortune or your medical facilities at home to provide a cure.
Don’t become a statistic; nearly 2000 travellers return to the UK with Malaria contracted when they were abroad every year. Travel health preparations should not be bottom of your list, they must be near the top and time is a very important factor in being able to prepare yourself for every eventuality. Contact your travel doctor at least 8 weeks prior to travel and Contact Us before that. Let us teach you how to protect yourself, your travel companions and your family from harm. Our workshop makes a real difference and allows you to travel with peace of mind.
Always consult your doctor or travel clinic before travelling!
We believe in a transparent open approach and in and in providing access to useful information through our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop (GYITSA).
A short introduction to each of the subjects we cover during our workshop is published to allow anyone planning to travel to gain an insight into the considerations they will need to make, these include:
For more details on our Workshop / Course Dates and Fees please visit the How to Book section of our website, call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.
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