How to Stay Healthy While Travelling

Getting sick will ruin any vacation. The question for many is how to stay healthy while traveling. We’ll share a number of tips to keep you healthy whether you’re taking arriving in the UK from the United States or taking a day trip to London.

Wash Your Hands Often

This is the simplest way to keep yourself safe from everything from respiratory viruses to stomach bugs. Wash your hands before you eat so you don’t introduce every germ you touched to what you’re about to eat. Wash your hands after going to the bathroom so you don’t spread germs from your gastrointestinal tract.

Wash your hands after meeting people or dealing with pets to minimize the spread of pathogens they may spread by touch. Wash your hands both before and after dealing with a wound or dirty mess so you don’t spread germs. While you can use hand sanitizer once in a while, take the time to wash your hands for at least thirty minutes with soap and water several times a day.

See a Doctor When Symptoms Arise

If you’re traveling to a new part of the world, you’ve probably been advised to learn how to contact emergency services there. And you want to know about the local healthcare options. However, a common mistake people make is refusing to seek medical attention until there is no other option when they’re on vacation.

Consider seeing the doctor when you start to develop a stomach bug. If it is serious, you’ll get care before it threatens your health and safety. If it is minor, you’ll get appropriate treatment and recover as soon as possible. Don’t ignore potential injuries like new back pain or swollen joints.

Visit the doctors at Broadgate Private GP to find out if you need ice and bed rest or a cast. Don’t worry that you’ve spent money learning that you have nothing major to worry about. Instead, be glad you aren’t limiting yourself out of fear that you’re making a serious injury worse.

Stick to a Healthy Diet

Going on vacation often becomes an excuse to indulge in excesses. While you should certainly try new foods and hit restaurants you normally wouldn’t see, try to stick to a healthy diet. The longer your trip, the more likely you’ll suffer ill effects from a poor diet.

Try to stick to a normal meal schedule, proper portion sizes and a balanced diet. Don’t make the mistake of eating more carbs and less protein to try to save money. Skip the free breadsticks and eat a protein-rich main course. You’re less likely to experience wild swings in your blood sugar levels.

Don’t forget to stay hydrated. In fact, you’ll want to drink more water while you’re traveling, since dehydration leaves you prone to illness and exhaustion. That’s especially true if you’re normally sedentary and now walking everywhere.

Drink more water, too, if you’re drinking more alcohol than normal during your nights out on the town or chugging energy drinks to keep up with your itinerary.

Get Enough Sleep

A lot of people try to stay up late and get up early to get as much as they can done while they’re in London. This is a recipe for disaster. You are as mentally impaired when running on insufficient sleep as you are when you’re drunk. This increases the odds of everything from car accidents to leaving your luggage behind.

Insufficient sleep will also take a toll on your immune system. Try to stick to your normal sleep schedule unless you’ve travelled so far that jet lag is a problem. Shift your sleep schedule in advance of your trip so that you can sleep better when you reach your destination. It means you’ll be in a much better mood each day.