Travel means different things to different people. For many people, travel is little more than a long commute to work. There are the adventurers who are looking to see something new and do something different. Beyond the adventurer is the sporting traveler. Their adventures tend to be more hair-raising and physical.
But the type of traveler most at risk is probably the vacationer. They tend to be all about unplugging and tuning out. They are least likely to be hyper-vigilant and environmentally aware. That casual attitude with regard to health and safety puts them at risk in unexpected ways. The more casual the traveler, the less chance they have of surviving a mishap unscathed. Here are three health and survival tips no traveler should be without:
Recognizing Danger
The best way to deal with an emergency situation is to avoid getting into one in the first place. It’s called situational awareness and it is listed multiple times on this list of curriculum taught in a standard online first aid certification program.
Vacationers (dare I say, tourists), have a reputation for a certain obliviousness when it comes to their surroundings. Are you in an area where crime against individuals is high? Are you walking through tall brush where snakes like to hide? Are you swimming in a body of water where an undertow is likely? Being unaware of these types of things can lead to unnecessary survival emergencies.
Know Where to Avoid the Water
Many health problems you will encounter when traveling occur because you were thirsty. In some parts of the world, drinking the water can lead to serious illness, even death. Here are five places you shouldn’t drink the water:
- Brazil
- Indonesia
- Mexico
- Albania
- Costa Rica
In such places, having something fermented is usually a safer choice. Other options are boiling the water for about a minute before drinking, and bringing your own. Diseases and contaminants associated with drinking tainted water include E. coli, salmonella, and hepatitis A. These are reasons enough to check the water report for any place you plan to visit.
Carry a Satellite Phone When You Travel
In the worst situations, what you need even more than a snakebite kit is a way to call for help. There are many situations where a sat-phone can save your life. Here is one presented by this survival site that you may not have considered:
However, an even more pressing issue is the lack of power to many of the cellular towers in the storm-devastated areas. You might have a phone with full battery power, but if the nearest transmission tower is out of commission, you aren’t going to have much luck using your cellular phone. And when there is a storm like Sandy, which effectively took out nearly 20 percent of the cell towers in the mid-Atlantic region, it becomes even more important to find a means to make calls—and in a life or death situation, you do not want to be at the mercy of traditional telecommunications.
This type of equipment is especially useful for the more adventurous type. If you are the type who likes to leave the beaten path just to see what’s out there, getting lost is a real possibility. ATV riders, private plane owners, and boaters should never leave the suburbs without one. If you are on the more adventurous side, neither should you.
Without exception, everyone should know some basic first aid. But that is only the beginning of what it takes to get out alive. Be aware of the situations you should avoid in the first place. Seriously, don’t drink the water in those exotic reaches. And always have a way to call for help.
