No one wants to fall victim to an illness or an accident, but it is always a good idea to know exactly what to do under such circumstances. Preparing for emergencies can help you deal with these urgent situations better, knowing that you have the right measures in place for such occasions.
It is also a good idea to know what to do should you run into health-related emergencies on your travels. Preparing for one is actually easier than you think. We are going to go over the basics of preparing for an emergency before your next trip in this article.
Have a Kit
Whether you’re preparing for an emergency when you’re at home or while you are traveling, having an emergency kit ready and accessible is a must. Your kit must include first-aid items as well as medications you normally take and several other items.
Include a sufficient amount of cash in the kit so that you can deal with expenses with ease in an emergency situation. You should also include a copy of your medical history – a flash drive with your electronic health records is ideal – as well as your insurance information.
Lastly, make sure you add bottled water and some snacks to the emergency kit. The last thing you want is to have to look for water or food when trying to deal with a serious medical condition on your own.
Know Your Options
Next, make sure you do your research about possible solutions before departing to the destination city. For medical emergencies, this means knowing where to get emergency care at your destination. You should also check alternative facilities, such as medical institutions providing fast care and emergency treatments, should hospital ER not be accessible.
Save emergency phone numbers and make sure you can dial them easily in the event of an emergency. The number of local hospitals and emergency care, police station and the emergency hotline of the destination country are among the important numbers you must know before departing on your next trip.
Lastly, be sure to check if your health insurance policy – and your travel insurance – can be used (or if you have to deal with out-of-pocket expenses first). The more informed you are, the better you will be at handling emergencies.
Prevent & Avoid
To complete our series of tips, we need to talk about avoiding emergencies. As I mentioned at the start of this article, no one wants to get sick on a trip. Some emergencies are avoidable, which means taking active steps to avoid them can save you a lot of trouble.
Check out the tons of healthy recipes we have here on The Healthy Voyager. There are a lot of recipes that can help you regain strength or deal with minor illness such as a common cold. Since these recipes are made using only natural ingredients, they are very easy to prepare before your next trip.
Healthy snacks can also help prevent unwanted illness during your next trip. Be sure to make and pack some organic cookies and control your eating pattern so that you don’t have to worry about catching a cold just as you arrive at your dream holiday destination.
