Travel Health Articles and Travel Advice
Essential Extras you Should Take on your Gap Year
The ultimate list of essential extras we recommend you pack for your gap year to help you stay safe & healthy during your big trip. Make sure these things are in your bag!
Travel Health Tips
Your travels can be the best experience of your life; don't risk ruining them by not protecting yourself - make sure you follow some travel health tips.
Counterfeit Medicines
Counterfeit medicines are quite simply medicines which are not ‘what they say on the label'. They can do more harm than good so here's what to look out for.
Traveller’s Diarrhoea
Traveller's diarrhoea can be a nightmare for any backpacker, but there are some simple hints and tips to avoid getting a case of traveller's diarrhoea.
Malaria Prevention
Malaria prevention is extremely important and it's vital to protect yourself against malaria when travelling to certain parts of the world on your gap year.
Immunisations and Medication: Before You Travel
Before commencing overseas travel it is important to obtain the relevant vaccines. We are not going to provide a list of recommendations here but instead provide you with some information about some of the diseases that can be acquired overseas. In order to decide if you need vaccines and malaria tablets for your trip you should talk to a qualified health care professional.
Female Travel Health Advice
Do anti-malarials effect the pill? What should you do if you get Thrush or Cystitis whilst travelling? Can you buy tampons and sanitary towels all over the world? When should you take the pill when crossing time-zones? These are all questions asked before travelling. Read this article to find out some of the answers.
A Menstruation Dissertation
This article is one for the girls. It's been written by gapyear.com girls who have travelled and had some experiences on the road. It's packed full of advice that may help you on your adventures in the future. It may also put a smile on your face, so get reading. And remember, be prepared for everything!
Sexual Health on Your Travels
There is no combination more ideal for meeting a new partner; sun, beach, cheap alcohol and nothing else to worry about. Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are on the rise, not just amongst young people back home, but even more so amongst young travellers. Research has shown that over 50% of travellers have sex with more than two partners whilst out on the road.
Staying Healthy on Your Travels
Most common serious ailments that affect travellers are contracted either by the bite of an infected animal or insect, by ingestion of contaminated food or water or by close contact with infected individuals. Certain measures can be taken to avoid contracting an illness transmitted by the first two routes. Here's my guide to 'Staying Healthy on Your Travels'.
Health, Pills and Periods
You've had your injections, packed your first aid kid and spent a fortune on sunscreen. You're all ready to head off into the unknown, right? Well not quite. As well as general travel health stuff - women have some special health issues to consider and a little extra preparation will maximise the chance of healthy, worry-free travels.
Travelling with a Medical Condition
You've planned your route, bought your tickets and started applying for visas. Planning to go travelling can be time-consuming and sometimes stressful, and if you take regular medication for a pre-existing condition, you might have additional concerns about hitting the road. However, there's no need for sleepless nights as long as you prepare well in advance.
Travel Health: A Guide by Doctor Seb Kalwij
In this guide I cover the basic health issues that you should know about before you travel. However, this guide is not a substitute for a personal consulation with your GP or you local travel clinic. You should seek personal, professional advice about these issues, whether you're at home or whilst travelling.
Travel Health Preparation: Before You Travel
The key to a successful and fulfilling experience during your time away, whether it's a short gap or a gap year, is preparation. It's impossible to prepare for all possible situations, but if you have all the basics in place it makes those tough situations seem a little easier to handle. Here's a guide to travel health before you go on your gap year.
Malaria: A Guide by Rob Pineda
Malaria is a serious, potentially life threatening parasitic infection transmitted by the mosquito. Around 2,000 people each year enter the UK with malaria, around nine of whom will die. Many of these deaths could be prevented through following proper medical advice, which is why I've written this guide to malaria. Don't become a statastic.
Tampons and Tips
If you're about to go travelling then stock up on sanitary towels, tampons and oral contraception. Also, bring the morning after pill just in case. After all, you never know what's going to happen on your gap year. Be prepared for anything - if you're prone to motion sickness, nausea and vomiting whilst travelling then make sure you've everything you need.
Hospital Treatment Overseas
Of the 250,000 18 to 24-year-old backpackers leaving the UK over the next six months, one in three will travel without insurance. Perhaps they think that it will never happen to them. Like many people, I thought it would never happen to me. Well, I travelled without insurance and it did happen to me.
