Health

• Should I get shots/jabs before I leave or on the road?
• Should I get travel insurance?
• Any tips on eating well?
• Do RTWers get sick?
• Should I bring prescriptions with me?
• Any tips on not getting sick?
• Will I be able to exercise on the road?
• Birth control and condoms?

Should I get shots/jabs before I leave or on the road?

These things tend to be very expensive in the country where you probably live, but usually much less so some of the countries you'll probably visit. Do your research. If your government or insurance plan will cover much of the cost it should be a pretty easy decision, however if you are paying it all out of pocket you might consider getting some of the more expensive jabs done on the road.

Obviously any jab you might need to gain entry into one of your first countries is not up for discussion, but if you are heading to a few countries on your way to countries where you'll eventually need them you might consider getting them on the road. Of course some of the jabs must be done or have a series started well in advance, so again, do your research. Any large city is going to have professional health clinics you can trust, and if they are near countries that require certain immunizations these clinics will be ready for you.

Some countries say they require proof of certain immunizations to enter, but not all of them routinely ask for this proof. Some sources recommend certain new jabs for certain areas that hadn't required them in the past. Since most of these are very expensive and the landscape is continually changing it's good to do some up-to-the-minute research.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has up-to-date information on its website for every country on earth. This can be a great source of information about each country's health risks and requirements, but keep in mind that these sorts of government departments specialize in being overly cautious. There might be a health warning for a country because one small jungle area has had trouble in the past few years, but meanwhile the cities and most of the rest of the country remain safe.

There are some interesting threads on this subject on the BootsnAll message boards in both the RTW section and the Health and Travel section.

Should I get travel insurance?

This is quite a divisive subject and there is definitely not one correct answer to this question. Many people never bother with travel insurance and other people would never travel without it. Most of this has to do with your own comfort level and risk-taking ability.

There are two main aspects to "travel insurance." The more frivolous aspect has to do with insuring your belongings while on the road, and insuring tickets or tours you've already paid for in case they get canceled and/or the operator goes out of business. It's pretty easy to make a case that this sort of insurance isn't really worthwhile. Hopefully you aren't bringing possessions with you that would financially devastate you if they were lost or stolen. And if your $300 backpack goes missing, the process of getting reimbursed for it can be a major headache.

If you use mainly reputable airlines and agencies you minimize the risk of having your trip yanked out from under you with no refund. And if you pay with credit cards in the first place you usually have a good system to get a refund even if the worst should happen.

But the travel health insurance part can be a tricky question. Even if you have great health insurance at home you may not be covered abroad. Granted, most health care in less developed countries is going to be cheaper than it would be in the United States, but if something really bad happens it could ruin you financially even still.

People selling these policies remind us that they cover even things like being airlifted to the nearest proper medical facility if you are injured a long way from one. We haven't heard of many cases of this actually being needed, but if the thought of something like this scares you then buying medical travel insurance might be worthwhile to ease your mind.

Of course, the type of trip you are planning should be taken into consideration as well. If you are mainly going from city to city with an occasional beach thrown in, you might not need to be so concerned. But if you will be doing a lot of trekking and climbing and adventure activities you chances of a major injury are much greater so travel insurance might make sense.

Any tips on eating well?

The tip here is that you should make an effort to eat well, or at least no worse than you do at home. Almost anyone can go on a trip that lasts even a month long and eat everything in sight or live on pizza slices and Guinness, and be home again before it's really had a negative impact. But long-term travel must be approached a bit differently. This vacation is now your life and ignoring your diet will catch up to you eventually.

It can be difficult to eat enough fruits and vegetables while on the road. In some countries leafy vegetables should not be eaten by tourists due to bacteria concerns. You'll read about the individual warnings for each place you'll go so you should be fine, but sometimes an effort must be made to eat a balanced diet. If your hostel or hotel has fruit set out with breakfast in the morning try to have a piece or two. If you live on rolls and cereal for too long it might impact your mood without you even realizing it. Just try to keep it in mind and make good choices when you can.

Do RTWers often get sick?

Yes, it's quite common to come down with the normal things on the road if you are gone long enough. You'll be interacting with new people all the time so winding up with a cold or flu once in a while can't be much of a surprise. These normal ailments shouldn't really cause much of a problem in the long run though. If you have a flu you might have to stay in a hotel for a couple of days, but there are worse things to have to do in life.

If you are careful about heeding the local warnings about drinking tap water and eating fruit that you didn't peel yourself you should be able to avoid food poisoning, although this isn't too uncommon among long-term travelers either. After one or two hellish days you should be fine again, or at least able to resume life as you knew it.

The one you really have to be prepared for is diarrhea. Montezuma's Revenge, Delhi Belly, or whatever cute name you want to call it, diarrhea is quite common among travelers going through exotic places. It's not like you'll get it every week, but you'll probably eventually get it no matter how careful you've been. And being too careful about it can be a bigger drag than actually having it every few months.

Having a cold can be an inconvenience on your trip, but having diarrhea the night before you leave on a 10-hour bus ride can be a killer. Medicines for diarrhea can be obtained in pharmacies around the world, and most large cities have at least one 24-hour pharmacy, but it's probably worthwhile to start your trip with at least a strip or two of pills just in case. If you are lucky enough not to need them, you might become someone else's hero who wasn't as fortunate.

Should I bring prescriptions with me?

If you are currently taking some sort of prescription you'll obviously want to bring a supply with you. And of course you'll want to bring the prescription itself with you for refills on the road. Every city has pharmacies and they are usually easy to find with an illuminated green cross regardless of the language.

Depending on what you are taking you'll want to do some research. Drugs tend to be inexpensive outside the States and parts of Europe, and most of the major ones are available everywhere, but many of them go by different names in different places. You should research worldwide availability as well as different global names for any drugs you'll need on the road.

Any tips on not getting sick?

Most of this is common sense stuff. In many countries you are discouraged from drinking the tap water and you'll be happy to know that bottled water is almost always cheap and easy to find in these countries. And fruit that you don't peel yourself is sometimes not a good idea, but a little research before you arrive in a country should keep you safe in these respects.

Much of the world eats many of their meals cooked at stands on the side of the street. This is also common sense, but if a crowd of locals is eating there then chances are good you'll be fine too, regardless if you recognize the food itself or not. However, if a lonely stall is baking in the sun with no customers in sight you might also want to steer clear.

There is such a thing as being too careful though. Sampling local foods alongside locals is one of the joys of traveling for most people. Spread your wings and try some exotic things when you can. If you've packed a bit of medicine the risks really aren't that great.

Will I be able to exercise on the road?

The answer is yes, but it's rarely this easy. Most people who exercise regularly at home fully intend to carry on with a regular workout routine on the road, but it almost never works out that way. Most cities in most countries will have gyms where you can pay to use their facilities by the day or by the week. The problem seems to be being motivated enough to actually go through with it.

Nearly all travelers end up walking many miles almost every day just in the course of normal sightseeing. Certainly, this helps burn calories and keep a basic level of fitness. And many of those days will also include steep hills or endless staircases, and that helps even more. So after walking 5 or 6 or 8 miles a day do you really want to pay to use a gym and run on a treadmill or use a stair-climber the next morning? If you are like most people, the answer is no.

So back to the original question, yes, it can be done, but it's more common that even the best intentions aren't enough to actually pull it off on any consistent basis. Most people don't want to pack proper running shoes, and running in hiking shoes or boots is less than ideal. You can rent bikes for the day nearly everywhere, so making an effort to do so regularly can help your cause, but the reality is that most people return from their trip a bit doughier than when they started, even if they don't actually gain weight.

Birth control and condoms?

For the fellows, condoms are widely available almost everywhere, and they tend to be reasonably priced in countries where other things are cheap as well. Obviously you want to try to plan ahead whenever possible.

For the women, most recommend bringing whatever you can with you, although many things will be available on the road as well. There can be a conflict between malaria medication or other antibiotics and birth control pills so that deserves some research. There is a thread on our message boards that thoroughly discusses this topic in far greater detail than we can do here.

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