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Travelling together during the festive season multiplies the happiness. With a little planning for health and safety, a festive trip can become smooth and enjoyable for everyone. Here is a five-point health checklist:
Preventive care:
Travel planning should begin with identifying healthcare needs. Elderly people, pregnant women and infants may have specific requirements. Understanding these helps with better planning. Keep documents detailing existing health conditions like diabetes, asthma, heart disease and allergies, ready. Especially before going on long trips to remote places, go for a health check-up. Conduct relevant pathological tests to record vital parameters, especially for individuals with existing health conditions. Go for preventive consultation with doctors concerned.
While travelling overseas, buy adequate health cover through a dedicated overseas travel insurance plan. If required, buy adequate personal accident insurance as well.
Health Kit:
This should include first-aid kit, all necessary medicines, medical reports pertaining to ongoing treatments, and pathology lab reports. Also carry essentials like masks, sanitisers, oral rehydration salts (ORS) and inhalers, if required. Keep the health kit in hand baggage. It ensures easy availability of necessary medicines and saves the time, money and effort needed to source them in an unfamiliar region, while ensuring peace of mind.
If you already have a health kit at home, check its contents and replace expired items, if any.
Track food intake:
The festive season means relishing on desserts and delicacies. Avoiding sugar and fried food while celebrating with family and friends on a festive trip may not be easy. Even health-conscious persons may indulge a lot. However, contaminated water and food can cause several health issues. Avoid eating road-side foods or raw salads. Drink bottled water. If bottled water is unavailable, drink water after boiling and filtering it.
Adhere to specific dietary requirements of diabetic persons and infants. Inform your host about these needs well in advance.
Travel Safe:
Festive travel can mean packed schedules and late nights. Keep your itinerary manageable, especially when travelling with children or older family members. Allow enough time for sleep and rest and never drive after drinking alcohol or when drowsy. During long journeys, stay hydrated, wash your hands before meals and take regular breaks. Choose food from hygienic sources and postpone non-essential travel if you are unwell. Check government travel advisories for your destination before setting out.
Handling emergency:
Despite all precautions, things can go wrong. A bout of fever or mild uneasiness can be dealt with the medicines you carry. But do not ignore persistent symptoms, frequent recurrence of mild discomfort or significant deviations in health parameters, such as blood pressure or pulse rate. Consult a local doctor. Keep contact numbers, details of reputed hospitals and healthcare facilities in the region you are visiting. This is a must if you are accompanied by senior citizens or persons with existing health conditions.
Carry adequate cash. Though digital payments are widely accepted across India, cash may be the only payment option with poor telecom connectivity.
This festive season, pack smart, travel light, eat wisely, rest enough and stay healthy for a joyful festival outing with beautiful memories with your loved ones.
