Solving The Aches And Pains Of A World Wanderer!!

If you love to travel, then you probably love the challenge of it as much as the sights, the opportunities to explore, relax, and play. But, sometimes, those challenges can be painful and even downright dangerous. If you’re noticing a few common conditions spoiling aspects of your vacations, it’s time to start thinking about how to protect your health on your next trip. Here are the most common health issues frequent flyers face and how you can put an end to them.

Pic by StelaDi

Back pain

Let’s start by looking at the most common physical pain of all. Back pain affects most adults at some point in their life and is often set off or exacerbated by poor posture, seating conditions, or uncomfortable sleep. If you have to spend a long time on the train, camping, or on beds that don’t really offer the “luxury” experience, then you should look into bringing a lumbar support pillow with you. This can alleviate the stress on your lower back, which is the most common source of back pain. Don’t neglect to stretch and take a little walk every time you get off a long train ride or flight, either.

Neck pain

For those longer journeys, you might also find that you want to catch up on some sleep. It’s a good way to mitigate the effects of jet lag, not to mention wiling away the hours of sitting through in-flight movies or reading your ebook. However, curling up on a train seat or in the aisle of an airplane is rarely a comfortable experience. When you wake up, you might find you’ve done real harm to your neck. Beyond offering comfort, there are lots of travel pillows on the market with a wraparound design, supporting your head and chin from all angles. This ensures you don’t roll over into an awkward position that causes unnecessary strain on your neck.

Leg clots

Sitting down for long periods of time, especially in planes, can also cause some leg pain. It causes your calves and ankles to swell with inflammation, to become tender, numb, or straight-up sore. But the risk of those sedentary sessions goes a lot further than a little tenderness. Leg clots, or deep vein thrombosis, are very common on flights. You can combat them by standing up and taking a walk to the toilet and back regularly on longer flights. However, compression socks should be considered a must-have for those fly regularly. Leg clots can lead to some very serious issues, including clots in other parts of the body like the lungs or the heart. This is more than a discomfort, this can be a genuinely life-threatening condition so it’s best to avoid it by any means necessary.

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Sunburn

It is still one of the most common complaints when going abroad. Despite the countless warnings, people still come away from those sunny sands very badly burned. The risks of sunburn should be clear by now. Beyond being very painful, that kind of exposure to the sun is the leading cause of skin cancer. To avoid sunburn, you have to be almost obsessed with sun lotion. Not only should you ensure you wear it every day, not just on the beach, you have to make sure you’re getting the right kind of coverage. There are many varieties of sun lotion available, and not only does SPF matter, you also have to look at whether they protect you from UVA and UVB rays. If they only protect you from one kind of rays, you’re still at risk.

The latest bug

You should be aware of any illness that’s prevalent where you land. Beyond vaccinations, you can learn certain things to avoid, such as street meat vendors or certain attractions that pose hidden risks. But the most common illness of all that you can catch is very common indeed. It’s the common cold. With so many people on a flight, in the hotel, at the restaurants you visit, and so on, you are at much more risk to picking up any regular old cold or flu than other people. For that reason, take hygiene very seriously when you travel and find a good travel toiletry kit with hand sanitizer, face wash, and more that you can take with you wherever you go.

The bug that bites

Most hotter countries have plenty of little pests that love nothing more than to ruin your day. At best, bug bites can be extremely annoying. In the worst cases, mites can carry things like Lyme’s disease, mosquitoes can carry malaria, and so on. Don’t tolerate bugs on your next trip, whatever you do. If you’re camping or staying in a room with open access to the air or outdoors, make sure you have a bug net. No matter where you go, you should invest in one of the high-quality bug repellents available. You can find them in most airports if you neglect to buy them in advance.

Pic by congerdesign

Too much time on the toilet

It’s not the most pleasant thing to talk about, but diarrhea is by far one of the most common issues faced overseas. In a lot of cases, it’s because the traveler hasn’t taken the time to research whether a country or city has access to clean drinking water in its public systems. If you’re out in the wild, there are lots of backpacking water filters that can ensure you always have access to clean drinking water, but it’s best to ensure you bring plenty of your own drinking water above all else. Hydration is crucial, no matter where you are, but always check your water sources before you trust them implicitly.

Of course, beyond the tips mentioned above, never fail to do your research on the health and safety issues you might face in any one country. Vaccinations, common illnesses, security measures, and so on. By being more informed, you’re a lot more likely to be caught unawares by the dangers that lurk on every trip, in every country.