7 ways to tackle illness on a holiday

It’s the worst nightmare for anybody—falling ill on a holiday. Fact is you can fall sick any time. However small the ailment, alarm bells begin ringing in the patient’s head and those travelling with him/her. It can mean skipping a few sights to give the person time to recover, rest for a day or days or even a visit to the doctor.But there’s no reason to panic. If you ask around, it’s rare to have an entire trip disrupted due to poor health. So, how can you ensure that you have a good trip?1. Take that vaccine: If you’re going abroad, certain countries require that you be vaccinated against certain diseases. For example, Kenya advises that you take the yellow fever vaccine before landing there. Make sure to take the vaccine so you don’t actually contract a disease and suffer.2. Prevention is better than cure: Keep a sanitizer handy for times when you visit a washroom outside the hotel or your kids touch things they are not supposed to.If you fall sick whenever you consume certain types of food, raw fish for example, steer clear of it. If you think the restaurant has served stale food, return it. Should the restaurant refuse to accept their mistake and offer fresh food, go to another restaurant or if that is not an option, order something else. It doesn’t make sense to save money here and pay for a doctor’s bills later.3. Be prepared: Keep medicines with you (with prescription if travelling abroad), especially if you have any known ailments or known episodes of falling sick on a holiday. A few medicines for common ailments like cold, fever, sprains, nausea and an upset stomach should be the norm if you are visiting a place that lacks even basic medical facilities.4. Ask for help: A reputed hotel’s front office usually has doctors on call. While this restrictschoice and can be expensive, don’t think twice if it is an emergency. Otherwise, get chatting to the housekeeping staff and ask them for suggestions. They will direct you to doctors whom they know or who are reliable, usually in the residential area of the city. If you do not trust the hotel staff, pay a visit to a nearby medical store or even a shop and ask. Even the driver of a local car you hired may be able to help.5. Home remedies work too: What do you do if you are in a beautiful but remote place, one of you is ill and allopathic medicines are not available? Check with the locals if they know of any local remedy. Chances are what you have come down with might be a common ailment in that area and who would know the cure better than a local? Chat to the caretaker or his wife and you might find a remedy that is simple yet effective.6. Scale back sightseeing plans: It’s ok if you are not able to see/experience the fifteen things on your bucket list. Health comes first. However, if there are options to still make things work, good for you. Say, you or one of your companions has sprained an ankle, but still wants to come along, go to those places where the physical strain is minimal. In a large group, one sick person can cause some heartburn. If possible, split the group such that one or two people stay with the sick person for limited sightseeing and the remaining can stick to the original sightseeing plan.7. Take travel insurance: Travel insurance is a must if you’re traveling abroad. Normally, it covers a range of risks from medical treatment to loss of possessions.You don’t want to be hit with hospital expenses that are more than the cost of your entire trip to a foreign country. So, just buy travel insurance. These days, there are sufficient insurance agencies offering travel insurance online and it is a wise decision to be insured.The important thing to remember during these times is that such things happen. The patient needs your support and you can always plan a second trip. So, stay positive.