Healthy Travels 11.30.11

It wasn’t long ago that going on vacation also meant getting some kind of hideous sickness. I would either get the flu or a sinus infection, which is no way to have a fun time on a trip. Nobody wants something inconvenient to interrupt their travel goodness, especially something that can be prevented. So, how can you make sure you don’t end up all bedridden and stuffy?

Healthy travelers are happy travelers

Antibacterial wipes – These are the best. They don’t take up space in your 3-1-1 bag like hand sanitizer and they can be used on hands faces, seats, tray tables and more! Anything that you think might be coated in germs, you can wipe down with them. These are even more useful if you travel with children, since they also seem to have sticky hands or a dirty face.

Emergen-C and Airborne – Both of these pack a wallop of vitamin C and can prevent you from getting sick or can help you get over your sickness so much faster. I tend to go with Emergen-C, because they come in a lot more flavors, you can carry many packets in less space and they easily dissolve in a bottle of water (which you probably have with you anyway). Make sure you take a sip of water from it first, otherwise you will end up with it all over your pants when the powder starts to bubble up in the water. Believe me, that it is not cool. Airborne is easier used when you have a glass available, unless you want to crush it up to put in your bottle, which can be almost impossible.

Charcoal tablets – Keep from getting food poisoning or other food-related nasties with these. Charcoal helps to neutralize bacteria that your body can’t handle from new foods. These are really helpful when going out of the country and eating ethnic foods you aren’t used to or when dining at food carts in foreign countries. While they may be perfectly safe – and usually are – but your body may not be accustomed to some of the ingredients or products used to cook them.

Wash your hands – This is such a given, but people probably don’t do it enough when they travel. If you must touch your face, it’s much better to do it with clean hands than dirty hands. If you aren’t near a place where you can wash them, employ those antibacterial wipes you packed.

Olive leaf – I started taking olive leaf capsules years ago and get sick very infrequently. It boosts your immune system naturally. Unfortunately, they can be difficult to find. Your local GMC store or natural food store probably has them. You can also purchase them online. If you can’t find them, Acai works, too. It’s a super antioxidant. These are both great to take every day, not just while on vacation.

Even puppies need to catch up on their sleep

Get enough sleep – A lot of people tend to forget that vacation is also a time to get in some relaxation. Sure, you may be like me and want to pack as much stuff into your time away, but make sure you make time to do nothing and recharge. If you travel in the fall and winter it’s so much easier to do, because hours for shops and attractions are often shorter and force you to take some downtime. If you are traveling the summer and times when stuff is open longer, make sure to build some ‘do nothing’ time into your schedule.

Papaya enzyme – These chewable tablets are a must in my travel bag. If you find that something you ate doesn’t sit well with you or you have a habit of overindulging in the local cuisine, papaya aids digestion, so you won’t feel like you have a rock in your stomach and it also helps to stave off heartburn if you’re prone to it. You can find papaya in pretty much any drugstore with vitamins. Of course, eating fresh fruits and veggies is also a good choice, and trying not to stuff yourself at each meal.

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Ibuprofen or other pain reliever – Walking around all day can be stressful on your feet and back. Keep a stash of pain relievers with you, just in case. If nothing else, they can also be used to shoo away a headache.

Drink water – Water is good for flushing out toxins and keeping you hydrated. Drink as much as possible to keep healthy, just like you would at home. Bring along a reusable water bottle to make sure you have some with you everywhere you go. Getting sick from dehydration can land you in the hospital, so don’t forget your liquids.

Don’t be a drunk – As fun as it can be to hit the bars and try some new brews and exotic cocktails, drinking too much can also take a toll on your body. Try to limit yourself to just a few drinks and not every day. You’ll definitely feel the difference in how much better you feel when you aren’t hungover. Staying sober has gotten less people in trouble on vacation than getting rip-roaring drunk, too. Being arrested in a foreign country is scary…and having a cap on how much you can drink can save you money, too. It’s a lot easier to stick to a budget when you can still remember your name and count.

Stay healthy, so you can keep having fun like this!

Many a vacation has been ruined by illness that could have been prevented. I have had more than my fair share, too. Hopefully this will help you travel healthier and keep you prepared for whatever may happen. Do you have tips that have helped you travel without sickness? Share!

I've decided to join almost all the other online sites in extending their sales through the week. If you want to get a copy (or three) of Shereen Travels Cheap, I’ll give you a code for 20% off! Purchase the book through my page on CreateSpace and use code BBGHV9F8 and purchase an ebook through Smashwords and use code UV82P. I’ve already had several people I know buy two or more copies as holiday gifts, so I know travel is a great gift to give. These codes will be good through Sunday, December 4th.

Guest Post: Top Travel Insurance Tips 11.28.11

Today's guest post comes from Joe Johnson, aka Backpack Joe, from the UK. Please make sure to check out his site and Twitter feed (shown at the end of this post).

Going on holiday is invariably one of the highlights of the year, unless of course you’re a wealthy oil tycoon and your whole year is one big holiday, but since you’re reading this, I’d wager that you’re not (what oil tycoon needs travel insurance?!). Everything about going on holiday is exciting, planning which restaurants to go to, flip-flop shopping, frantically scrabbling to locate your passport in the ‘safe’ draw, getting travel insurance… Oh wait.

Ok, almost everything about preparing for a holiday is exciting, and while travel insurance may be an unwelcome aside, it is nevertheless necessary, if only to give you piece of mind. Getting injured, falling ill or having your laptop pilfered is inconvenient in the outskirts of Coventry, but when you’re in an unfamiliar country where you don’t speak the language, it can be more than distressing. Best shell out for travel insurance then. Here are some tips for ensuring you get the right type of insurance, and getting the most out of it should you need to use it.

1. Get Insurance 

Sounds obvious right? Maybe, but so many people make the mistake of not taking out travel insurance and regretting it afterwards when they end up with hospitals bills for thousands of pounds/dollars. You wouldn’t take to the road without car insurance, so don’t take a holiday without travel insurance.

2. Get the right Type of Insurance

Travel insurance covers many different things: injury, illness, delayed flights, loss or theft of possessions, and while you don’t want to go away without any kind of insurance you need to get the type that will suit your trip. If you’re going backpacking for example, you won’t need the same kind of insurance that would be suitable for, say, a business trip.

3. Abide by the Rules

As we all know, insurance policies are riddled with loop holes, so make sure you tick all the boxes by obeying the rules. This means checking in on time so you can claim if your flight is delayed.

4. Report Theft Immediately

If you are unfortunate enough to have your possessions stolen on holiday (or carelessly lose them), you must report to the local police in order to record the loss or theft. A crime reference number will usually be given. Failure to do this may mean you cannot claim on your policy.

5. Take Notes

If you do claim, your insurance company will want to know the precise details of what happened. Make sure you note every last detail down – what happened, when it happened, where it happened and why it happened. Make sure your story is water-tight or you’ll get caught out!

6. Get Luggage Insurance

We all know how heavy-handed ground staff at the airport can be. Not a problem if you have suitcases full of clothes, but a real risk of you have prized items in tow like a snowboard, guitar or canoe. Make sure any, large fragile, valuable items are insured. Oh, and always padlock your suitcase. Use TSA approved locks.

7. Keep Your Insurers Abreast of Changes

If you make any changes ahead of your holiday, be that changes to your schedule, holiday dates, hotel, car rental details or anything even mildly significant , be sure to inform your insurers so your policy can be adjusted accordingly.

8. Buy in Bulk

If you are travelling as a couple or a family, get group coverage. It’ll work out a lot cheaper than buying individual policies.

9. Think Long-term

The reason travel insurance can sometimes seem very expensive can simply be because you’re unprepared and disorganised. If you think you’ll be going away multiple times through the course of a year (lucky you) then buy a year's coverage since it’ll work out cheaper than buying many short-term policies. Consider what kind of holidays you’ll be going on, too. Skiing holidays require a different type of coverage than beach holidays.

10. Be Persistent with Claims

By their very nature, insurance companies don’t want to pay out for claims. They’ll try every trick in the book in an attempt to refute a claim. For this reason, you need to be persistent when claiming or insurance companies will brush you aside with legal jargon.

Joe is a travel blogger from the UK who always takes out insurance before going away! 

For more travel insurance tips, check out my earlier blog post.

Review: BlueAvocado Reusable Bag Set from Reuseit.com

Do you find yourself at the grocery store and either forgetting your reusable bags or wishing you had better ones? I love reusable bags. They hold more than those plastic bags, are easier to carry and help save the environment, because they aren’t clogging up a landfill for a million years. Reuseit.com asked me to review any of their reusable totebags and I jumped at the chance, because these are items that are always multi-purpose for home and travel.

Reuseit.com is committed to saving the planet through reusable products, like lunch bags, tote bags, bottles and more. I’m totally on board with a company like that. Some of their products are even made with recycled materials. I asked to review the BlueAvocado Starter Set that comes in two attractive color choices – burgundy and lime – both of which are great for men or women.

The set came at the perfect time: right before Thanksgiving, so I tested it out buying dinner fixings. The starter kit comes with 3 bags that all stash in the one bigger bag and fold up and you can buy other gro-pak bags to make your set bigger. This set comes with the pak carry-all bag, veg produce bag and pod stuff n’ go bag. Pod folds into its own pouch and then clips onto pak with a carabiner clip, while veg fits in the mesh pocket inside pak. The set can hold up to 50 lbs of product, has wide durable straps that comfortably fit on your shoulder and would also be an awesome set to take on trips where you plan to do shopping of all kinds or visit farmers markets.

Many things fit in all three bags and even though they were heavy, they were still easy to carry. As you can see, I was able to get a good deal in the big bag and probably could have fit more if I tried. The same with the pod tote. Only the veggie bag was stuffed full, but it held up well and none of my veggies were squished.

The gro-pak line of bags is made from recycled materials and replaces 8 plastic shopping bags per trip. They were created by women and 1% of the sales are invested in women entrepreneurs around the world via kiva.org. They pledge to keep 1 billion plastic bags off our streets this year. With many cities across the nation (and world) banning plastic bags, this great set will really help make shopping easier. Because it folds and stores easily, you can tuck it in your purse, when you leave the house and then you won't forget your bags in the car. Also, they are  washable, so when they get dirty, you can throw them in the washing machine, let them air dry and they will be ready to go for your next shopping trip!

BlueAvocado makes many other bags, as well as gro, a multi-use bag, and chill, a PVC-free insulated bag, that go along with this set, and Reuseit.com sells a ton of other functional and stylish bags and products to help make your travel and home shopping easier and eco-friendly. I am so thrilled with this set, that I'll be taking it with me on trips where I will be planning on hitting the grocery store. Also, my mom was so excited about it, she asked for a set for Christmas. 

So, if you have a environmentalist on your holiday list, this is great idea for them and reusable tote bags are an ideal alternative to gift wrap and traditional gift bags. You will be the most creative gift-giver at your exchange this year!

Please note: This review was sponsored by reuseit.com and they provided me with product; however, all opinions are 100% my own.

Don't forget about Small Business Saturday today:

I can help you shop Small. I consider myself a small business and if you want to get a copy (or three) of Shereen Travels Cheap, I’ll give you a code for 20% off! Purchase the book through my page on CreateSpace and use code BBGHV9F8 and purchase an ebook through Smashwords and use code CL73Z. I’ve already had several people I know buy two or more copies as holiday gifts, so I know travel is a great gift to give. These codes will be good through Cyber Monday (November 28).