How to Travel Safely if You Have a Chronic Illness
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Traveling has to be one of the most rewarding experiences you can have in life. Meeting new places, exploring new, distant destinations, trying out new cuisines… When old Romans talked about the idea of seizing the day, they were probably thinking about the experiences you can get only when you leave your home and start roaming the world.
Unfortunately, for people suffering from some chronic illness, these simple and joyful ideas may seem daunting, stressful, and even dangerous.
However, we purposefully used the phrase ‘may seem.’ That’s because people with chronic illnesses are very capable of living lives on their own terms and exploring the world just like all other individuals. Of course, there are some precautions to keep in mind.
Let us take a look then at some of the most important mentions.
Learn as much as you can about your condition
This may sound silly since chronic illness is something you have to deal with on a daily basis. But, that narrow focus on our daily health routines sometimes causes us to lose sight of the bigger picture which can prove to be more than useful in helping you avoid some potentially dangerous situations once the travel begins. Furthermore, providing these broader insights about your illness to the travel company will make sure the people around you know what to do if your condition suddenly becomes worse and help them find the accommodation and services that will be better suited to your specific needs.
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Prepare the paperwork
All the things you have gathered about your illness, the therapy you need to take and the factors that can aggravate your medical condition shouldn’t be passed only to the travel company. You should be sure to put all these things into writing and always keep a copy somewhere close so you can easily provide detailed information in case of an emergency. If you are traveling to some country where English is not widely used, translate all these documents into your local language. Even though medical professionals are usually well-versed in foreign languages, getting access to proper medical services can prove to be a chore.
Consult doctors and treatments prior to the journey
Even with all other things checked, you should never set off on a trip without a blessing of a medical professional immediately before the journey. The same goes for the treatments that, if taken before the trip will give you enough time to make the journey and continue the therapy once you arrive. So, if you are, for instance, suffering from kidney failure, you can check the services like bookdialysis.com, get the treatment immediately before or after the journey, or continue your treatment with some local vendor. The closer these visits are to the trip the safer and more pleasant your trip will end up being.
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Go on the journey well prepared
By this, we primarily mean to get an adequate insurance policy as well as plenty of medications and medical materials you may need during the travel. Ideally, you should have enough rations even if some part of your luggage ends up lost or misplaced. You see, even with the best planning, things all too frequently take some unpredictable course. And no one knows whether the medical materials will be available at your final destination or not. Of course, since you are going to take various drugs and medications across the border, be sure to research the regulations and legal requirements regarding such baggage well before the journey.
Prepare a detailed plan for nutrition and activities
Dealing with chronic medical issues requires meticulous planning, healthy nutrition, and a lot of rest time. These things shouldn’t change when you set off on some journey. On the contrary – a taxing trip schedule only requires more attention and commitment in this regard. That is why should carefully plan all the activities you want to take, prepare a detailed diet schedule, and research the restaurants where you will be able to get these healthy meals. Cutting down the needless search, aimless chasing and other distractions will give you more time for things that truly matter while making the journey far safer.
Be proactive when it comes to booking
Last but not least, we would like to point out that having good knowledge about the local hospitality and medical infrastructure is great, but still leaves something to be desired. If you want to make your next travel truly enjoyable, you should book all activities you are going to engage with, ranging from launches and tourist activities down to local medical services, as far in advance as possible. This level of proactivity will make other planning activities far easier and allow you to enjoy your journey at a very leisurely pace. You will also cut down searching to a minimum and make everyone aware of your condition.
We hope these couple of suggestions gave you a better idea about how you can enjoy trips around the world while keeping yourself safe and enjoying an optimal level of comfort. Dealing with some chronic illnesses is not something that should be taken lightly. But, at the same time, you should never allow your medical condition to define you and prevent you from living rich and fulfilled life. Take all the things we have covered into consideration and you will be able to conquer any goal you have set ahead of yourself.
