Immune System
Because of recent health and travel scares, it is important to ensure your immune system is working properly. Firstly, it is beneficial to understand that the immune system involves the whole body. Powered by nutrition, cooperatively it defends against a wide range of antigens and foreign organisms. Immune system function can be compromised through toxicity, poor diet, stress, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and drug abuse.

Recommendation: There are a number of immune system builders and modulators available that will help strengthen your defence to invading micro-organisms. Reducing toxicity can be accomplished through changes in diet and through herbal detoxification. Some health spas offer detoxification and stress-reduction treatments. This can be a very pleasant and non-invasive way to prepare for travel. The skin’s immune system will function better when it is supple, relaxed and free from toxins.

Nutrition
Nutrition powers your body. Often when we travel, dietary choices take a nose dive in favor of convenience. It is a good idea to nutritionally fortify yourself before and during travelling. Fresh organic food is preferable but not always available. The market is flooded with multitudes of vitamins and supplements, some better than others. Depending upon the state of your digestive tract, they may not work as well as they should. This is where taking a combination of probiotic, supplemental and balanced essential fatty acids can help your bowel absorb nutrients and ward off hostile bacteria.
Recommendation: Check with a health expert to find out what is best for you. No two individuals are in the same state of health. Therefore, personalized assessment is necessary. Most supplements are harmless but can be a waste of money if not taken in the right context.

Skin and Sun
Everyone knows about the need for sunscreen. There are plenty of choices that provide different levels of protection. Broad spectrum brands are preferred as they reduce exposure to both UVA and UVB rays. A minimum rating of 15 SPF is recommended, allowing you to spend five hours in the sun before you start burning. The basic formula is SPF rating times 20 minutes equals amount of safe time to spend in the sun. Melanoma may develop as a result of sunburn. People with fair complexions, freckles, moles or a family history of melanoma may also run a higher risk of developing skin cancer. Fortunately, when caught in the early stages, it is highly curable.

Recommendations: Make sure your skin is healthy before prolonged exposure to sun. You may need to check with your doctor. If possible use a toxin-free sunscreen that is suited to your holiday plans. In the event of sunburn, transdermal micro-nutrition should be on hand to help re-nourish the epidermis. There are a number of fortified therapeutic creams and transdermal sprays that should be a part of the healthy traveler’s pack.

Bacteria
Food poisoning often occurs when travelling. It is caused by ingested bacteria that your body is not able to defend against. Interestingly, not everyone who comes in contact with the same bacteria gets food poisoning. There may be a number of reasons for this including general health and bowel condition. Cultivating friendly bacteria in the bowel will help fend off various unfriendly bacteria. In extreme cases of bacterial infection antibiotics are the best option.

Recommendations: Probiotics help maintain a healthy bowel by cultivating friendly bacteria. Keefer and yogurt are good sources of probiotic and beneficial for maintaining healthy bowel function. Wide spectrum pre-digested grain-sourced probiotics are more expensive but very effective when correcting low-function bowel disorders. Pro-biotic in a powder form is convenient for travel and takes up less luggage space. Probiotics work as both preventative and restorative in the case of food poisoning or exposure to related bacteria. Non-pharmaceutical topical and oral tinctures with cavacrol effectively destroy a wide range of bacteria. It is not always possible to avoid drinking local water that may cause extreme prolonged diarrhea so it’s a good idea to pack a bottle of antibacterial water treatment tablets.

Viruses
Despite volumes of research, medical science does not know much about curing viral illness. However, it is widely accepted that the body’s immune system plays a vital role in identifying and defeating invading viruses. The questions often asked is why are some people susceptible and others not? This may be largely due to the ability of the immune system in some people to quickly modulate in response to viruses.
Recommendation: Overall general health is determinative. By addressing stress, moderation, nutrition, immune function, circulation and detoxification you can make sure your body is able to deal with a wide range of challenges. Pharmacists, doctors, naturopaths, nutritionists and other health professionals can provide valuable insights that will affect your body’s overall immune response.

Health Insurance
Like the credit card commercial says, "don’t leave home without it." The same applies to health insurance, however it is important to choose the right one. If you have a union or employee benefit plan there are usually restrictions regarding amount of coverage, length of stay and definition of dependents. These types of plans generally provide short term coverage and make stipulations regarding pre-existing medical conditions. In some cases the insured is required to return home before receiving medical treatment, shortening the holiday and potentially increasing travel expenses. Travelers planning six month or longer holidays require specialized insurance for emergency and non-emergency treatments, taking into consideration bridge coverage upon returning home.

Recommendation: Understand the plan you purchase. Travel agents and insurance brokers have access to both long and short term coverage providers. It’s a good idea to get a few different quotes especially if you are going to be away for longer than six months.

The Traveler’s Health Kit
Health insurance for travel in or out of the country
First aid kit
Insect repellant
Sunscreen/sunblock
Aspirin/willow bark
Anti-bacterial water treatment
Antibiotic ointment
Sunburn treatment cream, transdermal nutrient spray
Sun hat
Oral/topical antibacterial tincture
Liquid Band-Aid/crazy glue
Probiotic