You’ve spent the last few weeks getting excited about your family holiday, all the packing has been done, you’ve got yourselves there and then eek, one of the kids is ill. So what do you do?
Prevention
It goes without saying that you should check before you book, let alone travel, if your chosen destination needs specific health precautions to be taken such as malaria tablets or shots.
Check the CDC website for all health warnings and recommended precautions for your specific destination.
If you are travelling with a very young baby who hasn’t had all their shots yet, it is probably best to check with your doctor that they are ok to travel abroad.
And, making sure your children are included on your travel insurance is a must do. It can be one of those things that slips your mind in the excitement of a first family vacation, but it is vital.
Before you travel
Check the emergency services numbers for the country you are travelling to and put them in your phone. It seems a bit over the top, but chances are if you have looked at the number you’ll remember it if an emergency happens.
Many hotels list emergency numbers in welcome packs, too.
Try to go on the official tourist board website to check out the healthcare situation of the country you’re visiting.
What to take in a first aid kit
It’s surprising how hard it can sometimes be to find items we take for granted over here in shops and pharmacies abroad. And, when you add in the potential language difference, it’s probably best to use up a little bit of your luggage space for some medicine bag essentials:
- Infants’ Tylenol (great for high temperatures, teething, colds….)
- Thermometer strips (easy to use and disposable)
- Kids allergy medicine (offers relief from seasonal allergies, reactions to food, insect bites and heat rash as well as soothing the chicken pox rash)
- 50 SPF sunscreen (there are lots of different kids sunscreens on the market, but be sure to get one that’s also gentle on the skin to avoid irritation)
- Powdered gatorade (perfect for upset tummies or if kids get dehydrated and low on elecrolytes)
- Band-aids (preferably with their favorite cartoon characters for falls or scratches)
- Any existing medication
How to avoid illnesses
Although you can’t prevent against everything, hopefully the following advice will help prevent little upsets.
- Keep hands clean at mealtimes with lots of hand washing and carry hand sanitizer
- Try to drink bottled water and keep children well hydrated
- Avoid already cut fruit at buffets etc and try to give children fruit that needs peeling
- Unwashed salad and vegetables can give you an upset tummy so try to avoid if possible
- Try to avoid being in direct sun between 11am-3pm. If you are, make sure children are well covered with wide brim hats and sunglasses with plenty of SPF 50 sunscreen. Bathing suits with a built in SPF protection are great for playing on the beach or around the pool.
It happens to everyone, and unlike when you are an adult and don’t feel great on vacation, you can’t really self-medicate with sunshine and sangria.
Although nothing will completely guarantee you have a germ free vacation hopefully the following advice will help if bugs strike whilst you’re away.