Getting sick when you’re away from home and possibly in country where you don’t speak the language can be a frightening experience, especially if you are traveling solo. The International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT) is the leading provider of reliable and impartial travel health advice.

Membership is free but donations are appreciated to help the organization continue its work*. Member donations are their only source of revenue, which ensures that their recommendations are impartial and that they can recruit qualified independent practitioners without compromising medical ethics.

When you become a member you can click on the “Create your own travel health planner” option, type in the places you’ll be visiting, and receive an instant, personalized guide to their affiliated doctors and clinics along with comprehensive health information for your travel destinations. Just being aware in advance of the health issues you might encounter in any given place will alert you to take all the necessary precautions. And for added convenience, the planner is also accessible on your cell phone.

I’ve been a member for 15 years, and although I’m fortunate enough not to have required their services, just knowing that if I ever did become ill I’d be able to find a competent English-speaking doctor has been extremely reassuring—particularly in some of the more far-flung locations I’ve visited.

*In-Flight Insider is delighted to donate ad space to IAMAT, so that they can help care for international travelers.

If you’ve ever gotten off a plane feeling 2 sizes bigger, it is most likely because of what you were drinking in-flight. Although all airline cabins are pressurized when flying at 9,800 feet or more, the pressure inside the cabin is slightly lower than what you normally experience on the ground.

As a result, the available oxygen is reduced and the gases inside your body expand. You know how plastic bottles water expand and pop in-flight – Well your body is no different.

Crew members kindly call this “jet-belly.” One way to counteract this unpleasant phenomenon is to not drink anything with bubbles—whether it’s sparkling water, soda, beer, or Champagne. As an experienced flyer, as much as I love sparkling water I make sure never to drink anything carbonated when I’m in the air.

However, you still need to drink because of the risk of dehydration. Passengers must drink to compensate for the extreme dryness of the cabin air and the fact that they breathe more quickly when there is less available oxygen.

So as much as it may seem to be a chore, it’s imperative that you drink plenty of water and keep yourself happy and hydrated!

The years that I was a crew member, I was a member of the “family,” and we all took care of one another. These are the precautions I learned to take and have now adapted to traveling on my own.

I don’t want anyone to feel paranoid, but I also believe that taking these precautions will go a long way toward relieving any anxiety about being alone in a strange location.

1.     When you check in, ask a hotel staff member to accompany you to your room, especially if it’s late or if your room is in a remote location, and ask him or her to remain with you while you check the room for safety and locate the emergency exits.

2.     Check to be sure that the peep hole has not been reversed, which means that someone on the outside could be looking in at you rather than vice versa.

3.     Whenever you return to your room, look around to be sure no one is lurking nearby before you open the door. And if you do see someone, get back on the elevator, return to the lobby, and report it to the front desk. One of the biggest, brawniest, and most experienced flight attendants I know was attacked from behind while opening his door, robbed of his cash, passport, valuables and left in his room with a concussion. He felt invincible. Truth is, it can happen to anyone who isn’t paying attention. [Read more →]

Is it really possible to put a cost on true peace of mind when you travel far from home? A company called MedjetAssist urges travelers to take trips, not chances – a concept that’s makes so much sense to me – I formed a partnership with them on my website.

MedjetAssist membership services that go far beyond most of the benefits provided by travel insurance providers, platinum card programs and even other evacuation services. MedjetAssist actually allows their members to choose which hospital will be their final destination in case of an emergency (as long as that member is more than 150 miles from home).

Whatever the reason you find yourself in a far-away hospital, MedjetAssist will handle all the details to get you to your chosen medical center with no extra charges – just the nominal annual membership fee.

It doesn’t matter if you have a pre-existing condition or a long-term illness – MedjetAssist is always there for you, so you have a health advocate at your service, should things take unexpected turn when you are far from home.

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A new health study completed in the U.K. shows that people with minor heart conditions can fly without with out risking their health. The British Cardiovascular Society completed the finding showing that low-risk patients can fly just three days after a heart attack.

However, the study strongly recommends that high-risk heart patients – hold off on air travel until their condition improves. But even the most severely affected people can still fly if they follow important guidelines.

The health guidelines insist that heart patients drink plenty of non-caffeinated beverages with no alcohol, tea, or coffee. They must also wear compression stockings and take blood thinners.

The study concludes that the risks associated with flying are about the same as those associated with other modes of transportation including trains, buses and cars.

Airlines can (and do) refuse to carry sick passengers and people are advised to warn their airline if they have a condition.

The study indicates that one of the most troubling parts of the trip could take place before the person ever boards the plane because of the stress associated with crowds, delays and carrying heavy luggage.

All travelers need to think about safety—that’s just common sense. When you’re traveling with children, however, it’s particularly important for you to plan ahead. I certainly don’t want to make you uneasy about taking your kids on vacation—just the opposite.

If you have safety plans in place you’ll be able to relax and enjoy your vacation. So here are 5 tips for basic safety I believe everyone should have in place.

1.   Have a designated meeting place outside your hotel. If you’re separated for any reason—you might be in the restaurant having dinner while the kids are in your room—and there’s a fire drill or some other emergency that causes guests to be evacuated, having a spot to meet that’s close enough for the children to get to safely will avoid a great deal of potential confusion and unnecessary panic. [Read more →]

As my go-to person for anything related to skin care or cosmetic surgery, I asked well-known holistic plastic surgeon Dr. Shirley Madhere about particular precautions we need to take when traveling post-plastic surgery.

Dr. Shirley (as she is most often called) approaches treatment from a holistic perspective that integrates cutting-edge Western medicine with a variety of complementary modalities in order ensure the best possible care and outcomes for her patient.

Carolyn:“How long, typically, do you have to wait after minor surgery to fly?”
Dr. Madhere: “A minimum of one (1) week.  However, after plastic surgery, it is advisable not to be at complete rest, since deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and fatal pulmonary embolism (PE) may occur up to one (1) month (4 weeks) after surgery.”

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According to the New York Times, almost 90 percent of traveling Americans identify germs as a real concern when they are flying. However, sanitizing products can be hard to come by once you take to the air.

It’s not always easy to tell how affective these products are – but the In-Flight Insider has one that may just make a difference.

Nozin is an antiseptic solution that may help protect you from catching a cold or other airborne viruses while in-flight. Nozin comes either in a small bottle with cotton swabs or as individual, single-use swabs with the solution already inside.

The antiseptic it contains is vitamin E, jojoba oil and orange oil. This initially left me a bit apprehensive about putting it into my nose. Would I still smell this orange oil hours later? As it turned out, the Nozin is only applied just inside the tip of the nostril. There was a fresh orange scent, but it wasn’t overpowering and didn’t last too long.

Does it work? It’s hard to say. I didn’t get sick, but maybe I wouldn’t have gotten sick at all anyway. It seems to me that this is another simple precaution we can take—along with using hand sanitizer—to protect us against all those germs when we travel.

Sitting on a plane for hours at a time, can really leave you in need of a good stretch – particularly now that there are additional restrictions regarding moving about in the cabin.

The In-Flight Insider has come across a company that produces sets of flash cards with various kinds of exercises for virtually any travel situation and fitness level.

The company that produces these fitness-focused cards is called FitDeck.

The one that really caught my eye is the FitDeck Travel set of 26 cards for exercises that can be performed right in your plane seat. Each one is clearly illustrated and explained and all the exercises in the deck are appropriate for any level of fitness.

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