Start taking vitamins and nutritional supplements when you plan a trip abroad! Depending on how wild your travel plans are, you could be in need of some anti-malarial shots, or boosters of long forgotten vaccinations you first had as a child. The doctor will be able to explain to you what drugs are needed for what parts of the world, but might not have time to go into detail about how travel affects your nutrition, or where in the rest of the world you can buy your vitamins and nutritional supplements.
Adjust your body clock slowly
When you travel, your body clock has to acclimatise to some big changes. Make sure you don’t plan any strenuous activities in the first couple of days of your vacation. Waking in the middle of the night and snoozing during the day are all natural ways your body deals with timezone hopping. If you are away for just a short vacation, there’s no need to totally switch to local time, a process that can take up to one day per timezone. Appropriate Vitamins and Nutritional Supplements that can help keep you awake, or help you sleep at a good time, are an acceptable alternative.
Take street food and boiled water in moderation
On getting to your destination, you should take time to get used to the local food and water. Your system will probably be reluctant to go into an all local diet straight away, but relying on imported products the whole time you are there won’t strengthen your ability to cope if your western lifelines are suddenly removed from you. Drink plenty of water, and make some of it local tap water, but remember that in most countries, tap water MUST be boiled first. Again, it may be tempting to try street food as soon as you arrive, but allow yourself time to get used to the cooking style and ingredients. Spicy food doesn’t agree with everyone!
Give your body regular nutritional supplements
If you’re abroad to relax, you may think that all those vitamins and nutritional supplements you swallowed when at home aren’t necessary. After all, weren’t they related to the stresses and strains of home life? Wrong. Your nutrition while away from home will be all messed around, and you need to keep up with regular inputs of the essential vitamins and nutritional supplements.
Take care of your medical condition
If you have a chronic condition, you will know how important it is to be regular with your medicinal intake. Be sure to carry enough of your prescribed drugs, vitamins and nutritional supplements that work on your condition. And with the new regulations in most airports around the world, it’s important to keep your drugs, vitamins and nutritional supplements in their original packing to avoid a lengthy search session before boarding the plan. Liquid medication, vitamins and nutritional supplements should be in small bottles, or should be carried in the hold. Check the requirements of your destination if you are in any doubts as to what is allowed.
Getting hold of familiar drugs abroad
What about buying drugs, vitamins, and nutritional supplements while you’re abroad? Again, it depends on where you go. If you stick to the bigger cities, you will have no problem finding pharmacies that stock the standard array of familiar western brands and nutritional supplements. Further a field and you’ll need to stock up. And you never know - if you take time to ask around, you should find out some interesting local traditions and practices regarding nutrition and nutritional supplements that may enhance your own actions. Every region in the world is full of natural health practices that are only starting to be taken seriously by the average westerner.
