Smarter Travelling

It’s that time of life when many students take the opportunity to travel and see some of the world before graduating and being limited to 20 days of holiday a year. But while your main concern may be getting that great tan or how cheap the booze is going to be abroad, make sure you visit the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s website - (www.fco.gov.uk/travel ) – for great Know Before You Go advice…….. as well as packing the sun cream.

The Know Before You Go website has top tips and checklists for maximising your fun and minimising the risks on your travels. You can also get up-to-date destination specific travel information to ensure that you’re fully prepared. Five minutes spent looking up the country you are visiting could help you avoid unnecessary hassle, which could end up eating into your fun abroad. It’s easy to ‘forget’ about pre-travel preparation; many of us think, “it’ll never happen to me” – but it sometimes does as one poor student found out. He now wishes that he’d checked out the Know Before You Go website for medical information…

A diet to be missed….

“It was the first time I had ever ventured past mainland Europe. I was so looking forward to it. Literally it was to be the trip of a lifetime….

My (older and definitely wiser) friend had been to Thailand twice before and had captivated me with stories of his time out there. I had listened to all the tales of fantastic sights and great people he met, from the native Thai people to the beach bum surfer dudes who were permanently partying. What I should have paid more attention to though, was the preparations he undertook before each trip.

Dengue fever. I don’t think I’d heard the name once before my travels but now just hearing it makes me shudder. Trust me after reading this you will too.

So there I am in Thailand, having spent ten great days. And I mean great - pure paradise, surpassing all my expectations of my dream holiday. On the day I was due to catch my flight back, I woke up in extreme discomfort. I was sweating heavily all over my body and suffering from extreme stomach cramps. This continued intermittently for the entire journey home. Having eaten numerous dubious curries over the last few weeks, I wasn’t too concerned and thought it would pass.

I was wrong! 5 weeks later and having been hospitalised for 2 weeks, I lost over 4 stone. I wasn’t even able to keep water down and had to have saline solutions and vitamins dripped into my body. I thought I was going to look fit and tanned after my trip. Hardly.

After rallying slightly, the doctors deemed the worst was over and I was finally allowed home - it felt like it had been years.

But the fever came back again just as term time was starting and I had to miss 4 weeks of Fresher parties. Not only that, my mother had to have a month off work (generous boss) and come down and nurse me from her home in Warrington.

Next time, I have promised myself to pay more attention to preparing properly and getting my jabs!”

So don’t end up like this, take the time to check out the website and make sure you are fully prepared. But if you do nothing else, make sure you at least follow these top FCO Know Before You Go tips:

• Make sure you research your destination, visit www.fco.gov.uk/travel and buy a good guidebook to take with you
• Visit your GP in plenty of time before you go to check if you need any vaccinations. If you are on any medication, check that it is a legal substance in the country you are off to. Did you know for example, that Vicks inhalers are banned in Japan?
• Get comprehensive travel and medical insurance. If you’re planning activities like bungee jumping or white water rafting, make sure your insurance covers these
• Photocopy key information (like your passport and insurance details) and keep them separately in case you lose the originals. This can save you hours or even days trying to get replacements.
• Check that your passport is in good condition, valid and you’ve filled in the ‘next of kin’ details before heading off

Make sure you Know Before You Go this year and that your trip is remembered for the right reasons rather than the wrong ones. Your mum was right when she said prevention is better than cure.

For more information please visit: www.fco.gov.uk/travel