Only 3️⃣ days to go until our trip around the world! To fuel a little anticipation until then, here's a topic that many of our doctor friends must have been looking forward to. Today:
Travel medicine & health
It's worth taking a look at the vaccination maps of the world if you're planning a trip. We're travelling to quite a lot of red areas. My hard-working mum has blown a lot into our upper arms over the last few months: Typhoid, Jap. encephalitis, cholera, rabies, hepatitis, meningitis, yellow fever, then boosters of the standard stuff - we really haven't missed out on anything. Good to know: Although health insurance companies are not obliged to cover travel vaccinations, TK (and many others) will still reimburse all recommended travel vaccinations according to their website.The only important thing is to start as early as possible, as some diseases require several shots and not all of them are compatible with each other.
Parallel to the vaccination marathon, the Praxis Schadwinkel put together what I call a "snack box" for us. Antibiotics, creams, tablets, plasters, eye drops, a first aid kit - everything a doctor's heart desires. As we have already had to deal with googly eyes, nasty hornet attacks and man colds on previous trips, I am now also very convinced of the need to have six different creams for skin wounds with me, for example.
Of course, for the most part we will always be close to hospitals and pharmacies, but even in small emergencies like an excessive reaction to an insect bite or diarrhoea, we will be super grateful for our well-stocked snack box - a huge thanks again to Mum!
With a heavy heart, Leah has decided not to take her dental treatment chair with her after all, despite my argument that she could certainly have made one or two other Couchsurfer hosts happy. On the subject of dental care, there are still heated discussions about electronic toothbrushes when travelling.
We have taken out travel health insurance, and if everything really goes wrong and we are in serious trouble, we will cancel without question and recuperate at home.
Recommended reading 📖: AMBOSS. Medical knowledge you can rely on. Entertaining, exciting and layman-friendly.