Once you book your trip to Africa and it is confirmed, you are likely to experience a heightened sense of excitement. It is okay for you to experience a surge of emotions because you will be finally traveling to a destination you have been dreaming about. You can’t just hold your joy imaging what awaits you. However, you still have one more concern: your health.
Are we saying that Africa poses a greater risk to your health? No. This shouldn’t be a great concern because I am certain the worries have been fuelled by family or friends who don’t have experience traveling to Africa. We assure you that with good health, you are unlikely to experience any serious health problems. However, even the slightest health issue will affect your vacation experience.
For this reason, we have developed a list of the top health tips that will help you have a great time during your trip to Africa.
Health tips when traveling to Africa
- Visit your general practitioner before your departure to discuss with them any health concerns you may have.
- Make sure that you have in place comprehensive travel health insurance. This is particularly important if your travel concierge will be taking you to the remotest areas of Africa. Ensure the cover is adequate enough for you to be evacuated to the nearest hospital and taken back to your home country if the need arises,
- Before you depart, make sure you are as fit and as healthy as you can – you don’t want to go on vacation while fighting off the flu or a cold. You may even consider getting a flu shot in time prior to tour departure.
- Take immune booster or multivitamins and pack some of them in your hand luggage to carry along to help protect you against “flight flu.”
- If you are on prescription drugs, stock up on enough of these before you leave. Additionally, make sure you have copies of your physician’s scripts and store your scheduled drugs in their original packaging. Request your doctor to give you the alternative or generic names for your drugs should you need to seek medical attention while in any African country.
- Consider bringing with you spare contact lenses, diabetes monitors, over-the-counter drugs, and asthma pumps, among other items that you regularly use for different conditions such as stomach upsets, allergies, and migraines. You never know when you will need these!
- If you need special medical attention or special facilities, make sure you inform your travel concierge in advance. This will help them arrange for these requirements and avoid inconveniences and risks, such as allergic reactions.
- Make sure that all your routine vaccinations are up-to-date. Go for your MMR, hepatitis, DPT, and polio shots prior to your travel if they are not up to date.
- Heed to your doctor’s advice even when you feel it is disappointing. For example, if you feel that you will miss out on the most exciting experience, just follow your doctor’s advice. Trust me, there can always be alternatives.
- If you feel unwell at any point of the vacation, let your travel concierge know.
Conclusion
If you follow these health tips, you will have a generally successful trip to Africa. Our travel concierges are knowledgeable in this area, and they will make sure your health concerns are addressed as you visit Africa.
