For many people, there is no better excitement than planning an overseas adventure travel trip. While there are certainly plenty of exciting and adventuresome places to explore oversees, there are also numerous opportunities to become ill and injured. That’s no reason to delay your overseas adventure travel plans; however. To avoid problems, you simply need to take the time to educate yourself and pack accordingly. Take a look at these oversees adventure travel tips.
One of the most important things you can remember when traveling on an overseas adventure trip is that it is definitely not always safe to drink the water. This is because many places around the world have water supplies that are contaminated with disease and chemicals that could bring you serious harm. Numerous diseases are often borne by water and even if you only come down with a case of what is commonly referred to as traveler’s diarrhea; it won’t make for a pleasant trip.
To protect your health, never drink anything other than bottled water from brands that you know and trust. While this will go a long way toward insuring that you do not become a victim of illness while traveling, you do need to take things a step further. Always insist on either opening the bottle yourself or insuring that it is opened while you watch. Unfortunately, some people try to make a profit by selling local water that may be contaminated in commercial water bottles.
Be aware that it’s usually
not safe to use ice made from the local water; either. This can be a hard pill to swallow for people who are not accustomed to taking their drinks at room temperature, but it’s better that than risk becoming ill by contaminated ice. Since, there’s really no way to guarantee that the ice was made from distilled water it’s better to just forego it. Also be aware that you should be skeptical of any beverage, such as coffee or tea that may have been made from the local water supply.
Likewise, don’t even think about brushing your teeth with the local water. Even if you don’t swallow it, you can absorb contamination in your mouth and become ill. The same is true while bathing. While we would certainly never suggest that you go without basic hygiene while traveling, do try to be careful not to get the water in your mouth or eyes.
When you have no other choice, you can use the local water but be aware that it should be boiled for no less than 10 minutes in order to be considered safe. You can also put iodine tablets in order to kill any bacteria that may be present. These tablets can be easily obtained at most camping and outdoor supply stores. You might also look into purchasing a small water purifier that can be easily packed for travel overseas.
Finally, never wade or swim into any stream, river or lake that you are unsure about.
