After working hard for many years, it’s time to treat yourself.
Retirement years are full of endless travel opportunities. There’s more time to play with grandchildren and more time to spend on undiscovered shores.
You probably have an idea about what toiletries to bring and the clothes you need to pack for a trip, but if you’re traveling with Medicare, there are more considerations and preparations to make before you go.
Read MoreI don’t know if it’s because I’ve recently turned 30, but I definitely remember a time when I used to have more energy.
Whether you’ve traveled for an active adventure, or urban exploration, a very common goal among travelers is to get the most out of every day. After-all, you have limited vacation days, and you’ve traveled to an exotic location – you want to experience as much as possible.
But there’s no denying that moving around all day comes with one downside; exhaustion, aches and pains. Long days of traveling, sightseeing, and walking are incredible, but they definitely take their toll.
Many travelers experience soreness, muscle pain, and fatigue overseas, and it can be especially difficult if you’re wondering how you can possibly head out again tomorrow.
If you’ve ever found yourself in this situation, wondering how you’re possibly going to continue with your itinerary, I’ve got you covered. Pranamat ECO is a therapeutic accupressure massage set you can travel with, and a great way to relax and get rid of muscle pain.
Read MoreWe all know the saying “you are what you eat”; the belief that to be healthy and remain in shape you need to eat quality nutritious food. If this is true, then your dream of becoming as fit and strong as a Viking may mean you have to start eating like one!
Of course there is no better way to start eating like a true Viking than to head to Norway. People have long been taking bucket list trips to Norway to see the country’s breathtaking landscapes, but they have recently started travelling for another reason as well.
The new diet craze that is sweeping the world is the Nordic Diet. It is a diet that is not only proving to be quite healthy for us but the environment as well. It is a sustainable diet that takes advantage of seasonal ingredients and requires fewer natural resources with less pollution to produce meals.
The following dishes are some of the “must try” dishes you have to experience on your next Scandinavian adventure.
Read MoreIt’s not something anyone likes to talk about, but it’s something I guarantee that every traveler will experience at some point, regardless of whether or not you have an adventurous appetite.
Travelers diarrhea is the most common travel-related illness, and a very real health problem faced by developing countries. It is estimated that 15–20 million travelers will experience traveler’s diarrhea annually, which means that roughly 40,000 travelers got the runs today.
So what do you do if you find yourself with Delhi belly / Montezuma’s revenge, and have to make a sudden break for the bathroom? Follow these tips to prevent travelers’ diarrhea so you can still enjoy your holiday.
Read MoreIf you’ve been planning to travel for the longest time, the last thing you want is to get infested with bedbugs.
These dreadful parasitic insects are tiny and brownish in color. They exclusively feed on blood and are especially drawn to human blood. Since they prefer feeding during the night, they notoriously cause sleepless nights among residents.
Failing to take appropriate measures puts you at a higher risk of carrying bed bugs back home. Rather than incurring the high cost to letting bed bugs hitchhike home with you, take suitable steps to steer clear of these parasites during and after your travel.
Read MoreAlthough dental tourism has been around for a long-time, the prices that most Westerners face to maintain their dental health at home is making more and more people consider overseas surgery, especially for expensive procedures like dental implants.
And while a trip to the dentist may not sound like your ideal vacation, a small border town in Northwest Mexico called Los Algodones is drawing travelers to the dentist chair in the thousands, especially from countries like Canada and the United States.
The self-styled dental capital of the world, there are hundreds of dentists located here. For dental tourists, the expertise as well as the incredibly low dental implant costs in Los Algodones is enough reason to head for Mexico.
With people from Western nations flustered by the sky high prices of dental implants that their local dentists charge, the following are reasons why it costs way less in Algodones.
Read MoreOver the years airline regulations have changed. These days there are restrictions on liquids that can be brought onto a plane as well as rules for prescription drugs and other items.
If you’re planning an upcoming trip and need to take medication with you, here are 6 tips you’ll need to know to ensure your travel plans go as expected.
Read MoreJapan could easily be considered to be among the world’s most desired destinations. I mean, who hasn’t dreamed of watching the sun set over a tori gate, visit the thousands of shrines in Kyoto, or witness dawn from the top of Mt. Fuji?
And in terms of getting around, the country has one of the safest, cleanest, fastest, most efficient, punctual and convenient public transportation networks in the world. But while you might be tempted by the city subways, bullet trains, or even by catching a flight, we opted for an entirely different way of seeing Japan: by bike.
With considerate drivers, great infrastructure, and a well connected network of roads, Japan is a perfect destination for bicycle touring first-timers. We spent 3 months on our bikes exploring Kyushu, Shikoku, and Southern Honsu, but you still can easily cover a wide cross section of Japan in 7 – 10 days.
Read MoreOne of the most common anxieties is in-flight nervousness. Whether you can’t stop running horrific crash scenarios through your mind or you fear in-flight turbulence, it’s perfectly normal to feel nervous when you’re about to fly on an airplane.
Though air travel is incredibly safe, it’s still hard to combat nervousness, especially on longer flights. Here are some tips for distracting a nervous flyer so you can fly with ease and confidence!
Read MoreIf you’ve decided to travel abroad, one of the wisest things you can do is immunize. Staying healthy and not picking up a foreign disease is an incredibly important precaution if you don’t want to end up in quarantine.
But there are a huge range of vaccines available nowadays, so how do you know which you actually need?
To make your travel arrangements easier, we’ve outlined the 5 most common vaccines.
Read MoreThe women in our group had started calling me shoulders – not necessarily because there was anything spectacular about mine, but because they could see them. Which was a novel concept when we were hiking across a continent covered in ice.
In fact, Antarctica is the coldest, windiest and driest continent on earth, and summer temperatures average just above freezing. So stripping off my carefully planned out layers wasn’t something I expected, or originally had in mind.
But the sun was beating down, and I was ridiculously overdressed. I had even started sweating! So there I was, hiking across a glacier, with bare shoulders, now recommending that every traveler to Antarctica packs sunblock. Because the biggest killer in Antarctica is the reflection off the ice.
Read MoreWho would’ve ever thought that packing a carbon monoxide detector would be an essential and life-saving item in one’s travel-kit arsenal?
We certainly didn’t until tragedy struck and my husband nearly lost his life to carbon monoxide poisoning at a “boutique hotel” in Central Mexico.
After dropping our twins off at their much-anticipated 6th grade camp in a rural community outside of Guadalajara, Frank and I set out to enjoy our weekend together, knowing that our children would be in good hands in the company of their classmates and the Camp La Cañada counselors, including a medic on staff.
But instead of enjoying a romantic weekend of exploring and relaxing together, we spent it fighting for Frank’s life. So I pen an open letter to all travelers.
Read MoreA trip to the dentist may not sound like your ideal vacation, in fact, the majority of us actively try to avoid it! But if you’re travelling to Mexico, it’s actually a nice opportunity to get some affordable dental care.
There are a lot of cheap dentists in Mexico that offer top-quality services. If you’re a little mindful, you can enjoy first-rate dental services at a fraction of the costs you would have to pay back home.
Read MoreMedical tourism is booming, and people from all around the world have become accustomed to traveling overseas for medical care in another country. Around 8 million patients each year.
Mexico is fast becoming one of the post popular destinations for medical tourism, treating more than 1 million foreign patients a year. These patients have typically been Hispanics from California, Arizona and Texas returning home for medical care, though there are a large number of Americans and Canadians who take advantage of the healthcare in Mexico too.
But whether you’re looking for a breast lift in Mexico or some dental work, you may be concerned about the country’s safety situation. Of course, price is the main concern, but safety always comes first.
You’ll be pleased to know that many Americans and Canadians are discovering that medical tourism in Mexico is much safer and cheaper than you might think.
Read MoreIn this increasingly divided world, there are still a few things which remain that unites us all. And one of those is that we all love a good old snooze. However, just as the language we speak and the food we eat differ depending on the country we live in, so too does how we sleep.
Unsurprisingly, our bedtime routines reflect the differences in everything from our environment, to our lifestyles and cultural values. Below are just some of the countless ways in which the world gets its rest on.
Read MoreWhether you’ve traveled for an active adventure, or urban exploration, a very common goal among travelers is to get the most out of every day. After-all, you have limited vacation days, and you’ve traveled to an exotic location – you want to experience as much as possible.
But there’s no denying that moving around all day comes with one downside— tired and sore feet. A long day of traveling, sightseeing, and walking will definitely take it’s toll.
Many travelers experience soreness, pain, and foot fatigue overseas, and it can be especially difficult if you’re wondering how you can possibly head out again tomorrow.
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what to do to alleviate foot pain so you can rise again and be ready for the next day’s adventures, we’ve got you covered. Here are some tips on how to heel that pain!
Read MoreStress is very dangerous, and dealing with it can be time-consuming. Though very few of us can afford to spend an hour a day meditating or doing yoga.
Whether you’ve got three young kids, or a demanding career, staying centred, healthy and stress-free can seem an impossible puzzle, but we’re here to give you our solution; spend those days you had planned for a weekend getaway in pure relaxation and recovery at a quality spa location instead.
The best spa centres know all about the different factors when it comes to decreasing stress in the body, from physically kneading out knots and tension in massage, to eating well and beautifying, a quality spa trip covers all the bases and will have you feeling calm and Zen in no time at all.
Read MoreTropical countries are appealing and magnificent, but they are also home to a bunch of eerie crawlies whose bites can cause big problems for travelers.
To make sure you return safe and in good health, here are a few basic tips on how to keep insects away.
Read MoreMedical tourism is booming, and people from all around the world have become accustomed to traveling overseas for medical care in another country. Around 8 million patients each year.
Much of the time it comes down to procedures being substantially cheaper overseas, or not being able to find the right treatment at home. And traveling to another country for treatment often means being able to avoid long waiting lists for elective procedures. Though some medical tourists are immigrants who return to their home country for care, and others travel simply so they can avoid questions from family and friends (having the people of Thailand see the bandages from your nose job isn’t quite as bad as walking down the street at home).
The following destinations are leaders within the industry of medical tourism, and we have included information about the procedures they are most popular for. Just remember the golden rule: thoroughly research the clinic and the location before you go!
Read MoreWith our busy schedules, stressful routines and little time left for self-indulgence, planning for a spa break should be considered for destressing our busy lives. Not only for the luxury that often comes with the package but for health and well-being.
Here are five excellent reasons to indulge on a regular basis, including when you travel overseas.
Read MoreThere are a myriad of articles online providing tips for staying healthy while traveling abroad; stay active, wash your hands, eat well, be cautious of the tap water. However staying healthy should start at home, before you depart for overseas.
Travel can put real pressure on our immune system, even if it’s for fun; the stress, breaking the routine, “plastic” inflight food, jet lag, exposure to sick people, and environmental toxins. These all take their toll.
So while washing hands with soap and using hand sanitizer while you’re away are all great tips, these practices won’t stop you from getting sick if you have a weak immune system before you go. A strong immune system will keep you healthy despite everyone else coughing and sneezing around you, and will protect you from that bacteria circling through the airline A/C.
So it’s important to take care of your immune system whether traveling for business or pleasure. And, if you prefer to spend your time abroad doing what you love rather than being sick in bed, there are a few things you can do to prepare your immune system by staying healthy before you travel.
Read MoreThere are many, many reasons you should purchase health insurance when traveling abroad, the most obvious being to protect yourself in the case of an emergency, though some countries are beginning to require health coverage as a mandatory condition of entry, meaning travelers no longer have the choice to travel without a plan.
Expat hubs around the world are beginning to require mandatory health insurance before issuing a visa, and more and more countries are deciding to refuse entry without it. Many travelers don’t realize that without the correct insurance, they could be turned away from the destination they are visiting before they make it past airport arrivals.
The following countries are among those jumping on the trend of making health insurance mandatory for those wishing to travel or live overseas.
Read MoreThe idea to attempt a long walk had been in my head for some time. The book Wild, by Cheryl Strayed, came into my hands, shortly followed by Patrick Leigh Fermor’s A Time of Gifts; two autobiographies which detailed epic adventures across magical landscapes on foot.
It became clear to me that something very special happens to a traveler in this situation, so I decided I had to be involved. Though having never walked long distance before, I had to figure out where I should start.
The obvious choice for most travelers these days is the Camino de Santiago, or Way of St James. One of the most popular long distance routes made famous by films such as The Way with Martin Sheen, thousands come from all over the world to walk it every year. I imagined I’d probably be one of those thousands until – surprisingly – I started to learn a little bit more about European pilgrimage routes.
Read MoreWith the travel season quickly getting underway, now is the perfect time to address motion sickness. And while you may not have suffered from it in the past, this is a common condition that affects millions of people, and the reality is that motion sickness can ruin anyone’s trip.
Sometimes referred to as car sickness or sea sickness, motion sickness is a disturbance in your inner ear that is caused by repeated motion. Hiking up the highest peaks or cruising across the ocean can easily be derailed. This not only applies to those heading on a cruise, but could develop if you find yourself traveling in countries with poor road systems or stuck on a horribly crowded buses. Even turbulence from a plane could set you off. And unfortunately, many sufferers don’t do anything to treat it, or treat it with the wrong products and ineffective methods.
But for those of us who live our lives in motion, it’s critical that we know how to prevent and deal with motion sickness should it occur. Because it’s something that is easily treatable, and as such shouldn’t ruin anyone’s trip.
Read MoreForget snakes on a plane. Worry about the germs. Research shows that air travelers are at a higher risk for infection than people going about their daily lives.
The good news is that, for the most part, airplanes’ air filtration systems function well enough that you’re unlikely to contract more serious illnesses. Instead, your greatest risk is contracting the common cold or a classic case of the flu.
While that’s all well and good, it may be little comfort to people who don’t particularly want to have a cold or the flu while trying to enjoy their vacation. Luckily, it is possible to decrease your risk of infection from germs on a plane. Here’s how to maximize the chances of disembarking the plane as healthy as you boarded it.
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I am Megan Jerrard, professional travel blogger/journalist with a focus on adventure, discovery, immersion and inspiring you to explore!
