When you’re on vacation, it’s easy to neglect your health. With plenty of delicious food and drinks, you might forget your diet and active lifestyle for a while. Still, a healthy lifestyle is incredibly important, especially in this day and age. So if you’re planning a trip to Thailand, Vietnam or any country in Southeast Asia, here are tips for staying healthy while on vacation.
- Get a health check and necessary jabs before travelling.
Consult with your doctor before travelling. A full check-up can help ensure you’re fit to travel. Plus, it’s an opportunity to get recommended injections or medications. Besides the COVID-19 vaccine, you might need other jabs that can help you stay healthy in your chosen destination. Your doctor will also likely consider your allergies and personal health history before recommending any injection. Make sure to tell your doctor the places you want to visit.
- Avoid the cuteness of stray animals.
Even if you have a rabies vaccine, it’s still best to lower your risk of getting bitten by an animal with rabies. You will likely hear objections to this tip from travellers who’d spent years in Southeast Asia, touching and cuddling stray animals and lived to tell the tale. But their positive experience doesn’t mean the unfortunate won’t happen to you. It’s best to be on the safe side.
- Stay hydrated.
Water is such a vital drink that we always advise bikers and travellers to never forget to pack water bottles. Drink as much water as you can every day during your trip as the warm weather get intense, depending on the town or city you’re visiting. But be cautious about drinking tap water. It’s clean enough to wash your face and body, but it’s not usually advisable to drink.
- Go on a bike ride or hit the gym.
Backpacking is a great way to stay active and discover new places. Not only will you feel like an explorer, but you’ll be able to burn some unwanted pounds while doing it! It also allows you to see a lot of different things in (hopefully) a short time. But if you have the luxury to stay in hotels and go on private car tours, don’t forget to stay fit by hitting the hotel gym or going on a bike ride. Sometimes, people may be unsure where to go or what to find during the day. If you feel the same way in any Southeast Asian city you go to, here’s a tip: head out for a walk in a park. Walking is a good exercise, and there may even be yoga or dance classes going on in the park! Joining such activities can be a great way to interact with locals and experience their culture.
- Keep your mental health in check.
Feeling homesick for someone you love during a long period of being away can be hard to deal with. So, it’s important to stay connected with your loved ones back home even during travel abroad. Make sure you have cellular data, so you can send a photo or call them anytime.
If you’re a solo traveller, sometimes the thought of travelling by yourself can be daunting. However, there’s a chance that you know someone else could potentially have a similar experience and enjoy the stories it may lead to. You might want to look online and find like-minded travellers before you head out on your own adventure. It’s easy to connect with people in your travels by using social media. Facebook groups about backpacking Southeast Asia and apps like Couchsurfing make meeting people a lot easier.
If you stay healthy during your trip, it is easy to have a blast while in Southeast Asia. You can appreciate all the amazing sights, chow down on every local cuisine possible and participate in as many fun activities as you can manage. You would want to remember your holiday trip for such happy memories, not the times you had to stay in bed feeling sick and overwhelmed.