Travel Agencies Minneapolis MN

Travel Tips

Travel can be one of the most enjoyable aspects of life, but it takes planning and avoidance of illness to keep from being a disaster. Follow our tips and you will have a safe and enjoyable trip. Air and other travel can be a real source of illness - sometimes very serious. It's best to know what to look out for in advance and how to avoid it. Most problems can be avoided by simple precautions and often have simple solutions.

A key question when considering travel is always whether or not you are fit and in good enough health to do so. If you've recently recovered form a serious operation or illness, it may be best for you to wait until both your health and stamina are back up to par: don't put yourself at risk. Being sick far from home and your regular doctor can be very challenging!

• Make a Personal Travel Checklist: read through these tips and other advice and make yourself a travel checklist that's specific to your needs. Talk to people who have gone to the places you're planning to go to. If you have a health condition, find people with the same condition who have gone to your destination. You know your health situation better than almost anyone else, so think about what you'll need when away from home.

Some things to add to your list:

• Transportation to the airline, ship or train

• Who’s going to take care of my pets?

• Is my passport (and any inoculations) up to date?

• Should I get travel insurance?

• Stop or forward the mail

• Make a copy of your passport and any immunization papers, and keep them separate from your passport

• If it is winter at home, will someone shovel/plow my walk and driveway?

• Will my cell phone, Blackberry, or other electronic device work where I am going?

• If you are planning to take a laptop, remember that Homeland Security has the right to investigate what’s on it. You may want to strip out your data and put it on a flash drive or use some encryption programs that are available.

• Check the weather where you are going, and be prepared

• Alert your bank and credit card companies that you will be making purchases abroad. “Suspicious” foreign charges may be denied, which could leave you in an embarrassing position. If you have a recent credit or debit card, make sure it works and you know your pin number. (Editor’s note: I had gotten a new debit card for an old account, but had not used it prior to my trip. At my destination I was unable to use it – my main source of funds! Luckily I was able to rectify the situation over the phone, but I had a personal contact at the bank who helped – otherwise it might have been impossible, and my trip would have been ruined.)

Immune System Health

In all cases your body can fight off most germs it encounters - when your immune system is working efficiently. When it's compromised, you get sick. See our Imm...