Top Travel Health Insurance: Reviewed & Rated

Travel Health Insurance - Do you need health insurance while exploring the world? Well, my answer is an explicit yes, based on experience. These days costs of medical care are skyrocketing everywhere, and if you are traveling to a developed country, you can bet that it's not going to be cheap. And if you get sick in an underdeveloped country, while the cost of care might be cheaper, can you really trust the quality of care? Again, if you need to leave the country and get to a more developed country for better care, the costs are going to be more. That's where "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". Travel health insurance just makes sense because it can be the extra cushion that you need to achieve a stress-free adventure.

There are a variety of illnesses and accidents that can be suffered when you are traveling to different areas of the world. Some of the most common include:

* Diarrhea
* Malaria
* Driving Accident Injuries
* Swimming Injuries
* Infected Open Wounds
* Sexually Transmitted Diseases

While you are not likely to suffer from much diarrhea if you visit more modernized countries and stick to main tourist areas, those who suffer to less modernized countries where hygiene, food and water safety is not as high do routinely go through severe bouts of diarrhea from the food and water consumption.

In countries where Malaria is a major concern, constant care must always be taken to protect the body from mosquitoes. This is a disease that enters the body through mosquito bites and it can be deadly.

To avoid accidents while driving, riding taxis, or swimming you should be cautious much as you would in your home country. The infrastructure in some countries is not in good condition and could contribute to higher risk of accidents.

If you get injured while traveling or have a wound anywhere on your body before you leave for the trip, it is essential that you keep the area disinfected and keep it well covered with bandages or gauze.


Preventing Diarrhea While Traveling


Diarrhea as well as many serious intestinal infections can be avoided in most cases by washing your hands frequently and maintaining a high level of physical hygiene. These infections that cause diarrhea are often contracted by the hands and mouth and run rampant in less developed countries where hygiene is poor.

Even serious diseases like hepatitis A, typhoid fever, polio and cholera can be prevented just by looking after your hygiene! 

Traveler's diarrhea is something different as it typically is more annoying than life threatening. It can come on from the change in food or impurities in the food and water. It will usually go away within a couple days.
Diarrhea can sometimes come with other unpleasant symptoms, such as stomach cramping, vomiting and a high fever. You should always work to relieve these symptoms to reduce the number of times you run to the bathroom and your chances of becoming dehydrated. If serious dehydration sets in (which can happen quite easily with diarrhea) you may need antibiotics or a stay in the hospital to receive intravenous fluids.

Many people do experience traveler's diarrhea when they are traveling to a country that is foreign to their usual diet and lifestyle. That said, it doesn't mean you can't reduce your chances of dealing with it by making sure to wash your hands before eating and avoiding the following things whenever possible:

- Raw vegetables.
- Raw fruits that are already peeled for you.
- Dairy products that are uncooked or unpasteurized.
- Seafood and meat that may be undercooked.
- Anything that doesn't smell very fresh.
- Street vendor ice cream.

Try to stick with restaurants where your food is more likely to be served hot and prepared in more sanitary conditions. You can sometimes tell where the bad restaurants are because they may have a lot of flies and other insects inside and around them. It's also not a good idea to eat food prepared and served in outdoor stalls.

While ice that comes from a deep freeze may be safe, you should avoid consuming tap water and ice cubes while in many countries. It is safe to consume bottled water and sodas, but you have to make sure the bottle lids have not been opened previously. This is because some countries are known to reuse bottles and caps.



So, how do you disinfect your drinking water? While you can never be 100% sure that sterilized water is completely safe, it does beat risking your health with tap water! Consider some tips on sterilization that will increase the purity level of your drinking water:



- Boil the water for a long period of time.

- Chemical disinfection with chlorine drops such as Hadex or Drinkwell Chloor can be used when boiling is not possible. These products can be found readily in modernized countries in outdoor adventure stores, as well as some drug and health stores and if you can filter the water first it may be more effective. Silver salts such as Micropur and Certisil Argento are also available, but they are used more for keeping water germ free than the initial disinfecting process. 

Do not try to use antibiotics or other medications to prevent coming down with traveler's diarrhea. This can actually be dangerous for your health! It is better to carry some of the products mentioned here with you as well as a good portable water filter.

If you are considering a trip to another country or routinely get out and explore the world, consider purchasing traveler's medical or health insurance so you are protected no matter what happens. That's the bottom line to peace-of-mind.