Having a chronic medical condition should not stop you from exploring our world and living life to the fullest. There are so many amazing sights to see out there, and travel is one of the greatest ways for us to open our minds and hearts! Here are some of our best tips to help you travel abroad with a chronic medical condition.
How to Travel Abroad with a Chronic Medical Condition
Do Your Research
Put a little extra work in to do some research about the country and how it is likely to affect your condition. There are plenty of things that you can learn which will affect how easily you can travel. For example, how easy will it be for you to travel with your medicine? Will you have to declare it when crossing any borders?
There are other considerations to make. If you lose any medicine or a piece of equipment you need is damaged, how quickly and easily will you be able to replace it. If you are on a city break, you might be able to get things very easily. However, if you are going to a more rural area or off-grid completely, you need to have a back-up plan just in case. There is never such a thing as being too prepared when it comes to your health.
Getting ill in Burundi
Get Insured
An insurance policy is a must for most travellers, but it becomes even more important when you have a medical condition to manage. You need to make sure that you have insurance when travelling with medical conditions in case you end up going to the hospital. A trip to a medical centre or even a short stay in hospital can quickly become incredibly expensive, and so you need to make sure that you are prepared.
Though you might think that it can be difficult to find a policy that covers pre-existing conditions, there are plenty out there that could suit your needs. Make a list of the coverage that you need to protect yourself properly and track down a policy. When you have a chronic medical condition that needs to be managed, it is foolish to consider going abroad without a travel insurance policy.
Be Prepared
There are plenty of other little things that you can do to ensure that you are adequately prepared when traveling with a chronic medical condition. You need to make sure that you are able to conquer any challenge that might be thrown your way.
A key example here can be language. If you are not heading to a country where English is a major language, there is no guarantee that you will be able to find someone who speaks English if you need help. Learn a few words in the major languages of the country you are headed to. Simple phrases like “I need a doctor,” or “It hurts here” can be massively helpful when it comes to getting you the care that you need in an emergency.
Traveling and seeing the world is an amazing experience, and there are plenty of places that you can go. While you need to be mindful of your chronic health condition, you should try to not let it hold you back too much. There will always be something new to explore and amazing sights to see. From small trips away for a change of scenery to a full bucket-list vacation packed with everything that you could ever want to do, there are so many types of trips that you could go on. Don’t let your chronic medical condition hold you back from seeing the world as you want to!