When you go on holiday, you find yourself with a whole list of travel essentials you need to take and if you’re travelling abroad, especially to hotter climes for your summer holiday, well the list just keeps on going! For your ease we have a list of travel health essentials that you should make sure you have before you go.

Sunscreen – Very important for hot holidays and anywhere where your exposed to sunlight, you should make sure you have enough to last your holidays and that it is a high enough factor.; For children you should be putting on factor 50 and similarly as adults if you have fair skin, experts say factor 30 is suitable for most adults and anything lower should be avoided.

Sunglasses – Not just to finish off your holiday ensemble, sunglasses protect your eyes from the harmful UVA’s too  many cheap fashion pairs do not provide adequate protection for your eyes and should be avoided, look for pairs which have a at least 70% UVA protection, however 100% is best, especially for young eyes.

Medication – If you are on medication it is advisable to speak to your doctor before you go to make sure there isn’t anything you should be avoiding and also make sure if you’re visiting certain countries that your vaccinations are also up to date. You also need to make sure that you have enough medication with you, that you need, and a reminder for women who are on birth control pills make sure you take enough to last you and some spares if you lose any. It’s also advisable to make sure you pack basic drugs such as paracetamol, laxatives and diarrhoea tablets just in case.

First aid – It may not be first on your list for holiday essentials but a first aid kit is can come in handy, especially when you’re out and about, small scissors, bandages, antiseptic cream/wipes and plasters will probably be enough, even if you’re staying in a resort. Blisters anyone, from new sandals? Insect repellents and insect bite cream also will be useful especially if mosquito’s like to dine from you. 

For the airplane – If you’re travelling by air even just for a couple of hours you need to be aware of DVT, flight socks are an easy travel essential that can be packed into your hand luggage, ready for your flight and they can help prevent DVT and are a must on long haul. Also avoiding alcohol or anything that dehydrates you will also help.

It’s that time of your again when many of us will be heading off to the slopes of Austria or Canada for our well earned ski holidays. And whether you’re a seasoned skier or a first-timer, a bit of preparation beforehand can definitely help your skills and stamina, and also add to your enjoyment of the holiday.

There’s nothing worse than spending the first day of your ski holiday enjoying the slopes and the next two days in bed with a bad back or other painful aches. To make sure you don’t miss out on any of the fun, the trick is to get in shape before setting off. If you want to get the most benefit and enjoyment  from your valuable time on the slopes, then start training at least 4 weeks before you go by targeting the muscles that control your skiing and snowboarding. Most of us hit the slopes and plan on skiing all day, even if it’s been months or years since we last skied and by afternoon, you get so tired that you lose focus. This is often the time when injuries and accidents happen as the more tired you are, the more your concentration suffers and muscles become increasingly slower and weaker to respond.

What makes skiing holidays such great exercise is that it uses all of your muscle groups, although some muscles are used more than others and these are the ones you want to concentrate on when it comes to your pre-holiday training.  The primary muscles used in skiing are your calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, inner and outer thighs, abs and back and your arms

To build stamina and prepare your heart and body for long-term skiing, you need to have a cardio programme in place at least 4 weeks before you go which should include 3 to 5 days each week of your favourite activity (the best for skiing include running, step aerobics or cross trainer).  Try to have a variety of workouts lasting from 20 to 45 minutes. As you get closer to your trip, you can also add time to one of your workouts so that you have one long workout each week.             

When you go on holiday to Far East countries such as Egypt you often find local restraints and bars with hookah pipes in and customers smoking them.

If you’re a none smoker then you’ll be in one of two camps, since you’re on holiday then you might just try a smoking through a hookah pipe, or you’ll stick to your guns and not smoke them.
Smokers usually aren’t bothered and will give them a go.

The only thing is since your abroad you can’t be guaranteed of what exactly your smoking, it could be completely genuine or it could have harmful products in which may damage your health.

Here in the UK there is the odd restaurant that allows for use of hookah pipes in designated smoking areas, but with the strict laws you can usually guarantee that what your smoking is somewhat safe for your health in the means of its tobacco, and not just bits of random flammable products.

Hookah Pipes

It is really important that before embarking on any skiing holidays, you should think seriously about getting fit. Fitness exercises for skiing should not be ignored, as skiing is for most people a recreational sport that they participate in once a year. For this reason alone it is seen that most individuals are poorly conditioned prior to their skiing activity, which can only result in sore and aching muscles and legs, all of which can be avoided.

A simple exercise like taking a cycle ride each and every day at least eight weeks before you travel to your ski resort can build up leg muscles as well as being an excellent aerobic exercise too. The key areas to look at are muscular strength and endurance, especially in the muscles in the legs. Experienced skiers and instructors will tell you that most falls and injuries occur in the afternoon, especially early in the week of a holiday. Some of this can be attributed to stupidity such as alcohol, but more often it is just tiredness as a resulted of being unprepared and generally unfit. So why not resolve to eliminate the problem by undertaking some simple pre skiing exercises?

If you have access to a gym or are a member, get the trainer to set you up with a series of exercises specifically designed to help build up strength in the calf and thigh areas, the lower back, and hamstrings. Why not get yourself a Swiss ball for use at home? With this simple device it is possible to improve your core strength, whilst aiding your stability and balance on the slopes, there are over 200 different exercises aimed at the abdominal areas when using this device. Above all do not just do nothing, go walking preferably uphill or hop up the stairs on one leg and repeat with the other leg, you will be amazed at how much your legs strengths improves, and get out on that bike! Enjoy your ski holiday, you will if you are prepared.