Feeling Under the Weather When You're on the Road

For most of the last week or so I've been sick.  Sore throat, chills, fever and feeling achy all over.  Bottom line, it sucks.  I've been dosing myself with Vitamin C, echinacea, chicken soup and the occasional Neocitran.  There's not much worse than when you are are ill.

Except when you are away from home.

Even if you love to travel and were to make up a list of the pros and cons of globetrotting, being sick or getting injured while on the road definitely makes the top of the cons list.  Think about it--you plan an amazing trip, pay for it and then hit the road.  Part way thorough you suddenly aren't feeling so well.  It doesn't matter what it is, but the last thing you want to happen is to be so miserable that all you want to do is go home to your own bed.  And what if you can't?  If you are living and working overseas like I did for a while going home may not be the easiest option or not one at all.  Nearly every traveler I have met has some sort of story relating to being sick on the road--it's more common than not but the most important thing is to keep your story from becoming a horror story.

So what's a savvy traveler to do?

Well there are many things that you can do to stay healthy during your trip.  First things first--start before your trip.

Before your trip:

• Eat well, drink lots of water, and get plenty of sleep.  
• Do some research.  Certain ailments are more common in some parts of the world.  Is the water safe to drink?  It may not be wise to eat uncooked food in some cases as well.  Keep in mind that the locals may have no problem with the water where you are traveling but bottled water may hold the key to keeping your insides happy.
• See a travel health professional well in advance of leaving.  They can provide you with emergency or preventative medicines that you can take with you.
• Get vaccinated.  Depending on where you are headed this may be especially important.  Some countries require proof of vaccination as a condition of entry,  Yellow fever vaccination is an example of this.  Your travel health professional can help you with this too.
• Get travel medical insurance!  If you don't need it this trip count yourself lucky--but if you do need you could likely save yourself a lot in costly foreign medical bills.
• Prepare for the possibility of motion sickness (if you have never traveled by water you could get seasick and just not be aware of it--I was once on a cruise with a woman who didn't realize she suffered from seasickness until she was on her trip--the only time she seemed comfortable over the course of that four days was when we were on land.
• The same goes for altitude sickness---give yourself some time to acclimatize before taking on serious changes in altitude.  You will have a better chance of reaching the top! 

During your trip:

• Drink lots of water.   If it has been recommended to drink bottled water do so.  Be wary of ice added to drinks and any beverages that may be made with local water.
• Know your limits when enjoying the local bevys.  (And that goes for any other substances you may be enjoying as well.)
• It will probably be hard but try to get enough sleep.
• Wash your hands, same as you do at home.  Carry hand sanitizer to use when soap and water aren't available.
• Enjoy the local food but try to eat a variety of foods.
• Pack some protection!  Sure you are on vacation but an STI (or an unwanted pregnancy) is a souvenir to avoid bringing home
•  If you do have an injury or find yourself ill seek medical attention.
• If you have the opportunity to rest when you are feeling under the weather--do so.

Although I've done my best over the years to stay well as I have traveled I certainly have not been immune to the various traveler's maladies.  Minimizing the impact if you do fall ill is key to making sure that the memories from your trip are fantastic.  Hopefully these tips will help to keep you well on the road.

Until next time happy traveling!

Working Abroad--Why you should do it and why I wish I had done it sooner!

In the streets of London.

I spent much of 2008 and 2009 living and working overseas.  Since I was young I had dreamed of experiencing life somewhere else in the world.  In retrospect it was an opportunity that I would not trade for anything.  I only have one regret and it's that I didn't do it sooner.

I recently received a message from an old friend of mine (who has been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work in the UK herself) who was trying to help another friend of hers out in getting the type of visa I got to work in the UK.  I was more than happy to pass along any help that I could because I know how much that opportunity has enriched my life.  I  hope that the information I provided was of some help.  But that request also got me thinking--I wish I had known about these opportunities sooner.

Living and working in another country isn't just about earning pounds or euros when you are used to making dollars.  It's about learning about another culture, enjoying new food, friends and adventures.  If you are just getting started after finishing school a year abroad doing a job that may not be a career builder will not be a blight on your CV (or resume for those of us in North America).  Your time overseas can tell a possible employer that you are independent, adaptable, and willing to take on new challenges.  You just left everything that was familiar behind and journeyed out into the great unknown for heaven sakes!  Take a bit of credit where credit is due.

There are some great resources out there if like me you wish to spend some time abroad.  If you are a Canadian you should check out The Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada site - Canadians Travel and Work Abroad page.  This site lists destinations that young Canadians are eligible to participate in work exchange programs.  There are plenty of options, especially for Canadians, including the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Italy and Japan just to name a few. There is also a link on this page for young nationals of other countries who want information on coming to Canada to work for up to a year.  This page is a great place to start if you are still investigating the possibilities that are out there. Most work permits or visas available under these programs are require you to be between the ages of 18 - 30, however there are a few that participants can be eligible up to age 35.

If however,  you have already decided that you are ready to jump on the next plane there are a few things you need to consider first.

1.  For many of these programs you need to apply BEFORE you arrive in your destination country.  You have to prove a few things before you are accepted such as your age, your citizenship, and proof of sufficient funds to help support yourself when you arrive (or to purchase passage home.)  There can be other restrictions as well--research the program for the country you hope to visit.

2. In most cases once you have applied, paid the fee and ticked all of the other requirements off the list you will have to send your passport to the embassy or high commission of your destination country.  If all goes well it will be returned to you with a brand spanking new visa in it.

3. Some destinations will require you to have a valid return ticket when you arrive--if so don't purchase a one way ticket until you have checked this out.

4. Some programs restrict the type of work or the duration, ie you can only work for the same employer for 6 months on your permit.  Keep this in mind when looking for work.  However also keep in mind due to the magic of the internet you can begin your search for work even before leaving home.  A couple of sites I found helpful for my work search in the UK were WorkAbout and AnyWork AnyWhere and Reed.co.uk.   If you looking for work in a specific field there are many other sites out there as well.

5.  You will probably need a tax number before starting work in your host country.  In Canada this is referred to as a Social Insurance Number, in the UK where I was working its called a National Insurance or NI number.  Apply for one as soon as you are able--usually once you have arrived.  Check into labour standards and minimum wages.  Know your rights as a worker!  Unfortunately some employers will try to take advantage of temporary foreign workers as they are more likely to get away with infractions.  I have my own story about this.

6.  A local bank account is helpful, especially when you are going to be in the same country for a significant amount of time.  It can be difficult to open as a foreigner walking into a bank in strange country so there are organizations that can help you get this done.  I used First Contact in London and setting up my account with HSBC was nice and easy (for a small fee of course).  First Contact or similar companies will help you out with other things as well.  If you are headed to another country inquire about similiar agencies that can help you get set up.  Once set up you will have a place to deposit and save your hard earned wages in the local currency.  The bank will likely also provide you with local cheques and a local debit card.

7.  Health Insurance!  This one I can't stress enough.  Foreigners are not often covered if they require medical attention outside of their home country and this can lead to big medical bills even for something as simple as a broken bone.  In some cases if you have a visa that is valid for work you may be covered as was the case with me while I was in the UK.  I learned after I was in A&E (Accident and Emergency)  that Canada has a reciprocal health agreement with the UK.  I had separate insurance as well but was lucky enough not to have to pay for anything and therefore I didn't need to make a claim.

So do your research and then have some fun--the experiences you have and the people you meet will teach you things that you can't learn in any book or by watching TV, or even surfing the web.  You will probably have the time of your life.  Life is to short not to take a chance once in a while.

So why do I regret not doing this sooner?  I got my visa after I turned 30, which is the cutoff age of many of the programs available.  If I had gone away sooner I probably would have taken advantage of the opportunity to have worked abroad in other countries as well.  But its a lesson learned and I still had the time of my life.  If you are thinking of working abroad and have any questions I might be able to help you with I invite you to drop me a line and I will try to cover any questions in a future post.

Until next time, happy travelling!