Getting sick is no fun.  However, getting sick while traveling is a major bummer.

I (David) was only two days into our seven-day baby boomer road trip when I somehow contracted a bladder infection along with a painful skin irritation.

For two days, I played “typical male” and pretended that it didn’t exist and desperately tried to wish it away.

However, upon waking in a near fetal position on our third day of the trip, I decided that I had better seek medical attention.

I spent a complete day in bed, missed out on all the fun exploration in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and my wife and friends were threatening to ship me home by UPS if I didn’t get better.  Well, not really, but they were concerned with what to do if I didn’t get better.

Thankfully, I did start to feel better after a day of antibiotics.

Here are five things to consider regarding a sickness while traveling:

• Prevention goes a long ways.  Make certain to keep hydrated, and liberally use hand sanitizers throughout the day.
• Avoid extremes in your diet, and think twice before you order that second bottle of wine for the table.
• Bring along a home medical kit.  The most common travel malady is diarrhea.  Be prepared with anti-diarrheal medications, aspirin, etc.
• Make certain that you have your medical insurance card, and an understanding of how your medical insurance works if you need medical attention while out of town.  Often, a simple call to a toll-free number will provide you with this important information.
• Listen to your body.  Certainly getting sick while traveling is no fun.  But,  ignoring your bodies warning signals may lead to a far more serious problem.  If you must spend a day in bed, then buck up and deal with it.  🙂

Here’s hoping that you are never bent over double with a painful bladder infection while traveling.  But if you do, don’t wait two days like I did.

Here’s to healthy traveling!