Getting Sick on the Road – 4 Things We Learned

Nothing puts a damper in our excitement to see a new place quite like getting sick… Stomach bugs, in particular, turn the excitement of seeing a new place into pure agony real quick.

Though it’s our second time back in Mexico City, we had still had much left to see that we were really excited about… So spending 3 days in bed with paralyzing stomach pain, the ‘runs’, and overall low energy was quite the curveball. Nonetheless, after letting the bug run its course and now being up on our feet, we’ve got the clarity to look back on the past few days and smile about the lessons we learned. Though some were learned the hard way, we thought some of these might be of interest to fellow world travelers like you.

Lesson 1: Know where your nearest pharmacy is (they’re helpful for more than just medicine!) 

Pharmacies outside the US take on a surprisingly different role than what we’re used to at home. Sure, they are still the go-to place for buying medications, but they’re also great places to get a quick medical opinion from a local doctor. In Mexico, for example, most pharmacies have a local doctor present on weekdays to help answer questions and arrive at a diagnosis – no need to even schedule an appointment! 

Good pharmacies will have every imaginable medicine you need for common everyday illnesses – cold medicine, medicine for nausea, fevers, you name it. Most pharmacies even have supplements you can buy preventatively (in case you run out of your treasured prebiotics for keeping your gut in shape as we did!) 

Moral of the story: whenever you arrive at a new destination, it’s worth scoping out where the local pharmacy is. In case someone’s health takes a turn for the worse, you’ll know where to go, and rest assured there’s useful help nearby. 

Lesson 2:  Always travel with a few key medications

This is key! Having a few of the essential medications to at least relieve pain / symptoms is critical. We generally travel with the following*:

• Ibuprofen / Advil – great for mild pain, headaches, and even bringing mild fevers down
• Imodium – also known as the ‘plug’. If you encounter a case of traveler’s diarrhea, Immodium is a godsend for, let’s say, getting things ‘back in control’
• Antihistamine – like Claritin, Allegra, etc. Antihistamines are great to have in case you come across an environment allergen you weren’t expecting or, worse yet, a food that causes a reaction you didn’t see coming
• Vitamin C and Zinc – the magic ingredients for giving your immune system a boost! The best medicine is, as they say, is prevention. So these tools are a must! 

*Disclaimer: this is NOT medical advice! Please run your medical needs by a licensed medical professional

Lesson 3: Don’t travel without medical insurance! 

This one is a little tricky, so I won’t go too deep here. Generally, healthcare abroad is cheaper than in the US so paying out of pocket for care isn’t as scary. Needless to say, it’s worth a call to your health insurance in your home country to determine if you’ll be covered in the country you’re visiting. Most insurers have a global network of healthcare providers to ensure you’re covered abroad.

For fellow nomads not based out of any one country, there are awesome insurance options in the market like SafetyWing and, our personal favorite (and what we use), Cigna Global international insurance plans. We recommend working with an insurance broker like International Insurance (ask for Andrew Blomberg, he’s great!)  to help find a global plan right for you.

Lesson 4: Feeling homesick is a normal part of getting sick. It, too, shall pass

This one came as a surprise to us. There’s nothing that will make you miss the comforts and familiarity of home like getting sick aboard. You feel uncomfortable and like a fish out of water, sometimes feeling helpless with language barriers and unfamiliar foods all around. Moreover (and maybe this is just me) you start craving a nice home-cooked meal from your parents when you’re sick… All I can say is this: don’t be alarmed. This doesn’t mean you’re not cut out for travel or nomadic life. Like anything in life, this feeling, too, shall pass.

And if you really want to make something great of this passing sense of missing home, take the opportunity to call your parents, tell them you miss them in this temporary moment of sickness and recount all the things you love about home. When you’re back up and running, you’ll have infinitely more things to look forward to for your journey back… and, trust me, your mom will be thrilled you called to tell them you miss them 🙂  

Getting sick on the road is never an easy or welcome experience. But it doesn’t have to be the end of your travels. If anything, it’s a chance to navigate an unfamiliar place and the nuances of its medical system, all while feeling like a champ as you do it. And best of all, when you’re back up and running, your confidence will be sky high and you just might have learned some valuable lessons for the next time you’re exploring the globe!

—

Get our latest posts, travel hacks, reflections, and exclusive content reserved for our newsletter subscribers by joining our mailing list.