Travel Health & Safety

After years of full-time travel, I’ve come to realise that most people (me included) only think about health and safety AFTER something’s gone wrong. And that’s typically a bit late.

Get ahead of the game by doing your research. In this section you’ll find posts about the times travel made me sick, what it’s like to have dengue fever and rupturing my ACL overseas.

If you’re going somewhere tropical, read up on my guide to Malaria for Travelers. Also worth being able to spot bed bugs and know how to deal with them.

I’ve got some preventative posts too – lots about travel insurance, being prepared in advance for getting robbed as well as tips for the best mosquito repellent.

Get your trip safety covered in advance and then you can sit back and relax. Prosecco anyone?

How To Make A Travel Insurance Claim – Step by Step

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I’ve had the misfortune of having to make many travel insurance claims – I travel a lot – and I’ve never had a travel insurance claim refused.  It probably helps that I used to be a lawyer. A consumer protection lawyer, to be exact. So, reading fine print and knowing my rights is kind of my bag.  Yet still, even for me – the lady that used to live and breathe legal paper work – filling in a travel insurance claim is painful. I’ve just filled in another travel insurance claim, this one courtesy of coronavirus and an emergency repatriation. … Read more

What To Do When You Get Dengue Fever When You Travel

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“Mosquitoes are one of the deadliest animals in the world. Their ability to carry and spread disease to humans causes millions of deaths every year.” – World Health Organisation “You should go to the doctor.” It was a message from my Mexican friend. I was lying prone for the 5th day in a row, each day feeling increasingly more ill but ever convinced I could shake off whatever it was that had felled me, provided I just stayed still. “It’s not that bad.” I replied. I couldn’t quite describe how I felt except that it was somewhere between a cold and … Read more

Does IPL at home work? Philips Lumea Review

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Does the Philips Lumea work? I googled this extensively before I bought my IPL machine and, I couldn’t really get a straight answer. So I decided to go ahead, buy one and write a Philips Lumea review myself.  It’s taken me over a year to write this. Not because I’m lazy…or because I’ve been sat at home marvelling my silky soft legs. It’s because my review is mixed and I’ve wanted to give the Philips Lumea a good run for its money before coming to a conclusion.  Black Friday Deals and January Sale – hairy friends, a quick update as … Read more

10 Times Travel Made Me Sick

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Travel is by far the best way I spend my time. Apart from the obvious excitement that comes with exploring a new destination (or returning to a favourite spot), travel has so many health and happiness benefits, the internet is riddled with articles about it – here, here and here, for example. But travel can take it’s toll, too. I feel like I’ve written an increasing number of health focused articles on here in the past couple of years making me realise that when we use our bodies often, dragging then around the globe, feeding then curious, sometimes unidentifiable foodstuffs, … Read more

10 Times You’ll Realise The Importance of Travel Insurance

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The importance of travel insurance was at the forefront of my mind last week as I spent an entire morning trying to unravel my trip plans. I was supposed to fly off to the West coast of the USA and Mexico for a month when my mum fell and broke her leg. That injury in itself wasn’t life threatening but the post-operation complications she developed, including a clot on her lung, pneumonia, heart concerns and ‘an impressive’ amount of fluid on her lungs, was enough to make me strike off any thoughts of crossing the Atlantic. Fortunately, my mum is now on the mend … Read more

Is Uber Safe to Use: Meet the Faces of Uber

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I’m an Uber user. I’m also a 5ft tall woman who travels around the world solo. And I regularly get asked is Uber safe to use. Worse, I often get told that Uber isn’t safe. Usually by people who’ve never taken an Uber. So, what’s the deal? Is Uber safe to use or not? If Uber’s done one thing, it’s caused controversy. From licensed taxi companies who are spitting foam at the idea of cut price competition to the naysayers who are convinced that every other Uber passenger is going to be subject to rape, robbery or both, Uber seems to … Read more

What To Do When You Feel Lonely Travelling Alone

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I’ve been at this solo travel a while now – in fact, last week marked five years since I quit my job as a lawyer and set off on a one-year adventure that still hasn’t come to an end. And along with the highs of travelling solo, of which there have been many, there are still times when I’m consumed by an overwhelming sense of loneliness. Yesterday was a perfect example: it was 9 p.m. in  Montreal and I was wandering the streets looking for something to eat, yet I couldn’t make a decision because everywhere I looked there were couples, families … Read more

Everything Travelers Need to Know About Malaria

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Compared to planning your travel route, booking tickets and packing for your adventure, the topic of malaria and travel health can easily fall down your priority list but given malaria can be deadly, it’s a subject that shouldn’t be overlooked. I’ve been considering writing an article about malaria for a while but without a medical qualification, I didn’t want to stray into this complicated territory and risk handing out bad advice. Fortunately, my travel blogger friend, Michael Huxley, also happens to be a travel nurse in England and he has kindly agreed to write this article setting out the malaria facts every traveller should know. Malaria … Read more

What’s it Like to Travel as a Gay Couple?

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Travelling as a solo female can come with its challenges, particularly in countries that have a machismo culture or where it’s just not common for woman to travel on their own, but I never have to face the reality that in some countries it’s illegal for me to be who I am.  Astonishingly there are 76 countries around the world where it is illegal to be gay and in some cases the penalty is imprisonment or even death. It’s a fact that’s prompted a lot more research and discussion every time I’ve invited my gay brother to join me on my adventures, particularly … Read more

Banged-Up in A Panama Prison – Tim’s Backpacking Story

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“I spent nearly a week in a Panama prison,” Tim told me. He was dressed like Hansel (from Hansel and Gretel – did I mention it was Halloween?) and as a clean-cut guy from a small town in Australia, he looked like the least likely character to be doing time anywhere, let alone in Central America. Having once been addicted to the hit US show Prison Break, my eyes peeled back as visions of Sona (the hell hole of a prison depicted in the TV show) flashed before my eyes. While Sona was fictional, it was inspired by a prison that … Read more