As anyone who has taken a vacation knows, not everything goes the way you plan. But if you take a few minutes to think about what might happen, and what you will need to remedy the situation, you can avoid ruining an otherwise great vacation.
1) Motion Sickness Motion sickness may occur in a number of scenarios on a vacation trip such as during a boat ride, a roller coaster ride at a park or a car ride on a winding road in some beautiful mountains. The outcome is always the same and could usually have been prevented if precautions were taken ahead of time by taking a recommended motion sickness medicine. This can either be bought over the counter or requested from your family medical professional before leaving on the trip. Once the motion sickness has taken over it will usually be too late for the medicine to work. This is why the medication should to be taken before the activity. Sometimes a few saltines combined with some ginger ale can help relieve the nausea.
2) Sunburn / Heat Exhaustion Sunburn can be prevented by using sun protection measures such as limiting your time in the sun, particularly between 10:00am and 4:00pm. Wearing SPF (sun factor protection) of at least 30 or above all over the body will be helpful to avoid sunburn. After a certain time in the sun, everyone should switch to a sun block that contains zinc oxide to totally block out the rays and save the skin from cancer later on in life. Protective clothing should be worn by someone with very light skin because sunscreen may not be effective for their skin.
Wearing sunglasses that block at least 99 percent of UV A and UV B radiation with polarized or mirror-coated lenses will protect the eyes from sun damage. Drinking lots of purified water will help keep the skin hydrated and decrease the damage from the sun. After you get a sunburn, there is little you can do except apply cold compresses or take cool baths, apply a prescription lotion or a 1% hydrocortisone cream, and take aspirin or acetaminophen.
To avoid heat exhaustion or heat stroke it is recommended to stay out of the sun on an especially hot day. Symptoms may be extreme fatigue, cramps, and fainting. Lying down in a cool place and drinking fluids may help relieve the symptoms.
3) Dehydration Dehydration can be avoided by drinking the recommended amount of water each day, preferably purified bottled water, and avoiding strenuous activities in extreme heat. You should always follow the water recommendations of the area you are visiting.
4) Insect Bites – If you are camping, or vacationing in an area where mosquitoes are known to live, wear long sleeves, trousers, and shoe instead of sandals. Use insect repellents on exposed skin only, not underneath clothing, and sleep under mosquito nets. It is best to stay out of dark places like swamps and dense woods, and avoid animals that may be infested with bugs.
5) Minor wounds It is almost impossible to avoid some sort of scrap or minor cut during a trip. You should be prepared with the necessary ointments, antiseptics, band-aids, tapes, compresses, and anything else you think you might need. To avoid any type of head injury, wear a helmet if riding a bike, skating, or horseback riding. When riding around in a vehicle, use your seat belts.
Pack a special bag with all the medical supplies for the above including insurance information, eyeglass prescriptions, copies of prescriptions for medications being taken, enough medications to last for the trip, over-the-counter remedies, sunscreens, lip balm, insect repellent, allergy bracelets, disposable bags for motion sickness, motion sickness medications, antibacterial ointment, compresses, antiseptic wipes, antihistamines, tweezers for ticks, calamine lotion, cotton swabs, syrup of ipecac, a thermometer, and any other items specific to your family’s needs.