Traveling abroad has it’s own rewards and challenges and it’s good to think and plan ahead for any trip outside the boundaries of your own country if you don’t want unpleasant surprises to crop up. In Part 1 of this article series we covered several tips on what paperwork may be needed as you travel, how to prepare for driving an auto in a foreign country, medical insurance concerns and much more. Now here are more international travel tips that can help you have the best family vacations while you are abroad:
* Most major credit cards are often accepted in foreign countries, but just be sure that the ones you have can be used successfully everywhere you intend to go. It may also be a good idea to notify your credit card companies in advance that you are leaving the country and how long you plan to be gone just so they do not flag your account and deny charges due to suspicion of fraudulent activity.
* Credit cards are also beneficial to use in many cases since the credit card companies will handle all conversion rates for you, which can save you a lot of money because of not having to make those kind of complicated money conversion calculations on your own whenever you buy anything.
* Try to drink bottled water as much as you can to avoid sickness while on the trip. Water quality can vary considerably from one country or even one area to another, so protect yourself by drinking as much bottled water as you can while on the trip. And avoid putting ice cubes in your drinks as they are usually made with local water and will melt in your drink.
* If you have some health concerns that require treatment, be sure to carry a copy of your medical history along with you in case it may be necessary to get treatment while you are away.
* If you have food allergies, find out how you pronounce the words to describe that food in that country’s language so you can be sure to avoid those foods while you are on your trip.
* Remember that Medicare and Medicaid do not pay for any treatment given outside the US, so determine in advance if additional coverage is needed and purchase trip insurance before you leave in that case.
* If you carry cash while away, it’s often a good idea to keep it in a security belt rather than a wallet that is in your pocket. There are many pickpockets in foreign countries that are tremendously skilled in separating you from your money if it isn’t well guarded.
Be sure to read Part 3 of this article series to get even more valuable international travel tips that can help you have the best family vacations.
Posts Tagged ‘Part’
International Travel Tips For The Best Family Vacations – Part 2
Wednesday, March 9th, 2011International Travel Tips For The Best Family Vacations – Part 3
Tuesday, March 1st, 2011Traveling in foreign countries can be a wonderful, uplifting experience that will never be forgotten, but there are also perils and difficulties that can arise on any trip, especially those that are outside your own country. In part 2 of this article series we discussed how to prevent sickness from local foods and water while away, how to carry cash with you safely and how to use credit cards while abroad and much more. Now here are even more international travel tips that can help you have the best family vacations while you are abroad:
* As with any plane trip you take, airlines can lose the luggage that is checked in as baggage on the flight. So to counteract that possibility, be sure to take all important papers that will be needed for the trip including visa, passports, medical and insurance documents, trip schedule, lodging information, driver’s licenses and so forth in your carry-on luggage just in case. That way it never leaves you as you make the trip.
* It is also a good idea to include a few clothing items in your carry-on bags that can get you through a couple of days in case your luggage is lost.
* To cut down on the amount of luggage that you have to carry, consider shipping the larger, more bulky items instead so that you can retrieve them at your first lodging destination and nor risk having them lost or misplaced on the flight.
* It’s always a good idea to have a small first-aid kit along with you on the trip that can be retrieved handily in the case of an emergency.
* White sneakers often brand you as a tourist in foreign countries, so try to use medium brown to black shoes that are also comfortable for the trip as they tend to blend in with almost any kind of foreign attire.
* Be sure that you know what the local taxes are that apply to any purchase made as they vary widely in foreign countries and can sometimes be more expensive than the item itself.
* Become familiar with all customs requirements regarding foods, plants and so on before you travel so you aren’t denied entry for any item that you have purchased while on your trip.
All trips require some advance thought and preparation but vacations outside your own country call for even more diligent research beforehand. By using the international travel tips and suggestions made in this article series, you should be able to be better prepared and have the perfect family vacation.
Healthy Natural Dog Food – Humans vs Dogs Part 2
Saturday, October 16th, 2010Aside from the possiblity of traumatic injury incurred by something like being hit by a car most dog issues today result from something as controllable as poor nutrition. We recently looked at some of the physical differences between dogs and humans that might play on your dogs nutritional requirements. The difference in the number of teeth. The inability of the dog to work his jaw side to side and the short digestive system that is reflected by the dog’s inability to digest raw vebetables and many uncooked grains. We drew the conclusion that dog’s, perhaps even more than humans, needed a healthy natural food source. I prefer to take it one step further and insist on human grade dog food for my own 4-legged friends. Please do not allow poor nutrition to cause challenges for your dog.
Certain additives that we take for granted, can create liver and kidney damage. Liver and kidney diseases are amongst the leading causes of illness in dogs. For example, our water contains fluoride. Dogs definitely do not need flouride in their water as they do not get cavities. Although generally considered safe for humans 10 European countries have banned flourination of water. In dogs, fluoride alters serum calcium/phosphorous balance and can damage bones and kidneys. Because of the high amount of flourinated water in canned food, dogs should definitely drink filtered water and avoid canned dog food whenever possible. These contain high levels of concentrated fluoride.
Are you aware that dogs actually produce their own Vitamin C? Dogs use trace minerals in the liver to produce their own supply of this vitamin. Humans cannot do this. Supplementing Vitamin C for dogs can create pH imbalances in the kidney. Adding Vit C can also damage the liver. Many manufacturers use vitamin C because it is a cheap preservative that prevents discoloration, not because it benefits the dog.
There are many differences between dogs and humans and we can take a look at them in later articles, dog’s sense of smell, sight and hearing is all dramatically different and bears looking into. What you may not realize is that a dog not only can see motion better than humans but they have a third eyelid as well? It helps to protect the eye and remove debris. Dogs have flatter lenses and larger pupils so you see that when you delve a little deeper into your four-legged friends physiology that you need to learn more about how dogs are built in order to understand the “why” of what they might need.
Despite highlighting the nutrional and digestive aspects of your dog’s needs we also need to know as much as we can about our dog’s physiology in order to insure they will be around and healthy for as long as possible. I hope you have enjoyed this comparison and that it helps you make informed decisions about how and what to feed your best friend. We all need whole, natural, unprocessed food. You can see that dogs need high quality, human grade dog food for healthy absorption and digestion.
Amongst other things we will be covering how to read labels in future articles.
Dr. Janice Elenbaas
Always remember, Health comes from the inside out!