planning

A worthwhile book to help you plan is available from Amazon.co.uk

The Mini Rough Guide to Travel Health by Nick Jones

List Price: £5.00 Price from Amazon now only: £4.00

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Want to know how to dodge dengue fever or deal with Delhi belly? The Mini Rough Guide to Travel Health is packed full of sensible, practical advice for trouble-free travelling. Pre-trip planning and a comprehensive A-Z of health problems together with homeopathic alternatives make this guide a must for every suitcase and backpack this summer. Although the catalogue of hideous-sounding symptoms might make you think twice about leaving the safety of your front room, risks can be minimised and it is far better to be prepared. Too many people naively assume that it won't happen to them but as the good Doctor Jones says "it only takes one bad prawn to contract dysentery".

Information in the guide is very clearly laid out. The pre-trip planning section in Part 1 deals with such things as vaccinations, what to pack in your medical kit, hints and tips about staying well once you arrive (handy "tips for your tummy") and an informative section about flying encompassing fitness to fly, fear of flying and coping with jet lag. The vaccination section in Part 1 is easily cross-referenced with Part 3 of the book, "Where in the World?" a country-by-country guide to the sorts of health risks you may encounter at your destination.

The A-Z of possible problems which makes up Part 2 of the guide could prove crucial help if despite all the careful preparation you happen to fall ill overseas. There is a description of each disease and its symptoms together with diagnosis and treatment. Clearly the amount of detail available is limited but the information is provided with the aim of answering three basic questions "Is my life in danger?" "What can I do about it?" "Do I need medical help?". Stomach-churning anecdotes from fellow travellers show too, that it is possible to suffer rat bites in Hanoi and explosive diarrhoea in Tibet and live to tell the tale. --Sarah Crawford