I鈥檓 sure many readers love to travel. I do, too. After all, travel is associated with fun, education and happy times. No one intentionally leaves home to have a bad time. But travel can sometimes result in a 鈥減ukefest,鈥� be outright dangerous and be occasionally fatal. So how can the hazards be avoided?
鈥� Flying to your destination
Some people have a fear of flying, especially to a destination where newspaper headlines have described a catastrophic airplane accident. But according to the U.S. National Safety Council, there鈥檚 a greater chance of dying in a car crash on your way to the airport. For instance, the death rate from cars is 0.47 per 100 million passenger miles. For domestic flights, it鈥檚 0.001 or 500 times safer. Every year, 35,000 U.S citizens die in car accidents. Worldwide, only 898 people die in plane crashes. You don鈥檛 need to be a mathematician to decide to fly if you have the choice.
鈥� Driving in foreign countries
It might surprise you, but according to the World Health Organization, driving in the U.S. is the most hazardous in the world. Countries such as Sweden, Switzerland, Holland and the U.K. have a two-thirds lower mortality rate than the U.S. And according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, 85 per cent of all traffic deaths worldwide occur in low- and middle-income countries.
Can you decrease the risk of being one of the 25,000 people who are killed while travelling abroad every year? Your life may be threatened by road signs you cannot read, driving an unfamiliar car, or learning to drive on the other side of the road. I recall driving in Buenos Aires, where few drivers remain in one lane and many totally ignore traffic signals. Make sure the GPS is working before you drive away, keep pets in a carrier, wear seat belts, try not to drive at night and don鈥檛 drink and drive.
鈥� Going on a cruise
In 2016, one newspaper headline read: 鈥淧ukefest on one of the major cruise lines.鈥� Gastrointestinal problems while cruising are usually due to norovirus infection resulting from contaminated food, water or infected objects. But don鈥檛 give up cruising, as there鈥檚 a 99 per cent chance of not getting sick. You can increase the odds of keeping well, however, by frequent washing of hands, using an alcohol-based sanitizer. As for shore excursions in developing countries, it鈥檚 safer to wait and eat when you return to the ship. On many cruise ships, there鈥檚 a no-handshaking rule when meeting officers, so abide by the rule.
鈥� Going to a high-altitude region
Most travellers stick close to terra firma, but the adventurous tend to forget high altitudes can be deadly. Never ignore a disease called acute mountain sickness (AMS). It strikes some travellers in high-altitude places. Some climbers fare better than others, but there鈥檚 a general rule that the higher you go and the faster you climb, the greater the risk.
AMS occurs at 2,400 metres or more above sea level. At this height, there鈥檚 less oxygen and hikers begin to complain of shortness of breath, lightheadedness, fatigue and nausea. These symptoms can occur regardless of age and sex. Moreover, being in good physical condition is no protection against AMS. The worst scenario is pulmonary edema and occasional death.
To prevent AMS, don鈥檛 try climbing a high-altitude area if you suffer from a lung or heart problem. But even if you鈥檙e in good health, increasing the amount of nitric oxide in the blood will decrease the risk of AMS. You can do this by taking one tablet of a natural remedy called Neo40, available at health food stores, starting two weeks prior to and during the trip.
Check with a travel clinic if you鈥檙e going to a developing country where there鈥檚 increased risk of insect-borne diseases such as malaria.
Make sure you have extra medication with you 鈥� pack it in your carry-on bag. And never leave home without travel insurance.
