Health and Safety Tips for Summer Travel

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Health and Safety Tips for Summer Travel

Summer is here and all over Canada households are preparing to pack up for vacation. Whether heading overseas, across the border, or hitting the open road to explore the country or your home province of Beautiful BC, you want to make sure your journey is a safe and healthy one.

As your guide to all things related to the well-being of your household, Park Insurance is here to impart some wanderlust wisdom before you embark on your journey in the weeks ahead.

5 Tips to Keeping Healthy and Safe When Traveling this Summer

1. Get a Health Check Before You Go

Within one-month prior to an extended summer trip, have everyone in your household visit the family doctor for a checkup. This will identify ailments or conditions that may need to be attended to and can prevent symptoms from kicking in when you’re supposed to be enjoying your vacation. A comprehensive physical examination will also serve you well when it comes time to purchase travel insurance (more on this in item #5 below).

In addition, you want to consider disease prevention. If traveling to a foreign country exclusive of the U.S. it is a good idea to monitor reports of viral epidemics in the region. If any, inform your physician about these concerns and they can provide guidance and note (given your immunity) if you or your family is especially susceptible to such diseases or viruses. For instance, vaccinations may be required. You can access information on the above by visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website and selecting the destination/s that you will be visiting in the weeks/months to come.

2. Summer Driving Best-Practices

Do you exhibit the characteristics of a good driver? Even if you do, you will want to be more mindful when your vacation has you out on the open road.

Driving in warm weather can lead to fatigue, one of the key culprits in highway accidents. To prevent it, take a nap before driving for long stretches and plan those extended drives around your optimal circadian rhythm. In addition, avoid consuming food and beverages known to incite drowsiness. For more on the above, read these 5 tips to keep you awake while driving.

Distracted driving is another leading cause of summertime highway accidents. Avoid talking/texting, adjusting automobile settings, and any other practice that takes your eyes and/or hands off of where they need to be. View more on how to prevent common driver distractions and unanticipated driver distractions alike.

Also, make sure your vehicle is fully stocked with emergency items that extend beyond jumper cables, a spare tire, and gasoline. At the bare minimum this will include a first aid kit, bottled water, extra food, a warm blanket, and road flares.

In addition to the tried and true, learn to expect the unexpected when driving in the summer. This includes paying close attention to the new wave of highway cyclists, reevaluating your tire set-up, and watching out for heat stroke. View more on these three summer highway safety concerns to make sure you’re fully prepared to hit the road.

3. Water Safety Best Practices

Chances are that your summer travels will have you enjoying the water in a boat on the lake or in the ocean. Be sure to follow boating safety best practices too. Make sure the vessel is in proper working order, monitor the weather forecast beforehand, wear your personal flotation devices, avoid the consumption of alcohol and other dangerous behavior, and make sure that you have adequate insurance when operating the vessel. Read more on our top six boating safety tips.

4. Pack for Unexpected Weather

In addition to monitoring the weather forecast of your destination (pit stops included) follow this rule of thumb – forget the forecast! That’s right, far too often travelers pack clothing and accessories solely around the weather forecast. Is it supposed to be warm and sunny? It doesn’t matter. Pack a light jacket and umbrella in case there is an unexpected downpour that can leave you cold, soaked, and sniffling the next day. Is it supposed to be cool and cloudy? Pay it no mind. Load up on sunscreen and bottled water in case the clouds break to leave you cooked and dehydrated. This rule also applies to day trips (hikes, etc.) while at a vacation destination, especially in climates where weather can switch in a matter of minutes. Pack for all viable contingencies even when the local weatherperson is confident in their predictions.

5. Make Sure Your Travel Medical Insurance is in Order

There’s nothing quite as important to a health and safety preparedness plan for travelers than insurance. There are some key things you need to be aware of, scenarios that may void your travel insurance. For one, you must provide full disclosure of existing health conditions before entering into a policy. Also, you may want to avoid certain activities that can be deemed to be excessively dangerous (by your policy holder) such as skydiving or scuba-diving without PADI or other internationally recognized certification. In addition, remember to keep your travel medical card (or documentation) on you at all times so that you are prepared to be admitted for treatment without a second (or cent) to spare. For true peace of mind, have an independent insurance broker perform a full accounting of your household’s travel medical insurance coverage before you go. View more on our top six travel medical insurance tips and be sure to contact us for all of your travel insurance needs.

Related: You may also like our article titled Five Insurance Tips for the Summer

Park Insurance Wishes You Healthy and Safe Travels this Season!

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