I started travelling on my own when I was 17 years old. I had the bug for adventure and the courage to jump a plane and see the world. I had seen dozens of countries by my 20th birthday, including a chunk of Europe and Australia.
Everything had gone well, and aside from accidentally eating horse meat in france, I had been safe and healthy for all of my exploring.
And then, a week long jaunt to Mexico with my girlfriends brought my lack of traveller experience front and centre.
We jumped the plane with a bag of bikinis and one bottle of sunscreen and even though I had slurped raw oysters on the beaches of Sydney and nibbled away at local meats and cheese across Europe, nothing had prepared me for my Mexican revenge.
It took me a few weeks of recovery after we got home and the memory of that week has stayed with me for 20 years. The stomach pain and cramps, the cold sweats and writhing in the hotel bedsheets while listening to the waves crash outside. My complete inability to care for myself scared me and luckily I had friends with me who were able to make sure I was ok. I was unable to make decisions at the height of my sickness, and that is a terrifying place for a travel to be.
Thankfully my experience didn’t stop me from travelling, in fact my next trip was to South America, hiking in the Andes, hanging out in Cusco, Peru, exploring Matchu Pitchu and sunning on the beaches of Rio, Brazil. My mexican experience did teach me how to be a better traveller though.
Traveller’s diarrhea is not just uncomfortable, but debilitating and dangerous, and as a young girl, alone in Peru (or anywhere in the world), the last thing I needed was to be less than 100% aware and healthy. When you are navigating another country you need your wits about you!
As a parent, safety is even more important now. With my small kids, I need to maintain my health and abilities, to ensure their safety! There is no time to succumb to illness when we have changed our life (and budget) to make trips of a lifetime happen. Being able to obtain a Dukoral Oral Vaccination (no prescription required for ages 2 & up) BEFORE we travel is one less thing we need to worry about when we are in the throes of our adventure!
And now that our kids are getting older, my passion for travel is starting to re-appear, and my excitement to have my kids explore the world is brimming! And even though a trip to a beach is a blast, exploring the lesser visited parts of the world get my heart pumping!
Check out this fun quiz from Dukoral and see what kind of traveller you are.
You can win a $1000 Air Canada gift card to get you traveller or a Go Pro Camera (so you can catch all of your awesome adventures on video) And be sure to SHARE with your friends for extra entries and have a chance to win one of 6 weekly prizes of a $100 Neutrogena Travel Pack.
And check out my 10 Tips for Traveller safety. Small things we have picked up along the way and over the years, learning from experience.
- Always add a second driver to your insurance when renting a car. You never know when injury or illness will strike the vehicle driver and not having insured back up can be a costly experience.
- Always travel with a first aid kit (with Second Skin for skin injuries) and prepare in advance to obtain the Dukoral Oral Vaccination (no prescription required for ages 2 & up)
- Take pics of your passports and email to your emergency contact. Just. In. Case!
- When travelling with kids tuck in baggies of their fave snacks! Sometimes all we want is comfort food and keeping the kids eating will make your trip easier.
- Set “souvenir” expectations at the beginning of the trip for the kids. Let them know how much spending money they have, and have them make a list of special items they come across and choose one souvenir at the end of the trip from their list.
- If you are travelling without your kids ALWAYS make sure your will is up to date and in a secure location.
- Explore your location before you leave home. Spend some time with the kids online checking out your destination, and give them the opportunity to “plan a day” that excites them. Having everyone contribute to the holiday experience will only make it better.
- Pre-stock the kitchen for your return. Have the kitchen prepped with comfort food for when you get home, especially if your trip as a long one. If you are away for over a week, ask a neighbour to drop off some fresh milk, eggs and bread and take a frozen, prepared meal out for thawing before your return! The LAST thing you will want to do is “pop to the store” upon your return.
- Plan for your time change! They say it takes one day per hour of time difference to adjust. Plan this into your schedule for returning home and be prepared to support the kids transition.
- Drop the rules and expectations and go travelling with an open mind. Be prepared to try new things, and empower your kids to do the same.
And as a bonus rule, I leave you with my husbands #1 rule for our family: NO BOOKS ALLOWED. Once we are on our adventure, we have no need to pop our head into a book for more! It is family time, and that means being present! What is YOUR travelling style? Share your biggest travellers tips below and then ENTER TO WIN with Dukoral