Great tips, Nicole – thank you!

I also recommend carrying thieves essential oil with you to dab on the back of your neck and wrists (like perfume) while traveling.

The herbs/supplements listed above are great, and I would also recommend Yin Qiao San, a very popular Chinese herbal formula that you take at the onset of a cold/flu to help ward or off, or at the very least, lessen the symptoms and get you over the bug faster.

Hi Sally,
I’m so sorry that ciguatera has affected you so badly. Gosh! Thanks for helping to raise awareness around it. Take care!

Hi Nora ,, I wish I could say my experience with Ciguatera was an amusing incident ,, there are a growing number of people affected by Chronic Ciguatera , many 20 yrs down the line still struggling .. For me , 6 years later & my life is altered considerably ,, it’s too long & complex a story to address in your comments (would bore people’s brains out) but I hope people will make themselves aware & take precautions ,, it is an extremely challenging & life limiting condition to contract in the chronic form ,, I wish I had known about it before ,, thanks for the blog Nora ,, hope You find your perfect home base soon ! ?

Hi Sally,
I started traveling with a mosquito-jacket, but found that I rarely used it, and in the places where I needed it most, it was too hot to wear it.
And most places that really require mosquito netting at night already have it – or nets can easily be acquired. It all depends on how much room you have in your suitcase. 😉

As for ciguatera….yes! I actually got a mild case of it in Hawaii, but it wasn’t serious so it was more amusing than debilitating. Why do you suggest extra caution against it? Do you have experience with it?

Thanks, Steve!
And stay tuned: on the 30th, I’ll be publishing a full guide to travel insurance. Also, you probably know that as a Canadian from Ontario, if you’re absent from the province for more than 6 months you can lose OHIP coverage, which makes you ineligible for regular travel insurance. In that case, you’ll need expat insurance….and just your luck – I’m publishing a post about THAT next week. 😉

Hey Matt,
While I agree that filling up water bottles at hotels is great, unless I’m actually staying at the hotel in question, it’s a bit tricky, since I tend to drink 3-4 litres of water per day. That’s a lotta filling up! I did it in southern Thailand…my boyfriend and I would go in and fill up like eight bottles at a time. Normally I wouldn’t do that, but we had permission at this place.

And I haven’t used activated charcoal much, but I do know some people who swear by it. They take it en masse when they start to get sick and it usually helps them avert the worst of an illness and recover quickly.

Excellent, Mike! You’ll do well with these tips. Happy travels!