Staying Healthy in Hot Summer Travel

Hiking, or even just walking, in the hot summer heat to see ancient ruins, national monuments or spectacular vistas can sap the energy of healthy people. For someone who’s got a health issue – like chronic lung disease, reduced heart function or anemia – or anyone who’s pregnant, elderly or just frail, summer travel can knock you out in the wrong sort of way.

Slowing down is not something that comes naturally to me. I’m always eager in sightseeing and keen on keeping up with my teenage sons; learning to pace myself and insisting that they go ahead uphill or down into a cave, without me, has not been easy for any of us. But after a few episodes of stumbling, lightheadedness and exhaustion so severe that I had to cut out of museums I’d traveled across the world to see, I’ve adapted a prophylactic, healthy approach to summer visits to remote places:

1. Don’t plan too much for any one day.

This means you may have to forfeit some activities and sites you’d like to see. Just as, while vacationing, some parents plan for “down-time” for their kids by a pool or beach, adults should set aside time each day for resting in a shady place.

2. Plan visits to hot sites in the early morning or evening.

Museums can provide terrific respite from the midday heat. Theaters, shopping malls and modern hotels are all fine places to wait out the sun’s peak.

3. Drink lots of water.

Depending on where you are traveling, this may require that you buy bottled water. Fake mineral water is rare, but you have to watch carefully for it by checking that the bottle cap is properly fastened. (The movie Slumdog Millionaire includes an instructive and unforgettable take on this tourist’s nightmare; one scene depicts children systematically sealing plastic caps onto bottles of tap water in an unnamed, Mumbai restaurant.)

Keep in mind, restaurants usually wash and rinse the glasses with tap water. So if the tap water’s no good, drink your beverage straight from the bottle. And, if that’s the situation, don’t put dirty hands or fingers at the bottle’s opening because that’s where you’ll put your mouth.

4. Skip the ice if you’re not sure the water’s safe to drink.

If water or another beverage is served with ice in a glass, send it back. At some risk of seeming pedantic, I’ll repeat what my mom taught us while traveling: tap water is not safe to drink just because a hotel or restaurant proprietor says so. Rather, trust in your good judgment and common sense.

5. Bring tissues to handle bathroom doors.

Drinking fluids may lead to increased urination, which means you may find yourself in unclean restrooms that may not even have running water. Here, the most important thing is to avoid touching the toilet or any sink-handles or knobs with your hands.

6. Take time to sit and rest periodically.

Walking and standing for long stretches can cause back pain and fatigue. So even in a museum, typically a comfortable kind of place, whenever I spot a bench I’ll sit there for a few minutes. While out in a city, I might stop and buy a cup of tea at an inexpensive restaurant just for the purpose of sitting, or get on the bus just for the opportunity to take a seat.

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I find that if I pace myself, which means admitting that I can’t necessarily do all I’d like as fast as I want, I can see the world!

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