Wonderful Wanderlust: 25 Indispensable Travel Tips 1-3
Travel is one of life’s great joys. A new country often feels like a new world: the sights, sounds, and smells are all unfamiliar and exciting. However, we’ve all heard travel horror stories about people who ended up sick, stranded, or worse. We have been all over the world and are acquainted with both the joys and bacteria-infested sorrows of travel. By preparing well, you can make sure your trip becomes a roseate memory instead of a cautionary tale. These are the 25 indispensable tips we wish someone had told us before our first trip.
1.Never pass up a good toilet. The next one may be a squat toilet!
We once left a modern hotel without using the bathroom. We arrived at a small local restaurant and one of us needed to use the restroom. Upon entering the restroom, she saw something she had only heard about before...the squat toilet! Essentially a porcelain trench in the floor, a squat toilet requires that the user place one foot on either side of the toilet, squat, and extrude any waste without sitting down. For this individual, it was a disaster. Never again will she forget to use a Western-style toilet when one is available. You shouldn’t either.
2. Drink lots of clean water when it is available.
No one can see the future. Drink all the clean water you can when it is available, since you may not have access to safe drinking water over the next hour or two. Dehydration is dangerous and it is up to you to prevent it, particularly if you are in a hot area.
3. Don't assume the water is clean to drink because locals drink it.
Even if locals drink water out of the tap, it might not be safe for you to do so. It takes time to get accustomed to local water, and even within the same country different regions have different bacteria. The locals have immunities you don't have. Drink plenty of bottled water or water in quality restaurants. When you get into other areas, the water may carry bacteria that you are sensitive to and you could end up with diarrhea. At the very least, use water-purifying tablets.
We will continue to post the series this week.
Happy Travels,
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Wonderful Wanderlust: 25 Indispensable Travel Tips
Handy tips, thanks.