In 10 months of being away from the UK this year, the most painful thing I’ve had so far is a slightly infected thumbnail caused by some coconut shell jabbing into my nail bed as I tried to get the flesh out. I’ve been lucky and, other than dicing with death as I fight off the crazy Grenadian drivers here on my mountain bike every day, also pretty careful.

Are you one of those adventurous types who will try anything, eat anything and drink anything because it enhances your experience on the road? Or are you a little more cautious?

As a former health coach and personal trainer, here are three of my top tips for staying healthy on the road:

Let yourself acclimatise to your new surroundings gradually.
You might be dying to try out the local gastronomic delights or dive straight in and experience the local nightlife but if you’ve changed time zones, climate and food, it’s one pretty big hit on what your body is used to. If you have the time, take it more slowly and help your body acclimatise to all the changes gradually.

Get back into a good sleeping pattern quickly.
Jet lag, excitement, adrenalin! Your body needs quality sleep to function at its best so try and re-establish good sleeping patterns as quickly as possible in your new country.

Be sensible about what you eat
Steet food can be some of the most delicious food you’ll sample whilst travelling. Take sensible precautions however and just be aware of how lower standards of hygiene can affect your health permanently. There are all sorts of parasites and bugs you can pick up from poor hygiene around food which can cause long term health problems. Use your common sense when it comes to choosing what and where you eat.

Staying healthy whilst travelling is typically something most vagabonds don’t worry about; until that is, they’re not healthy. What do you do to stay healthy on the road?