Remember that delicious street food you had in Hong Kong that gave you a dodgy stomach for a few days? Or the time you had to stay behind shivering with fever in your hostel while your travel buddies went off on a 3 day camping trip to Kakadu?

Sometimes the excitement and rigor of long term (or short term) travel can take its toll; lack of sleep, a less-than-healthy diet, foreign climates and, dare I say it…parasites. I picked up a nasty one in Belize a few years ago — it burrowed into my leg and despite some quite nasty treatment on my return home (what essentially amounted to a small dose of chemotherapy), I still have the unfriendly critter pop up when I’m stressed.

Getting rid of these unwanted souvenirs from a trip can be a long, drawn out and boring affair - aside from synthetic drugs, there are natural ways to heal yourself:

- The right diet
- Getting enough sleep
- Drinking pure, clean water
- Managing stress levels (remember your body can be physiologically stressed even if you don’t feel it)

Unfortunately it’s not the most pleasant topic to talk about but it’s an important one; after a few years as a holistic health coach, I recognized some of the long term side effects some of my travel ‘companions’ were causing to my health. You don’t miss your health until it’s gone; prevention is better than cure but if you do succumb then get yourself back to optimal health as quickly as you can.