Ray, a bearded New Yorker who had recently dropped out of college to travel the world, was convinced that southern Laos was turning into a horrific cesspool of death and disease. “I’m telling you,” he said to me as we stood outside the small ice-cream stand near the Phonsavanh Hotel in Pakse. “Cholera is completely...

Eating healthy is important to us. I’m a relentless “do it myself” sort of girl. I was raised freezing and canning a lot of our own food. I make most things from scratch. It’s really important to me to feed my family healthy things so that the children grow properly and so that healthy eating...

Image credit This month marks the beginning of student-travel season in Europe, which means that -- at any given moment -- continental McDonald's restaurants will be filled with scores of American undergraduates. Quiz these young travelers, and they'll give you a wide range of reasons for seeking out McDonald's -- the clean restrooms, the air...

About a week and a half ago my train pulled up to the platform in Tundla, India where a sea of Indian military men were waiting for it. There was a rush of commotion as we all pushed towards the doors- a commotion which only grew when we discovered all the doors were locked. The...

Finding yourself tired and achy after a long day’s sightseeing in Budapest? That can be easily fixed by indulging in one of the city’s great experiences—a long soak in the healing waters that residents and visitors have been availing themselves of since Ottoman times. Blessed by its location—it sits above numerous natural springs spouting warm...

Getting sick while traveling is probably one of the most common fears travelers have – and for good reason. Not only does getting sick disrupt your daily itinerary, but finding a doctor can be a major challenge in certain parts of the world. Does this mean you shouldn’t travel? Absolutely not – it simply means...

Are rumors of horrible medical care abroad holding you back from heading out to see the world? Take heart - most of those rumors are unfounded. A while ago I read 5 Myths About Health Care Around the World by T. R. Reid and started thinking about our experiences with health care in the four...

The question has been asked lots of times: What do you have in your health kit? First, let me say that we have a three pronged approach to healthcare, at home and abroad: staying well, and treating illness & emergency care. I’ll share what we carry with us for all three. Staying Well This includes...

Engineers at UCLA are working on converting an iPhone into a small laboratory. Weighting less than 2 ounces, the iTube attaches to your phone and analyzes a food sample in about 20 minutes using a colorimetric assay test. The user grinds up a small sample of food with hot water and places it in the...

“But you’re just going to leave!” Although I hated to admit it, who said that was right. At the time I’d been seasonally migrating as a guide for four years. And had no intention to confine my adventurous spirit in domestic American life, then—if ever. The catch though was he was not American; Swedish born...

I was talking with a friend the other day when she blurted out her biggest fear of traveling abroad. “What about medical issues? What do you do when something happens overseas?” And I responded, “I go the hospital. They have doctors overseas too.” Medical concerns are a huge issue for sure. Nobody wants to face...

An eleven-year-old British boy and his father will soon embark on a 3,500 mile overland journey from the UAE to the UK along the safest route possible. The family is relocating back to London. Their son, Joe, experienced paralyzing anxiety about flying for the first time. Several failed attempts to re-board the plane have been...

On the 7th of June, 37 year old Andy Campbell and his team set out from The Royal Geographic Society in London. Over the next two years he’s making his way around the world without a distinctively planned route. Eight years ago, Andy fell while rock climbing and became paralyzed from the waist down. As...

Located 300km South of Okinawa, Miyakojima and his tiny surroundings islands, are the quintessential beach destinations. This almost completely flat islands retain a very traditional living, where the day is spent working in the sugar cane fields or fishing with little boats. Miyako ancient culture has survived much better than his famous neighbor Okinawa. Cost/day:...

Warning for men: if talk about female cycles makes you uncomfortable or queasy I’d suggest you skip this post! ************* Ladies, we can’t all live in the remaining hunter-gatherer cultures where ones menstrual cycle is a sacred celebration. Nor are we still band from our own households for three days like the old laws in...

When we're away from home, it's tempting to cut loose and forget our inhibitions. A recent piece in The Guardian UK points out the dangers in partying: Vang Vieng, Laos: the world's most unlikely party town . The article explores how the small Lao town has blown up into a hotspot on the Southeast Asia...

For those who strive to maintain fitness while traveling, running is one of the more accessible forms of exercise. All you need is a good pair of running shoes, a nice stretch of trail/road/shoreline and the will to pound some proverbial pavement and you've got the potential for a great workout. And let's be honest,...

Traveling with pre-existing food allergies can be daunting. It is like playing Russian roulette three times a day with meals. Living on the edge is part of the excitement of travel. Food experimentation however, is not a luxury you can afford if having a reaction on the road can be potentially dangerous. The good news...

I was talking with a friend the other day when she blurted out her biggest fear of traveling abroad. “What about medical issues? What do you do when something happens overseas?” And I responded, “I go the hospital. They have doctors overseas too.” Medical concerns are a huge issue for sure. Nobody wants to face...

Nancy made some excellent points in her post about healthcare abroad. It's incredibly nerve-wracking to imagine serious injuries or illnesses away from home, and the fear often inhibits people from international travel. Medical tourism , however, involves more than simply seeking treatment overseas in the case of an emergency. The idea that people can get...