Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on Nov 17

Travel With Kids Series - Medical Details & Health Related Issues

Depending on the country, authorisation may be requested if traveling with certain medications or equipment - such as insulin needles. Many airports will see the needles or tablets in your hand luggage at security, and if they ask questions and you have no proof, they may be confiscated. Could you travel without them?

Medicines:
Any other health issues that could be important whilst traveling, should also be discussed in advance. For example, if entering some countries carrying certain medication, you may be asked for proof that they are for you or a member of your party. Travelling with huge numbers of needles is sure to raise concerns.

Travelling with liquids and powders is, at the moment, a great security issue in many countries. So if you absolutely cannot pack products into your hold luggage - you need to make sure that you will be allowed to travel with them on your person in the airport and on the plane itself. A certified letter from your doctor can sometimes be used for this, but you will need to check with both the airport and the airline yourself to be 100% sure.

Don’t rely on what someone else did last month in-case security procedures have been updated. And traveling out of an airport can have a whole different policy to traveling in, so check both.

Medical Certification:
You will need to prove your health status in most instances to be covered by many travel insurance policies. So, make sure that you have read the small print on these for all the family and get verbal or written confirmation of everything you feel could affect your claims or cause an issue abroad.

Always admit to anything your policy says could exclude you - as although this may bump up your premiums - it could mean the difference between getting your treatment paid for or getting the claim refused. For example if you claim for treatment abroad for a condition that you have had treatment for back home for (ie a heart condition) - and you didn’t tell the insurance firm when they sold you the policy - they could reject the claim, leaving you out of pocket.

Other things to consider:
If anyone in your group wears glasses, it might be worth taking a second pair, just in-case. Alternatively research where you are traveling and they may sell prescription glasses for a lot less than at home! Contact lenses and fluid must also be considered if you are to enjoy your vacation.

Make sure that everyone has recently been to the dentist, so that all fillings and loose teeth can be dealt with before travel. Basic dental kits can be purchased to take with you, containing a pack of temporary filling material and an inverted mirror if you think this will be a possibility.

If you are taking a written repeat prescription with you rather than carrying the medication from home, make sure that your doctor makes it out using the generic name of the product rather than a brand name - as that particular ‘make’ may not be available in your destination.

If you are pregnant or have a child with a specific medical or physical condition, it may be worth finding out about the best medical center or practitioner in the region you are traveling to. That way - if you have any issues, you know you will be getting the best treatment you can while abroad.

As a precaution, make sure that you travel with the basic details of any current treatment, any recent test results etc, so that treatment can start immediately rather than waiting for records to be sent over from home.

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posted by Travel Cat on Nov 10

There is no carnival this month due to a technical hitch with my email account, but there will definitely be one next month as planned so please keep sending in your articles to me here.

That way, we can all share your advice about traveling with kids and parents - or just share in your misery depending on what happened on your family vacation!

Thanks,

TravelCat 

posted by Travel Cat on Nov 6

Not that Florida needed another attraction………….

Hot off the press is the fact that the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens chain have opened a brand new and enormous water park complex to complement their existing theme parks.

They call them ‘Worlds of Discovery’ but we call them ‘A Great Vacation!’.

Aquatica Theme Park, Orlando, Florida:
This new theme park is called Aquatica and will involve you getting very wet - and not from giant killer whales belly flopping you close to the edge of their pools!  You will need your trunks here, and bring your friends……..

Taumata Racer is an 8 lane speed open water slide that starts with a 300ft slide and goes in and out of tunnels galore.  Find yourself turning a 360 degree corner and racing your friends to the end!

Dolphin Plunge is another type of water slide that sends you underwater and through an amazing dolphins habitat.  There are 250 feet of tubes for you to propel yourself through from start to finish here.

For a slower waterway try the Loggerheads Lane, a meandering splosh underwater floating on a comfortable inflatable.  Slow and wide enough to travel the length of with your friends or family.  That way you can share your amazement as you pass through an aquarium with thousands of tropical fish flitting above you.

There are also 1500 feet of rapids to travel, as well as 2 man-made beaches with wave machines - one with a gentle swell and the other with 5 foot high waves!  You can also hire your own cabana in the sand and stay here with your group.

The Whole Deal.
As part of the whole Florida package, there are ticket deals on offer where you can combine the atractions you want for the times that you want.

For swimming with dolphins you need to be over 6 years of age and will need a one day pass to Discovery Cove.  Only a 1000 people are allowed into the attraction per day so booking is essential.

To see polar bears and white beluga whales you will need SeaWorld itself.  It also has the new Manta roller coaster, which has you flying through the air facing the ground……

And for white tigers and hippos - plus being face-to-face with a lion, you will need a pass for Busch Gardens.  This location also has many great rides and thrills to keep you busy.

Universal Studios and Wet ‘n’ Wild are also part of these packages if you are buying one of the more inclusive packages like the Orlando FlexTicket Plus which gives you unlimited access to all the parks for the duration of your stay (although Discovery Cove can only be visited one time and is not included in the FlexTicket as a result).

Visit Aquatica for more on this new theme park, and have fun!!!

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posted by Travel Cat on Oct 26

Travel With Kids Series - Vaccination Records & Anti-Malarials

Some borders are very particular about disease transmission from certain countries - such a Yellow Fever in Africa and South America. Passport Control will check for certified proof of vaccination if necessary before allowing visitors into the country.

Vaccination Cards:
It is best to have everyone’s vaccination records kept in the standard ‘booklet’ offered by most doctors surgeries or travel clinics. This standard format allows you to keep a record of not only the vaccines that you and your children have had, but will also show how long you are protected for, and the date when the boosters needs to occur. A great help when organising trips for more than one person.

So even if you do not need proof of vaccination while traveling, you will have a permanent record of everything for everyone. The number of times I had to ring my clinic up after booking a vacation and check if everything was in order!

Some vaccinations need several weeks before offering full protection to you, so these will need to be planned in advance with a family - up to 2 months in advance to make sure all goes to plan. Some vaccines are part of a course over several weeks, so dates are very important. Also after the jabs, kids may feel a bit poorly or have sore arms - neither is ideal for traveling!

Also, making an appointment for a larger group of people or an appointment during school time can be quite a challenge. It’s worth knowing that vaccinations may not be given if children are ill and of course there could be a lower age limit on some treatments - so make sure you look into these well in advance to make sure everything runs smoothly and all precautions are taken.

If you find that you are exempt from taking a vaccine due to pregnancy, or the age of your children prohibits the use of certain medication, make sure you find out what documentation is accepted in your destination country to make sure that you are not refused entry at the border. And also take time to find out the risks involved in not being fully protected, and make other arrangements as necessary.

Anti-Malarials:
Not essential for all travel, but never-the-less of great importance in many destinations.

Malarial treatments - or prophylaxis - are specific to each destination. Treatment used in Central America may well not be suitable for travel to India or in Africa. You need to check each destination before selecting your specific pill. There are normally 2 types suggested for each destination with the best choice offered first and the second one only being offered if you have a reaction to the first one.

For this reason, you need to start taking your anti-malarial tablets up the 2/3 weeks before departure. Not only will this help to build up your protection levels, but if you get unpleasant side effects - such as nausea or dizziness, you still have time to start taking the alternative treatment before you arrive.

Make sure you purchase enough for everyone while you are away, taking into account dropped tablets or those spat back out by your children! Alternatively, you may make a note of the generic name (not the brand name) of your tablets so you can buy more while traveling, if necessary.

Speak to your pharmacist or doctor regarding treatment for malaria if you are pregnant or have very young children - and discuss any health issues before you buy anything. You usually need to continue taking these tablets even after you return, so make sure you have a supply waiting at home for when you return home.

In Addition:
Obviously - you can still get bitten by mosquitoes and other bugs while traveling - and they carry other illness and diseases as well. To reduce the incidence of any bites, make sure that you buy enough insect-repellent to protect everyone, and actually use it.

It can be a pain - as it smells and can strip the ink off of bottles and other goods smearing colour over arms and clothes - but there is little other way to protect you family when outside at dusk or dawn. You can reduce the risk of evening bites by wearing long-sleeved tops and long trousers if possible. And avoid open shoes or flip-flops if dining on the beach or near water.

Depending on the standard of the accommodation you are using and the area of the world you are traveling to, it might be worth taking your own mosquito bed nets (impregnated with permethrin) for you and your children while you sleep to prevent further bites.

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posted by Travel Cat on Oct 10

There was a fantastic post submitted for this months Traveling With Kids Blog Carnival, that I thought it should get a post of it’s own.

TheLifeLessTraveled presents Family Downsizes Life to a Camper, the Open Road and Adventures Rich in Simple Pleasures posted at The Life Less Traveled.

The family and their dog - naming themselves the Smudge Family (a winner for me) decided that enough was enough - and they were going to enjoy their lives together away from the ‘daily grind’.

No more 9-5 ruining their precious time together as a family.  Find out more on their journey as they continue to add more posts…..

Enjoy.