Welcome to Travelturtle, the travel health advice site that provides you with country specific medical and vaccination reports usually only available to registered UK healthcare professionals.
This page provides information dedicated to backpacker tips and backpackers health advice including:
- Information surrounding backpackers health such as destination advice, accidents, and local foods.
- Find further information on sexual advice for backpackers.
- Use this page to access backpacker tips for traveling alone, and psychological pressures associated with backpacker travel.
- Read information in regards to immunizations before you travel, and a focus on a key topic – malaria.
Other Useful Backpacker Advice
- Food and Drink advice for backpackers
- Health risks for backpackers staying in Rural locations
Backpacking
Backpackers may encounter significant travel risks through:
- accidents
- short-cuts brought about by limited budgets
- cheap, potentially risky food
- rural or basic accommodation
- high-risk destinations
- a generally risky lifestyle
Accidents
Backpackers put themselves at increased risk of accidents due to:
- cheap hire car or motorcycles
- adventure sports, trekking and exploration
- consumption of alcohol and other substances
- poorly maintained heating in cheap accommodation
Accidents not only cause physical injury but also hepatitis B may be contracted from poorly sterilised medical products encountered in emergency care.
Food and drink
Backpackers often eat in roadside or budget restaurants where hygiene standards cater to locals and not tourists. Similarly, budget accommodation can carry risks from contaminated water or food.
Adventure travel and remote trekking may mean consuming local food and water. It is essential to take sterilising kits. Basic precautions are essential – ensure food is thoroughly cooked or can be peeled and avoid salads, cold foods and ice.
Sexual behaviour
Backpacking provides freedom and a vigorous social scene, which may lead to sexual relationships and an increased risk to the backpackers health. Staying with local people for long periods may also increase the chance of sexual contact with them. Condoms should always be used and immunisation against hepatitis B sought before travel. Commercial sex workers are a particularly high-risk form of sexual contact.
Psychological pressures
Travelling alone can bring a sense of isolation, loneliness and depression. Soft drugs such as cannabis can cause psychological side-effects and in countries where supplies are cheap and plentiful alcohol abuse can also cause problems.
Malaria prophylaxis
Prophylaxis needs to be comprehensive and flexible. Long trips make mefloquine or doxycycline the most suitable drugs. When travelling to remote areas standby treatment also needs to be discussed.
Immunisations
Planning is important as backpackers will often need complicated schedules of multiple immunizations. These will need to be comprehensive and to take into account unplanned changes to itineraries, which are common as backpackers meet up or form new links. Rabies immunisation is often particularly important, especially when travelling through remote regions. Backpackers who plan prolonged rural travel, particularly in certain seasons, may also need immunisation against meningitis or Japanese B encephalitis.
Travelling alone
There are more than just health risks for backpackers travelling alone and backpackers should aim to travel in pairs or more if possible.
