In the UK we are lucky knowing that if we ever hurt ourselves we can go to an NHS doctor’s surgery or hospital and get ourselves checked out for free, we are, in a sense, inside a healthcare bubble. When you travel to other countries you are essentially stepping outside of this bubble and into the healthcare bubble of another nation, which might be quite different.
This bears thinking about before you travel. It’s obviously a good idea to take out health insurance when you travel so that if you do need healthcare this is paid for. This is very simple if you’re travelling to the EU and you can apply for something called the EHIC, European Health Insurance Card.
If you’re travelling outside of the EU, then you might need to take additional measures. One simple thing you could do is to pack first aid supplies. Obviously nothing compares to being treated by real doctors with access to hospital equipment, however for minor injuries a first aid kit can be useful.
If you’re planning on doing certain kinds of things when you’re away, for instance trekking, then a first aid kit becomes even more useful. In fact, backpacking, trekking, cycling etc without first aid supplies might be considered somewhat irresponsible. These supplies don’t need to be expensive or overly sophisticated, but should include the essentials such as bandages and dressings.
