While my first aid kit pales in comparison to Dr. Dave’s and more than likely my travel insurance coverage is woefully lacking, I have in recent years made the procurement and possession of both items a mandatory ritual before each trip.
There are a couple of reasons for this. Mostly for the obvious reasons of safety and common sense, but also because the friends that I travel with are either too clueless or couldn’t be bothered to think of things like sickness or safety. Strangely enough though they’re both in the field of medicine. I guess it’s true what they say, “They’re too busy taking care of others, to think of themselves”
In retrospect it’s been a good thing that I’ve stocked up on the bandages and other assorted meds because without fail I always find myself nursing them back to health. Mercifully it’s been nothing worse than food poisoning and other forms of GI distress, with a few bouts of the cold and flues thrown in for good measure, but I’m always glad I had the CIPRO, hydration salts, Imodium etc. And I’ve always secretly said to myself “Better them than moi”.
Fortunately (Knocking wood rapidly!!) the travel insurance (I like SOS International BTW) has thus far, not been needed. But after all the harrowing car rides and street crossings we’ve been exposed to, I figure (Again knocking!!) it’s only a matter of time before one of us gets run over by a wildly careening rickshaw. It might not help in the short run, but maybe in the long run it will keep our ashes from being cast about there, instead of at home by someone who actually cared about us.
The other day I paid (Literally) a visit to my travel medicine guy before my trip in a few weeks. He reviewed my charts and told me all my vaccinations were up to date and that I was good to go. Wait, no way am I going to pay for an office visit to have him hand me some printouts, chew the fat and then send me on my way!
So I said to him,
“Look Jim, last year I missed my flu shot and China is like where that crap starts”
“So, do you have any left over from last years batch since it’s too early for this years??”
“Sorry Steve, by law we had to trash any that was left over by June.”
“Well that’s a drag, I hear they just came out with a vaccine for the avian strain how about that one??”
“I hear that’s supposed to cross over any day now.”
” Heh heh you’re a funny guy Steve, that’s right any day now, but no we don’t have that one either.”
“What!? We’re one of the top medical institutions in the country and we don’t have that one!?!?”
“Well actually Steve, no one does yet.”
“Oh, ok well that makes me feel a little better”
“Steve I’ll tell ya what, how about if I just write you a script for some Tami flu, that’ll at least alleviate the symptoms and cut down by a day or two the overall effects.”
“Yeah, ok whatever. Thanks.”
Like I said, it only gets a little easier.