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Hazards While Traveling
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Immunizations and other personal health issues - When traveling
in foreign
countries, you will be exposed to all sorts of health hazards you normally don't encounter
at home. Information on these hazards likely to be encountered in other countries and
regions is available from a variety of sources. Check out the Canadian federal government web sites, such as
Health Canada's
site, which has excellent advice for travelers on how to keep themselves healthy
while experiencing foreign countries. Other countries also have web sites with excellent
and current information on health risks while traveling. Use your favorite web search
engine to find some of this critical information. Then consult with your personal
physician and other local health professionals who have special knowledgeable
about health
hazards that might be encountered in foreign countries. If you haven't brought your
immunizations up to date during the last two or three years, you should start this
process 4-6 months before your departure date. In Canada, look in the blue pages of
your telephone directory under "Health". |
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Travel advisories - Research the countries you are traveling to before you
leave. Know what special conditions you might encounter, so you can prepare yourself, and
keep yourself safe by avoiding trouble where possible. In Canada, the Department of
Foreign Affairs has a
very comprehensive web site, where you will find all sorts of useful
information for travelers, including health advisories, and entry and visa requirements
for every country in the world, as well as links to other related web sites. Again, other
countries offer similar services to their own citizens. Check it out before you leave! In
Canada, look in the blue pages of your telephone directory under "Foreign
Affairs" in the "Government of Canada" section. |
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Consider taking a cell
phone with you, to provide you with that extra level of convenience and
security. A tri-band or quad-band GSM world phone will be
required if you travel outside of Canada and the USA, since GSM is the
cellular standard for most of the world. Program your cell phone's
directory with the numbers you might need before you leave home. If
you are based in the USA or Canada, be sure to add "+1" in front of the
North American area codes. This will ensure your directory entries
will work when you leave North America. Don't store the numbers on your SIM
card, since you might be using a third party SIM card when you travel (see
Cell Phones for details about this). |
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