Get a Thorough Health Check Before Any Long-Term Trips

If you have long-term travels on your mind, you likely understand that there is much to do before you embark.

That said it is important to put together an inventory list of what must get done before you head out.

Related: 5 Ways to Maximize your Doctors Visit

Among the notable areas to cover:

  • Finance – Making sure you have enough money for long-term excursions ranks right up there on the importance list. This is especially true if you will be traveling outside the country. The last thing you want to have happen is watching a financial crisis unfold in front of your eyes. This also means having all of your bills paid up before you embark. If you have automatic deductions from your checking account or credit card, it is much easier to manage money while you’re gone. If you don’t have such plans in place, you are better off sending in payments ahead of time, thereby making sure you don’t miss any months. If you miss even one payment, you could be hit with late fees;
  • Property – Who wants to go away for months at a time worrying about if their home or apartment will be fine while they are gone? You can lessen such odds of having problems by making sure your property is secure and looked after while away. Either have a family member or trusted neighbor keep an eye on things while away. It is most important to give off the appearance that someone is home at all times. Leave a vehicle parked in the driveway (if you have one), having someone move the vehicle on occasion while you’re gone. Also make sure outside maintenance is kept up, notably the grass is cut and the bushes are trimmed. If you go away for several months in the winter, have someone shovel any snow that comes.

Leave Feeling as Good as Possible

  • Health – Even though unexpected health issues can strike at any time, do your best to make sure you’re in as good a shape as possible before leaving home. Once again, having a crisis when outside the country is oftentimes more stressful than one a state or two away from where you reside. One such health issue you may be dealing with is physical pain from whatever treatment or treatments you might be receiving for a serious illness or disease. If such pain is putting a severe damper on your life, have you considered trying to obtain a medical marijuana card? If not, definitely give it some thought. Medical marijuana has been proven to help countless individuals in their battles with constant physical pain. If you have the interest, going online and meeting for a short interview with a physician is your first big step. If you’re approved for such a card, using medical marijuana could help alleviate some of that pain, thereby making a long-term trip much more doable. Also, make sure you have all of your medications up to date before you depart on your journey, especially when travel means going overseas. You don’t want to run short on a needed prescription, especially if you are in some far away locale;
  • Communication – Lastly, make sure you alert at least one family member or close friend regarding where you will be headed, how long you expect to be gone, and leave them as your emergency contact in the event you are injured or become seriously ill during your travels. The latter is especially important if medical decisions must be made on your behalf. Although you hate to think about such things, being prepared for them is much better than having to react in an emergency situation.

If long-term travels around the world are on your agenda, are you as prepared as possible to head out?

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