Top 10 Causes of Injury on Vacation

Although it’s that time of the year when you want to forget all your worries and break out of your routine, accidents can still happen while you are on vacation. Most of the time, an accident or injury happens because someone is out their normal situation and new circumstance cause stress to our bodies and mental states, or a simple lack of awareness for our surroundings.

Whenever you head on vacation, be aware of these 10 causes of accidents and take appropriate precautions to keep your vacation the fun relaxing time it needs to be.

1. Food Poisoning

The most common cause of injury is from trying out new and different foods that our bodies aren’t used to. This is notorious in Mexico from Montezuma’s revenge (hopefully you’ve never experienced the vengeful indigestion).

Before you go to a new place, research common causes of food poisoning in the area you’re staying. You don’t want to limit yourself by being afraid to try new things, but you also want to know when something might ruin your vacation.

2. Allergic Reactions

Always bring allergy medicine and antihistamines with you on a vacation. You can react to changes in air quality, pressure and local flora and fauna that your body isn’t used to. You might start feeling you have a scratchy throat as you enter a new country, and before you know it, your lips and tongue are swollen.

It’s best to take some allergy medicine before you leave and keep some on you as you enter a new country. Research local allergens and talk to your doctor before you leave.

3. Walking

Usually on vacation, you are constantly walking around enjoying the scenery or enthralled by a museum. It’s probably a big change from the normal routine you had before you left. When our activity increases rapidly, our body sometimes won’t adjust. Ankle sprains, back pain or dehydration can all stem from large amounts of walking.

Wear comfortable shoes and drink lots of water. Also stretching is a great way to keep yourself loose and increase your blood flow throughout your body.

4. Bicycles, Mopeds, and Motorcycles

Obviously when we rent a bicycle, moped, or motorcycle to roll around town and feel the wind in our face, we also subject ourselves to the dangers of riding on two wheels.

Always wear a helmet and take it slow getting used to the area you’re riding in before you start jumping canyons or starting a police chase.

5. Swimming

If you’re a parent, you know the fears of letting your children swim in the ocean or by themselves. Swimming in the ocean can, of course, cause injury from jellyfish stings, catching the undertow or weak swimmers not knowing their limits.

Always exercise caution when swimming or around people who are swimming.

6. Suitcases

Perhaps you aren’t used to carrying a fifty pound suitcase – your back is definitely not. Most of us use luggage that has wheels or perhaps a bellboy to carry our luggage.

If you don’t, exercise caution lifting up your luggage and carrying it. Try to keep your body symmetrical and don’t jerk your luggage off the ground.

7. Sleeping

This one might come as a surprise, but have you ever fallen asleep on a plane and woken up with your neck unable to move? Sleeping in awkward positions can cause pain for days afterwards.

Be sure and bring a pillow or a means to sleep comfortably while travelling. If you experience significant pain after a nights sleep, you might need to see a chiropractor.

8. Sea Sickness

If you’re heading on a cruise this summer, be sure and bring seasickness medicine. This can be a real bummer, especially with the money you spend on a cruise, when you can’t get out of bed because you’re too sick and everyone else on the ship is out eating buffets and enjoying all the great activities on offer.

9. Sports

Many people enjoy taking time off to play their favourite sports, and obviously, this can lead to injury. Really, one can’t really prevent a sport injury because injuries on the field or on the court are never intentional.

However, be prepared for injuries when you know you’re going to be playing a sport that might cause an injury. Have a first aid kit and appropriate contacts standing by.

10. Stress

You would think that getting away from the routine and work would mean getting away from stress, but a lot of the times this isn’t the case. Travelling to and from each place usually involves some type of delay, something you forgot or something you never saw coming. Suddenly your jaw is clenched and you’ve got a migraine.

Don’t let stress weigh you down too much and try to avoid having too high of expectations for things to run smoothly. They never do right? Enjoy the fact that at least you don’t have to go to work the next day and find a way to make an unexpected situation a good thing.

Vacations aren’t exceptions from life. Anything can happen and it’s important to be prepared for accident or injury. If you have a severe accident or injury you might have to contact a lawyer to know if you qualify for compensation. You might even want to talk to a lawyer before you go on vacation so you know how to handle a situation if something goes wrong. Keep this list in mind and be prepared to enjoy yourself, but also be prepared to overcome any obstacle that gets in your way.