Travel Health Overview ? Altitude Sickness

Most of us plan very well for our trips absent from home, and for abroad trips in particular. However, there is one condition that nearly always takes people by surprise – altitude sickness. This is very much a disease of contemporary times – in the past, it wasn’t doable for us to ascend a mountain swiftly enough that we would not be used to the lowered oxygen levels of high altitudes. Now planes and automobiles have prefabricated this a very real worry – but unfortunately it isn’t doable to tell who will be worst affected by it! We look at the suggested level of travel insurance cover for places prone to causing altitude sickness, and how you can refer and recover from it.

What is Altitude Sickness?

There are several things that act to stress your body when you’re at a high altitude:

Lowered oxygen levels (at 10,000 feet above sea level, there is 70% as much oxygen in the air as there is at sea level)
Cold
Low humidity, causing dehydration
Increased UV radiation

The symptoms are like that of a hangover – nausea, headache, fatigue, loss of appetite and sometimes vomiting. In extreme cases, pulmonary edema or cerebral edema (swelling of the blood vessels or brain cavities) can occur and might cause death.

A Traveller’s Perspective – What Does it Feel Like?

Most people state that altitude sickness feels worse than a hangover! You might be unable to get out of bed and feel headachey and flu-ey for a couple of days. You will probably have very tiny energy, because either you don’t feel like eating, or you are vomiting up your food. People state they feel ‘horrible’ and ‘like I was going to die’ … though the symptoms generally pass without incident whether you stay at one level to acclimatize.

The Logistics of Acclimatizing

Acclimatizing to high altitude is not a easy matter of a few hours rest. It can take from 2 to 5 days to acclimatize to the lower oxygen region above 10,000 feet. It is never wise to near through and just move until you acclimatize at a higher altitude, because of the risk of developing a pulmonary or cerebral edema.

Holiday insurance is the ideal way to guard against the unlucky circumstance of being forced to move at a specific spot to acclimatize to a low oxygen environment. It can cover both your accommodation and other logistics costs, and also medical bills whether you need to check in with a doctor.

Travelling with Altitude Sickness Prescription Medication

If you know that you are prone to altitude sickness, or would rather use preventive medication rather than healing (only under doctor’s orders, though!), there are still issues to be aware of with carrying the medication. Medicines which are legal in some countries might not be approved in others – it is always smart to get a letter of dominance to carry your specific medicine, through the embassy or visa office of the country you are visiting.

How Travel Insurance Helps

People often adopt that altitude sickness is something that will pass by itself, without you making any changes to your plans because of it. After all, many of us have gone to work with a hangover … what could the difference be? Unfortunately, altitude sickness is often much more severe than a hangover. If you or your kids get a severe case, you might be liable for huge medical bills, or heavy cancellation fees and new accommodation charges whether you have to stay and acclimatize somewhere.

Get both medical travel insurance and logistical travel insurance cover to refrain altitude sickness totally ruining your trip!