Looking after your health as a volunteer
We have split this guide into two parts with suggestions what health precautions you should consider before you travel and what you should look at taking with you to ensure that you will stay as healthy as possible when you reach your volunteer destination.
Before you leave
This section is very important, as you should make sure you are fully prepared before you travel and then ensure that you have the means to look after yourself during your volunteer experience abroad. The first thing you should do once you know where you are going to volunteer, is to book an appointment to visit your doctor or to see a specialist travel clinic in order to get some professional advice on how to best look after your health whilst abroad and also to discover which vaccinations you may need. This is a particularly important part of your preparation and one that really should not be overlooked or missed out completely!
It is likely that you will be travelling to countries with poorer health records and you will need to have vaccinations to protect yourself against the risk of a number of different diseases depending on exactly where your trip will take you. You should also consider a general health check up, depending on your actual state of health, and perhaps even before fully commiting to any volunteer project. You should definitely obtain your doctor's advice if you have any exisitng conditions that could affect you whilst abroad.
You may also need to discuss what you need to do to protect yourself whilst abroad, such as the best medication to protect you against malaria. The doctors or travel clinic specialists will be able to give you advice and recommendations to put you at ease and leave you well prepared for your trip. This is a process that should be started as soon as possible as some vaccinations require more than one application over a period of time.
What to Take with you?
You also need to consider what medications you will take with you. You may want to take things that are not going to be readily available when you are doing your voluntary work, especially if you are located in remote or less developed areas. You should consider painkillers, antiseptic creams, plasters, tablets for traveller's diarrhoea, and preferably, a sterile needle and suitable first aid kit. The latter two items may sound a little extreme, but should the worst happen and you are located in an area that has health standards below what you are used to, then this could be a very important piece of equipment for you. You can buy a small pack for relatively cheap prices and I think that they are totally worth the investment.
You may also want to consider taking sun protection and insect repellents, the latter in particular can be very useful in some parts of the world! We have drawn up some checklists which you can print off and tick off items as you buy them or cross off items that you do not want to take with you. Obviously space is limited so you will have to think carefully about what you really will need and what you can do without. Ultimately it is your back pack and what you put in it will be all you have during your trip.
It is up to you what you take, but nevertheless you must ensure that you have adequate travel insurance which covers you in case of unexpected medical emergencies. Hopefully you will not need it but someone, someday will, so make sure that you are fully covered and do read the small print so you know exactly what you are covered for and any restrictions (perhaps for example dangerous activities) that apply.
If you have any comments on this section of the volunteer guides please let us know.