10 travel risks worth taking

This was a refreshing read. It reminded me of Leonardo Dicaprio’s character in the movie The Beach. Life is all about adventure and traveling that unknown road.

I like the last one best…..sadly, I’m quite addicted to my gmail. =/

This is so risky. Maybe you have a point but I really don’t give my full trust on strangers and also I’m not risky in terms of foot. I want to check what’s the ingredients of that food (afraid to eat exotic animals).

I’m also very careful of my foot. It can be dangerous out there. Many people may want it.

Another topic topic well-covered, Tim! I agree with your advice always to brush your teeth with tap water, not only for practicality but also for gut-tempering local bacteria.

Another strategy for prepping your insides is to seek out fresh local yogurt. Yogurt’s live culture will fortify your system with probiotics, plus it covers recommended risk #6: Try new food!

most of this is spot on, but having contracted malaria once, i’d recommend those with less time (less time to spend a week of hell in bed to fight it off) to just go ahead and take their malaria medicine (depending on the location, of course, as the article mentions).

oh, another week on the loo for brushing teeth with the water in india…which is a high price to pay for the novelty to do as the locals do.remember, the locals who don’t take the medicine (or who drink the tap water) in some of these places had an entire life to get used to it (some unfortunately never make it that far, the WHO estimates that over 90% of malaria deaths in Africa are children under 5 – ie. those who gets exposed to the virus for a first time). 
that said, my malaria story makes a pretty badass travel tale, so maybe, just maybe, it was worth it after all…

most of this is spot on, but having contracted malaria once, i’d recommend those with less time (less time to spend a week of hell in bed to fight it off) to just go ahead and take their malaria medicine (depending on the location, of course, as the article mentions).

oh, another week on the loo for brushing teeth with the water in india…which is a high price to pay for the novelty to do as the locals do.remember, the locals who don’t take the medicine (or who drink the tap water) in some of these places had an entire life to get used to it (some unfortunately never make it that far, the WHO estimates that over 90% of malaria deaths in Africa are children under 5 – ie. those who gets exposed to the virus for a first time). 
that said, my malaria story makes a pretty badass travel tale, so maybe, just maybe, it was worth it after all…

Malaria sucks.  And it kills like a million people a year.   A couple people I knew while living in Africa got sick to the point they were almost paralyzed.  Pretty much everywhere in tropical Africa has that bad strain of Malaria, and you can go from first symptom to death in under two weeks. 

That said, prophylaxis is annoying, especially because chloroquine is off the table in a lot of places.  But if you’re going to skip the drugs, bring a net, and bring a cure.. because its a bit dangerous / reckless to be off the beaten track and not be looking out for no. 1.

Malaria sucks.  And it kills like a million people a year.   A couple people I knew while living in Africa got sick to the point they were almost paralyzed.  Pretty much everywhere in tropical Africa has that bad strain of Malaria, and you can go from first symptom to death in under two weeks. 

That said, prophylaxis is annoying, especially because chloroquine is off the table in a lot of places.  But if you’re going to skip the drugs, bring a net, and bring a cure.. because its a bit dangerous / reckless to be off the beaten track and not be looking out for no. 1.

Malaria sucks.  And it kills like a million people a year.   A couple people I knew while living in Africa got sick to the point they were almost paralyzed.  Pretty much everywhere in tropical Africa has that bad strain of Malaria, and you can go from first symptom to death in under two weeks. 

That said, prophylaxis is annoying, especially because chloroquine is off the table in a lot of places.  But if you’re going to skip the drugs, bring a net, and bring a cure.. because its a bit dangerous / reckless to be off the beaten track and not be looking out for no. 1.

Well said, Tim. Thanks. Couldn’t agree more.

“Now, I’m no doctor…”
Say no more!

Not the same doctors that also once said that Coca Cola, and cigarettes, are healthy for you, right? Say it aint’ so!

Great article but declining anti malarial medication is risky. Millions of local people living in Asia do contract & die from Malaria each year. Travellers are at an increased risk as we lack the natural built immunity that comes with years and years of living in malaria endemic areas. If you do decide against anti-malarials make sure you see a doctor before leaving for your trip and get to know the signs and symptoms of Malaria. Take treatment with you so that you can treat yourself immediately. Contraction of Malaria to death can occur in as little as 72 hours! Im a single female traveller, and a nurse with a Masters degree in public health & tropical medicine – I think taking risks travelling is all part of the fun! But dying alone in an under resourced health clinic in some far corner of the planet is not.

‘Decline anti-malaria medication’ = ‘Contract malaria’
‘Trust in the kindness of strangers’ = ‘Get kidnapped/ mugged/ etc.’
‘Brush your teeth with the tap water’ = ‘Contract cholera or some form of gastrointestinal disease’

I also like how the sister article, of which risks to NOT take, includes the wonderful phrase ‘soft drugs like marijuana are pretty harmless’. Yeah. Tell that to the people on our psychiatric wards who have cannabis-induced schizoaffective disorders.

Nice help website here.