Photo: Yongyut Kumsri/Shutterstock

Armchair Travel: Protect Thyself

by Lola (Akinmade) Åkerström Jan 16, 2009

Even the most intrepid of travelers always has safety and wellness on the back of their mind at all times.

No one I know (besides Survivorman Les Stroud) wants to be stranded in the Sahara without water, lost in the backcountry wilderness, or bounce on a bumpy chicken bus ride with diarrhea.

This week, Erik McLaughlin identifies the Top 10 Travel Health Problems such as diarrhea, jet lag, and mosquito bites, and outlines ways to handle them. In Three Essential Medical Books for Travelers, Juli Huang introduces us to 3 books that can help you survive during those harrowing medical emergencies when there isn’t a doctor for miles.

Stemming from experience, Senior Editor David Miller provides solid tips on surviving in the backcountry in Avoid the Classic Dumbass Move and Stay Alive This Winter.

But most importantly, your emotional health while traveling takes top billing, and Claire Litton shows us how in Handle with Care: Protecting Yourself from Emotional Abuse While Traveling.

Still want to forgo all the advice above? Check out these unbelievable tales of survival.

Lost in the Jungle: A Harrowing True Story of Adventure and Survival

As his feet begin to rot during raging storms, as he loses all sense of direction, and as he begins to lose all hope, he wonders whether he will make it out of the jungle alive“…Amazon Review

Already feeling shivers up my spine!

This true life story revolves around four travelers who meet up in Bolivia, later become friends, and head into the Amazon Rainforest for an adventure of a lifetime only to end up lost and disoriented.

Author Yossi Ghinsberg is forced to survive for weeks on his own after he becomes separated from his group.

Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man’s Miraculous Survival

Renown adventurer and expedition climber Joe Simpson comes close to death while climbing in the Peruvian Andes. The book recounts his expedition with his climbing partner, Simon Yates up the 20,813 foot Siula Grande mountain.

Simon Yates never made it down.

Even if expeditionary-style adventures aren’t in your near future, grab this book to take a deep look into the psyche of climbers and other risk takers who push their minds and bodies to the limits of human endurance.

Angels in the Wilderness: The True Story of One Woman’s Survival Against All Odds

A small slip and she found herself careening 60-ft down the side of a mountain in California Sierra Nevada range during a solo hiking trip.

She broke both legs.

Thus, began Amy Racina’s four day battle to survive in the remote backcountry wilderness. She details her ordeal; pulling her weight along with both arms, moments of despair, and exhaustion as well as her dramatic rescue.

Have a favorite nonfiction story of survival to share? Please tell us below.

Discover Matador