Our interest has been, and continues to be, dedicated to travelers who have a chronic disease or other medical condition, and how they can cope. AND, to stress to every traveler going abroad that there are ways to keep healthy and safe while away.

During the past year we have achieved these goals:

• We completed the first volume of our e-book series! For more information, please look at our second website: (www.healthytravelabroad.com).

• We continue to maintain our HONCode of Conduct accreditation (for more information about this accreditation, please click on the HONcode icon). This goes to websites which offer “travel health information that you can trust.” Note: We have never posted an advertisement or sponsorship endorsement.

• We expanded our categories of “Archives” to make it easier for you readers to focus ad find specific topics.

• We scored a record high in the number of hits by viewers. Of course, we wish to reach even more readers.

• Our major regret is that our goal of having interactive blog type comments from readers has not met our hopes. We continue to wish that you would use the comment box to share your experience and advice.

Thanks for reading, and please continue to stick with us. And use our Archives or Search box to find many relevant and important tips.

Eleanor, Morris, and Ron

Generated Rating Systems

The key to using various sources of hotel rating systems is to focus on what the majority of reports seem to indicate about a property and to ignore the extreme positive or negative reviews, which may be biased. Use rating sites as a reference, but not your sole reference.

User-generated sites are built on feedback from the general travelers: TripAdvisor, for example, features more than 50 million traveler reviews giving their opinions on nearly 495,000 hotels worldwide. The sheer volume of sources—and TripAdvisor's inability to vet them all for accuracy—make these reviews something to take cautiously. A general rule is to ignore the ecstatically positive and totally negative reviews in favor of those in the middle.

While the site has stringent guidelines and even has moderators to flag posts that seem fishy, there's no way to catch every questionable review. Even with the caveat, personal reviews can be helpful, as they're often more detailed ("the room smelled of moldy hotel carpeting") and straightforward ("the check-in staff was great, but the hotel was on a yucky street") than those from third-party organizations or tourism boards.

Government-Run Ratings Systems

Government-run ratings systems may be self-interested—the better a destination's hotels, the more tourists it'll draw—and unregulated by a third party. Proceed with caution, and always refer to at least one or two other sources.

Most European countries have their own government-produced ratings, as do countries in Asia, South America, and Africa. There's no standardized system across Europe, but in 2009, an organization called the Hotelstars Union launched a drive to establish a common system across the EU. So far, 11 countries are participating.

Reliability varies by country—the U.K.'s system is uniform across Great Britain and fairly trustworthy. In France, on the other hand, ratings aren't based on quality but on the presence of certain features (air-conditioning and bathroom facilities, for example). In Italy, a hotel can earn a single star just for changing the sheets on the beds once a week. Asia, South America and Africa are continents that are low on the reliability scale, because national tourism boards have no standardized criteria or oversight.

Thanks BudgetTravel.com.

Readers: Please join in making Trphealthy.com the place for discussing healthy and safe accommodations. Use our comment block to contribute your opinion and experience. OK?

EF

When Americans go abroad, they are sometimes disappointed with the lodgings that they had carefully selected when making reservations. They think of "five star" hotels, as luxurious with extensive amenities and “three star” places, as clean, nice and average. Upon arrival, they are often disappointed. The rooms are usually smaller and the amenities expected are either not offered or different in quality, than those found in the US.

The reason is that the dominant rating systems in the U.S., Forbes and AAA (for example) are trust-worthy. They are consistent and based on rating scores on carefully defined criteria and benchmarks. Reports are issued every 12 to 18 months, after unannounced visits during which Forbes inspectors, for example, complete a checklist of 525 questions

Throughout the world, there are many scoring systems and they vary from country to country (and, in some cases, from city to city). Most ratings fall into one of four main categories: those operated by private companies (such as AAA), those run by hotel booking sites (such as hotels.com), user-generated systems, and government-run agencies.

The problem is the inconsistency of the various systems. During the last several years, several governments, such as Switzerland, Germany and Brazil, have overhauled their systems to be more uniform. Plus, in 2009, Europe's Hotelstars Union launched, with the goal of establishing common classification criteria across the EU.

Private-Company Rating Systems

Independent ownership, consistent criteria, and anonymous inspectors make companies like AAA and Forbes (formerly Mobil) Travel Guide) reliable and unbiased.

Outside of the U.S., Australia is one of the few other countries in the world with a private rating system, which also happens to be called AAA. The system is operated by the Australian Automobile Association, an organization similar to (but not affiliated with) North America's AAA.

 Hotel Booking Sites

Online booking engines such as hotels.com use a combination of hired scouts and user ratings to review hotels, but generally reviewers aren't anonymous and the standards vary by country and company. These ratings are best used in conjunction with other review sites.

Orbitz and Priceline each have its own rating system, though neither publishes their rating criteria on their website. The standards vary by company and country, but generally are based on location, amenities, type of accommodation, and service. In addition, hotel websites also include consumer reviews to provide additional feedback.

Continued on February 13, 2012.

Adapted from “The Dirty Truth About Hotel Ratings,” Budget Travel.com, August 15, 2011.

Readers: Please tell us about which sites you read for suggestions. Use our comment box to share your experience with others.

EF

Pack: 

• Antibiotic cream.
• Anti-bacterial wipes.
• Anti-diarrhea medication.
• Aspirin or other pain reliever.
• Band-Aids.
• Bug repellant.
• Cold tablets.
• Extra daily portions of prescription medications.
• Multivitamins.
• Seasickness medications (obviously, if  you will go on a cruise ship.)
• Sunscreen (remember  that this is not only for beach honeymoons, but also for snow packed sites).
• Water purification systems or tablets (or search our archives for our tips on avoiding water borne illnesses). 

In fact, search our archives for a more complete listing of what to bring abroad.

And…congratulations…and have a memorable time.

ML

A room service menu will generally not describe “healthy” choices…or may reflect what the menu writer thinks is healthy from his/her national perspective. So be forewarned in thinking about your order. Here are some tips to consider:

Ask room service to eliminate a serving of bread…many nutritionists consider most white flour bread as empty calories.

Order any sauce, salad dressing, on condiments be placed on the side. Then YOU have control of calories and taste.

Our nutritionist advisors suggest ordering whole grain or whole wheat bread with any sandwich you order. (Disclaimer: Personally I don’t like whole grain bread.) Also, it is suggested that you decline the mayonnaise, unless you ask for it on the side (see the tip above). And ask if the meat or deli product is fresh or processed. You really might not want to eat the latter.

Meat or fish entrees should be grilled, poached or baked. Avoid stuffed or sautéed.

Think about “sides.”  Ask about substituting sides, such as fried potatoes, with vegetables or salad.

Ask that vegetables be grilled or steamed. And, again, request that any sauce or butter be placed on the side.

Dessert? (YES!) Room service will probably ask you anyway. Go for it…but, maybe, consider fresh fruit or sorbet.

ML

Eat breakfast: Travelers especially should eat a breakfast meal every day. Yes, you may have lodging that includes a “continental” breakfast meal; but we still recommend that you augment that offering as soon as possible. Protein can keep you full; carbohydrates and fruit provide the energy fuel, as well as, fiber, vitamins and minerals. 

Carry snacks: A suggestion is to have packed nutrition bars before you leave home. Traveling with healthy snacks will keep you going, should you have few options on the road, or are short on time.

Consume alcoholic beverages moderately: Too much can cause unwanted calories and add to dehydration. 

Watch out for the bread: In many foreign restaurants, a “cover charge” includes a basket of  bread. Try to resist the urge to have some when it is placed on your table, even if you are going to have to pay for it. It may have virtually no nutritional value. (Disclaimer: I don’t follow this tip. Personally, I’m the first to grab from the bread basket. Eleanor has long chided me on this behavior as we traveled around Europe. Moreover, she couldn’t imagine how I could gobble down so much bread, and still keep my “slim figure.” Note: My slim waist line has long since expanded!)

Moderate portions: I’ll repeat a tip that we have made several times over the last four years: Try a lot of new and interesting foods, BUT keep them in small portions. One idea is only to order from the appetizer menu…or see it the restaurant will offer half plates. Of course, there is always the possibility of sharing a portion, IF you are traveling with someone who has a full sense of adventurous dining. Of course, there is also a choice of salad…but frankly, (I think) you can have salads at home. By the way, a useful tip regarding salad, is to ask for salad dressing to come on the side.

Take home? Probably, you may not have the option of  taking  out part of the meal, if you don’t have kitchen type equipment in your lodging. But if you do, then you might consider this possibility, and not feel forced to finish the entire meal at the restaurant. This may not be a problem, as portions overseas are much smaller than in the US.

ML

Try to get plenty of regular sleep before departure day.

Try to get your boss or manager to let you travel early enough to spend the first day after a long haul to adjust (frankly it makes great business sense to me).

While on board, wear loose fitting clothing and footwear. (We have already written that you should not travel with brand new shoes, they should already be comfortable on your feet.) Some of our readers have written to us that they use compression socks, especially on long haul flights. Save your business dress for meetings and entertainment sessions!

Move about as much as you can and is possible….in the airplane cabin…in your seat and in the aisles. (Note: we have several posts for exercising in your airplane seat; see our search engine to review our older postings.)

Keep hydrated. We don’t really think that there will be any bad effects of drinking the water offered in air. Which leads us to the following tip:

Limit alcohol intake. As much as I understand the allure of cocktails to help pass time and keep your travel stress and boredom levels low, I do suggest moderation. I’ve read that the effects of alcohol in airplane flight levels increases from what we can expect while on the ground. (Disclaimer: I don’t always follow this tip myself!)

If possible, upgrade your seat from coach class (good bosses and managers can…or should…understand the value of avoiding flight fatigue).

And don’t forget about keeping current with travel and evacuation insurance (again, like so many topics that we are currently summarizing, I suggest that you search for our articles on insurance policies).

ML

The report concluded that well-being is not only achieved in a gym; it can be done outdoors with Mother Nature. The authors felt that even short periods of exercise outdoors can make one feel healthy. “Forget the gym,” an English daily newspaper reported; “An open-air workout can work wonders for the mind.”

Outdoor activities include walking, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-back riding and gardening. These can be undertaken in urban parks, countryside sites, woodlands, and waterside areas.

The study’s conclusion was that mood and self-esteem levels were altered after “green exercise.” The researchers found that such benefits could be measured within five minutes of such exercise, and even ten minutes of exposure produced body and mind changes for the better.

The researchers wrote that “this study confirms that the environment provides an important health service and that exercising in wilderness areas or near water tended to have the biggest impact on mental state…and that the greatest changes were seen in the young and the mentally ill.”

So, we ask you to try to find a park-like setting during your stay, perhaps even sitting outside at a sidewalk café can be beneficial. Or, find a fountain to sit near; there are so many in foreign cities. (Readers, please let us know your own anecdotal experiences.)

ML

Hotel: Try to book lodging in a hotel that has some sort of gym and/or pool. Obviously, this will alleviate your need to search for a site. And, you might wind up finding an interesting gym buddy (and possible future client).

Pack gym shoes and a set of workout clothes. Since you are carrying them with you, you might be reminded about engaging in some sort of exercise

Take some nutrition bars with you (you may not be able to buy a recognizable kind while abroad, nor be able to spend the time searching for some). Nuts are another healthy packable snack. 

Food selection on airplanes and foreign trains may be limited. Just watch for selections that are reasonably healthy, yet appealing to you in order to pass the time while travelling.

Plan to make time in your daily schedule for “time out” health periods. Mark time on your planner for workouts, snack times, and nap or sleep times. Hopefully, your schedule will permit the same time periods each day.

Expense accounts are great. And, since you are traveling for business, we are aware of temptations. Sure enjoy yourself, and treat business associates well, but keep in the back of your mind the motivation to stay healthy by not overdoing food and drink.

ML

Book a non-stop flight. Then you won’t have the hassle and stress of air terminal waiting, transferring, and security inspection.

Upgrade, if you can afford to, your seat reservation…it is worth it on a very long flight.

Wear comfortable clothing and shoes. For years, I dressed up to go on an airplane trip. Current practices, especially since the onset of security check points, have led me to dress very casually, with slip on shoes!

Get a good night’s sleep before your departure. Rest as much as you can during your flight. Try to take a nap or two over the period of a long flight.

While on board, drink plenty of water or juice to stay hydrated.

As you fly, do simple exercises, that we have suggested in the past; and walk around the plane as much as you can, considering that the aisle may be clogged with a food and drink cart.

Talk with an airline reservation representative, when you make your travel plans, to discuss any special needed dietary, medical or physical accommodation service.

Get a window seat, in order to watch the horizon and avoid air sickness (and also, as you near land, and you get close to the foreign destination, you will have the thrill of an unforgettable sight).

Pick a seat over the wings, as our airline expert suggested (check our search engine for air travel tips), to maximize the stability of your equilibrium.

Don’t hesitate to ask the airline stewards for any help; again a suggestion from our airline consultant.

If you may have special toilet needs, then ask for a seat near the rest rooms, and for an aisle seat.

If you travel with a service dog, then look up our tips for doing so on our search box.

Don’t carry too much luggage on board; it is difficult to lift heavy bags into the overhead bins.

Do pack any medications or snacks in your carry-on luggage, near your feet, to gain quick access.

ML