Health

Before moving overseas or even just traveling abroad, there are some key things to consider about one of the most important aspects of your travels around the world… your physical health!

Food
Make sure you find out before you go what you should and shouldn't eat or drink. In many countries the local tap water isn't safe to drink. So, while brushing your teeth is probably ok (ask local expats though, just to be sure), only drink bottled water or purified tap water. Raw, unpeeled fruits and vegetables and sold on the side of the road are also suspect. No matter how beautiful that apple looks, you're better off peeling it first! The first few weeks in any new country will likely bring some stomach discomfort as your digestive system adapts to new tastes. For this, an excellent natural remedy is yogurt, whose live active yogurt cultures will help kill off the bad bacteria in your system.

Vaccinations
Once you know where you're going, check out the U.S. Government's Center for Disease Control's (the CDC) website to find out what vaccinations you should receive and what special health precautions (such as malaria medication) you should take before you go. A word of warning: schools generally do not pay for teachers' health preparation costs and your insurance may not cover vaccinations and malaria medicine costs, so shop around for the best deal between local "public health clinics", "private doctors", and "travel health clinics" in your area. A Google search for each of those terms should point you in the right direction.

Malaria Medication
Malaria is a serious illness that many people die from each year. Mosquitoes carrying the Malaria virus can be found in many areas of the world-not just sub Sahara Africa-so the CDC often recommends a regimen of malaria medicine to many travelers visiting third world countries. The CDC has a list of recommended malaria medicine options and you will have to talk to a doctor about which medicine is right for you. Generally all medications require you to start taking them several weeks before you go and then continue taking them throughout your stay. Prices for malaria medicine range from inexpensive to cheap, depending on the medicine and what your doctor recommends. In our experience Costco and Walmart sell the least expensive medicines from the CDC's recommended list. Both stores list medication price on their website.

Insurance
Even when schools provide health insurance, it is often limited and you may want your own supplement to make sure everything is covered that can or should be. The best kind of health insurance for teachers and other world travelers is a travel health insurance that covers…
… overseas medical care
… evacuation
… personal liability, and
… lost luggage items such as iPods and digital cameras.

Here are some important things to consider when choosing insurance for your travels and life overseas:

• Indefinite Extension - All travel insurance is sold in chunks of short periods of time, usually up to six months at a time. So, as a teacher working overseas for several years it is crucial that you choose a company that allows you to extend coverage indefinitely with no time limitations.
  
• Cancellation - Hopefully nothing will happen to prevent you from your overseas teaching assignment, but if something changes and you can't go, you'll want to make sure your travel insurance policy covers trip cancellation.
  
• Lost or Stolen Gear - most travel insurance policies have a per-item value limit - make sure its high enough to cover your gear or choose a policy that allows you to increase the limit.
  
• Medical expenses over and above evacuation - check that your coverage includes emergency treatment while away and transport to bring you home. Also, know that insurance providers will usually insist on getting you home as soon as you are well enough to travel.
  
• Adventurous Activities - look carefully at what your policy covers - you may find that you are not covered to do all of the adventurous activities you want to do while you're traveling.
  
• Personal Liability - Accidents happen. If it's found to be your fault and someone decides to sue you, you want to be covered.