Having just spent the weekend with food poisoning (if you’ve never had it, you’re so very lucky) I thought maybe now would be a good time to talk about what happens if you get sick while traveling abroad. Cause, you know, I have loads of experience with that, too.

If it’s not too serious, I’ve found the best bet is to go to the local pharmacy. Pharmacists in Morocco, Spain and Italy, I’ve found, aren’t like the jokers here who hide behind the counter and deal with customers as little as possible. When I came down with a sore throat in Rome, I went to the Pharmacy, and with my Rick Steve’s phrase book and some hand gestures, managed to tell the pharmacist what was wrong. He asked me a few questions and then produced a magical throat spray that must be illegal in the US. Because it worked. The pharmacist in Marrakesh was able to give my travel partner, Jen, some strong anti-nausea medication without a prescription. These pharmacists, they wield some power, I tell you.

And if it is serious, well, that’s what hospitals are there for. Always check your guidebook for hospital locations, just to be safe.

Now, one of the things I liked best about traveling with the ISECard - this is not some pithy plug for my hosts, people, I mean this very sincerely - was that it comes with medical insurance. There’s probably nothing worse than being sick away from home. And if there is, it’s being sick away from home without health insurance. And since my history of travel and illness (appendicitis, parasites, food poisoning, flu) is pretty strong, I can’t tell you what a comfort it was to know that if something happened, I would be okay. It’s worth looking into.

Ever gotten sick abroad? How’d you cope?

Tuesday, February 19, 2008 | general