Expect the unexpected!  It is wise to bring some medication and small first aid items on holiday - this need not mean you're a complete hypochondriac!

Obviously, if you suffer from a particular medical problem, you will have your own prescribed drugs etc. with you and possibly even a certificate from your doctor, to confirm your fitness to travel.
If your medical condition is serious, bring an extra prescription from your Doctor in case your medicines run out.  Frequently, drug brand names abroad differ greatly from ours, so it is better to be safe than sorry.

If you are one of the lucky ones and are in perfectly good nick, as healthy as a trout and robust as they come, we suggest that you anyway pack a mini first aid kit.  Bring a few sticking plasters, dry gauze, safety pins, headache tablets, tummy tablets, antiseptic cream or salve, calamine lotion, sudocrem, TCP, anti-bacterial mouthwash, anti-histamine cream or tablets, after sun lotion and lip balm.  Small cuts and grazes will benefit from a smear of antiseptic cream and a covering of adhesive plaster.  Painkillers are invaluable for minor headaches or cramps.  Too much sun can cause immense pain and this can be relieved by calamine lotion, after sun or a big dollop of natural yoghurt - yoghurt acts as a cooling balm on the skin and, although it smells vile, it really relieves the tightness and stinging, smarting pain of sunburn.  If the skin is burned severely, medical advice should be sought without delay.  Less serious burning does benefit from lying down in a cool, dark room.  Take plenty of rest, drink lots of liquid such as hot tea or bottled water to re-hydrate and obviously stay out of the sun again for a few days at least.

If you or any of your party is struck down with a 'bug', call a Doctor immediately as there are many strange virus circulating which can lay you low and cause serious upset both to your tummy and holiday plans!  Often, dehydration is a major cause of illness abroad and this develops with a combination of too much sun, over indulgence in alcohol or something as simple as not drinking enough liquids or bottled water.  Remember hot climates take their toll on our bodies and we lose moisture through perspiration, so this must be replaced consistently.  A lot of energetic activity in the sun should always be tempered with rest periods and frequent stops for water or soft drinks.  It goes without saying that rigorous attention must be paid to personal hygiene and hands must always be thoroughly washed after using the toilet and before preparing food.  If medical help is sought, the advice given must be adhered to and prescriptions filled as per the Doctor's orders.  There is no point in flouting expertise.  Hold all receipts for monies paid out to Doctors or pharmacies as these may be needed for making an insurance claim on return home.

If traveling to a long haul destination, your doctor should be consulted as to the particular requirements for that area before travel.  Make sure this advice is sought early as a course of vaccinations may be necessary or the inoculations may need a period of time to 'kick-in'.  So, don't leave this to the last minute, to be on the safe side.

There are still areas where certain food and drink items are best avoided and steering clear will obviously improve one's chances of remaining well and in the whole of one's health.  It is never advised to drink tap water as many countries have no purification system.  So, bottled water should be used for drinking and all domestic purposes.

Foods to be avoided:
Salads that may have been washed in tap water / Ice cubes in drinks / Raw eggs or by- products (especially for children and older people) / Shellfish / Ice cream (especially that which is not pre-packaged) / Under cooked meat, particularly chicken and pork / Hot snacks sold by street vendors (where hygiene may be in question).

The sensible course of action in all events is to be careful of what one eats and choose the restaurant venue with care.  Naturally, part of the attraction of traveling abroad is to experience the local cuisine and tempt the palate with different tastes and sensations.  So, it is not necessary to become paranoid about things to which we are unaccustomed as we'd never try anything different.  Just be sensible and enjoy everything in moderation.