A note from the Backpod team:

Our trip to Honduras was a great success. We were thinking of you during the journey, and wanted to send a story to post on your blog.

After maneuvering our bus through harsh, mountainous terrain (driving approximately an hour over essentially just rocks), we arrived at a small isolated village in Honduras named Los Palacios. Our partner, Global Brigades, was beginning work on a water improvement project there. A group of students from Northwestern also assisted in the beginning stages of what will be a life changing project for this community. Water affects all elements of health and well being. Water born diseases, such as parasites, are a large health issue in many Honduran villages.

BE SAFE Travel Tip – Plan Ahead and Visit the CDC Website Before Traveling

At least three months before your trip abroad visit the Center For Disease Control website www.cdc.gov./travel/travel.html and you will find health information for specific destination, recommended immunizations and much more.

Be prepared – bring a travel specific first aid kit on your trip!

Learn more travel medicine and first aid tips – click here for Dr. Weiss’s Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness and Travel Medicine.

Dr. Weiss Advice – Improvisational Technique – Quick Relief of Dental Pain

Bleeding and pain from the mouth can often be relieved by placing a moistened tea bag onto the bleeding site or into the socket that is bleeding.

Carry a Dental Medic with you!

Learn more improvisational techniques and first aid tips – click here for Dr. Weiss’s Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness and Travel Medicine.

BE SAFE Travel Tip – Avoiding Diarrheal Illness When Traveling

20-50% of all travelers experience stomach ailments or diarrhea on their trips with the number reaching 70% in some developing countries. Prepare before you go by scheduling an appointment with a travel medicine physician and getting prescription medications for diarrheal illness.

Be prepared by purchasing a travel specific first aid kit before your trip!

Learn more travel medicine and first aid tips – click here for Dr. Weiss’s Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness and Travel Medicine.

Dr. Weiss Advice – Improvisational Technique – Replacing a Lost Filling

Melt some candle wax and allow it to cool until it is just soft and pliable. Place the wax into the cavity or lost filling site and smooth it out with your finger. Have the victim bite down to seal the wax in place and remove any excess wax.

Check out our Dental Medic kit here.

Learn more improvised techniques and first aid tips – click here for Dr. Weiss’s Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness and Travel Medicine.

Dr. Weiss Advice – Malaria Prevention

There is no anti-malarial drug that is 100% effective. The best way to avoid the disease is to avoid the anopheles mosquito which carries it and feeds at night. Maximum precautions must be taken from dusk to dawn.

• Wear long, loose fitting clothes.

• Use Insect Repellents containing Deet or a 20% Picaridin formula.

• Sleep behind mosquito netting or effective screens.

• Spray your clothing with Permethrin before your trip. Permethin kills mosquitoes that land on your clothing.

• Consult a travel medicine physician on the appropriate anti-malarial medication for the area where you will be traveling.

Q:
Is there a kit that you would recommend (or a custom list of items) that would be appropriate for carrying on a motorcycle in case one of the riders in our group is injured in a remote area? Obviously a lot of possible degrees of injury, but sprains, broken bones, abrasion bleeding, etc. would be possible.

A:
Curt, If you have the room I would carry the Fundamentals Kit or if space is tight – go with the Ultralight Pro. They both have the SAM Splint, CPR mask, wound cleaning items and trauma materials. There is a compare kit feature button on the right side of the product window. USe this to see the differences. Good Riding.