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Travel to Mexico
12 things for arthritis patients to consider when you make plans to travel to
Mexico
- Make your reservations early to assure your needs will be met.
- When traveling by air, book non-stop flights if possible or allow ample time between
connecting flights.
- Choose a seat on the airplane which has extra leg room.
- If walking is a problem, request a wheelchair when booking the flight.
- Keep medications and important items in a light carry-on bag.
- Use the restroom in the terminal before boarding the plane.
- Take advantage of pre-boarding for your flight so you don't have to climb over other
people to get into your seat.
- When booking a hotel room, choose a handicapped access room or a room close to the
elevator.
- If traveling by car, take frequent rest stops to minimize stiffness.
- Use lightweight luggage on wheels.
- Pack light and remember any assistive equipment you might need.
- Pack extra medications, copies of your prescriptions, your doctor's name and phone
number, and a summary of your medical history in preparation for delays or emergencies.
To stay healthy
when you travel to Mexico
- Wash hands often with soap and water.
- Drink only bottled or boiled water, or carbonated (bubbly) drinks in cans or bottles.
Avoid tap water, fountain drinks, and ice cubes. If this is not possible, make water safer
by BOTH filtering through an “absolute 1-micron or less” filter AND adding
iodine tablets to the filtered water. “Absolute 1-micron filters” are found in
camping/outdoor supply stores.
- Eat only thoroughly cooked food or fruits and vegetables you have peeled yourself.
Remember: boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it.
- If you will be visiting an area where there is risk for malaria, take your malaria prevention medication
before, during, and after travel, as directed.
To avoid getting sick when you
travel to Mexico
- Don’t eat food purchased from street vendors.
- Don’t drink beverages with ice.
- Don’t eat dairy products unless you know they have been pasteurized.
- Don’t share needles with anyone.
- Don’t handle animals (especially monkeys, dogs, and cats), to avoid bites and
serious diseases (including rabies
and plague). (For more
information, please see the Animal-Associated
Hazards on the Making Travel Safe
page.)
- Don’t swim in fresh water. Salt water is usually safer. (For more information,
please see the Swimming
Precautions on the Making Travel Safe
page.)
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