Tip 9: Drink plenty of water

One lesson I’ve learned the hard way is that no matter where you are traveling you should remember to drink plenty of water. It makes no difference if it is sunny or not – you need to keep hydrated.

I learned my lesson over two decades ago on our honeymoon in London. It was early June and the weather was nice and warm but not hot. As we were in Great Britain it wasn’t overly sunny either. Regardless I did manage to get dehydrated enough to feel sick and like I was about to faint. This happened on our second day exploring London. We were on the tube when I suddenly felt I couldn’t see straight, my knees were about to give in, and I was certain I would faint. We quickly got off at the next stop and bought some water. After chugging down a whole bottle I started to feel normal again.

Since that incident we have never left our place of accommodation without at least one bottle of water in tow and always buy a new one when the first is empty. We also drink from the bottle regularly, whether we are feeling thirsty or not. Actually, it has been said that by the time you feel thirsty you are already slightly dehydrated. I think it is easy to forget to drink enough, especially if you are not much of a water drinker in your daily life. However, you should consider the way you live your daily life compared to what you do on holiday. Personally, we walk a lot more while on vacation, which naturally means we need more water. If I log around 7 000 to 8 000 steps per day while in my normal working life, during travel I can easily log more than 20 000 steps per day. You should also consider the climate, the warmer it is the more you perspire and the more water you need.

There is no harm in drinking plenty of water and carrying a water bottle with you is far less of a nuisance than suffering from dehydration. So always remember to grab a bottle of water with you when you are out and about.