My Child Got Sick on Vacation

Yep, my child got sick on Vacation! Picture it: you are in a beautiful location for a family vacation you have saved for and waited for ALL YEAR LONG. You spent the day before loving the beach, the water slides and the food. Then, on the second day, your child wakes up and says his throat hurts.

Then, he proceeds to vomit everywhere. Again, and again and again.

We spent the next 24 hours hanging out in our beautiful but not the beach resort room, while Pookah recovered.

It happened to us, so there is a good chance that eventually, it could happen to you too! Did you know that according to a survey by Orlando Health, one in four vacations includes a trip to the ER? You tend to forget that Vacation is your life..in a pretty place. But it’s still life and stuff can and will happen. If you want to make sure that you are ready to handle anything life and sickness throws at you while on vacation, here is how you can prep and be prepared ahead of time, and what to do when your child gets sick on vacation.

Before you go…

1. Pack a first aid kit. You know, the basics:

Pain reliever/Fever Reducer
Prescription meds that anyone in the family is taking
Bandaids
Thermometer ( I forgot that one this time)
Allergy meds/Epipens
Anti-diarrhea meds and antacids
Antibacterial ointment
cough drops
Cold Medicine ( adult and kids)

2 Know what urgent cares, hospitals or medical clinics are available near where you will be. Know beforehand so that you don’t have to scramble in a panic if something happens. If you are traveling out of the country, to a resort or on a cruise: make sure you know what your health insurance will cover and what the procedures are in place on property for sick guests.

3. Get Travel Insurance. Travel insurance can be invaluable in case of unexpected illness on a trip. Generally, it covers trip interruption ( if you have to turn around and go home due to an illness in the family ), emergency medical ( when you are sick and outside your health insurance network and need care immediately), and emergency Evacuation ( when you are critically ill and local facilities can’t help you). Having Trip insurance is on my MUST HAVE list next time we travel. because paying that $130 fee for the Dr’s visit and meds could have been avoided.

What to do when someone DOES get sick.

1. Let the resort, cruise line or hotel know. Usually, they will know where the closest clinic is, or if there is a Doctor on staff. When Pookah got sick at Beaches Turks and Caicos, Beaches had a Registered Nurse on staff. We called to find out what her hours were, and were seen almost immediately. We made an appointment with the visiting Doctor 30 minutes later who diagnosed Pookah with Strep!! After paying a fee ( $130) we got antibiotics with the assurance that he should start feeling better soon.

2. Take it easy. I think a lot of families make the mistake of trying to keep going. We did! Pookah woke up after a 4-hour nap and said he felt better! We tried to do a few things but he was still sick ( as we found out trying to walk to dinner and he threw up in the roses).

Lay around! Snuggle that kid up in the bed, watch cable tv, play on the iPad and don’t stress that you are missing the fun. Instead, wait for the meds and fluids to kick in and enjoy some downtime while you wait.

After not making it to dinner, Pookah passed out and slept until the next morning. When he woke up, you could SEE that he was better! He ate breakfast and enjoyed the last days our of vacation with no issues at all!