Making sure you're up to date with all your immunizations is perhaps the most important 'insurance' you can take out. I know I'd rather stay healthy and well over the course of my travels, even if it meant not making a claim on my travel insurance!!

I've always found it astonishing how many people set off on a trip around the world without even the most basic medical or first aid kit. Click here for a list of the medical and first aid supplies I carry in my backpack. And remember there's an important difference betwen an oral thermometer and a rectal thermometer- the taste!