If you are planning a trip abroad, whether it is to some far flung exotic location or to a holiday resort in a European country it is quite possible that at some time during your trip you may require some sort of medicine to treat a common ailment associated with travel e.g. forty per cent of all international travellers from the UK suffer from travellers diarrhoea whilst abroad.

However, if you are planning an expedition or trip to a more remote location to take part in some adventurous activity, such as going on safari, trekking to high altitude, cycling across a country or even scuba diving on a remote coral reef, you will probably find yourself travelling through a developing country such as those in Africa, Asia or South America where serious diseases such as malaria and yellow fever are endemic, standards of public hygiene are basic and access to medical treatment is limited.

The numbers of people travelling abroad each year is vast. About 50 million visits per year are undertaken by UK residents. World tourist organisations predict an increase in long haul destinations between year on year.. International arrivals number over 600 million per year world-wide.

These huge numbers mean that there are many people who are exposing themselves to diseases and other potential health risks in their destination countries that they would not normally encounter. Also, the large movement of people around the world could serve to spread some of these diseases.

With a growing interest in outdoor pursuits, adventure travel is becoming increasingly popular. Whether it is a small group of friends who share a particular hobby or interest such as backpacking, mountaineering, trekking, cycling, scuba diving, etc. or a family group seeking adventure in an exotic location or even an expedition to a remote mountain range; they all face the same dilemma:-

When planning my holiday/trip/expedition, "what medicines should I take in case of illness"?