Travelling to a Warzone? 6 things to make sure you have before you travel - High Risk Voyager

Travelling to a Warzone is always going to bring with it risks to your personal health & safety and can certainly be a step in to the unknown, not always knowing if your place of residence will be consistent or well equipped.

Depending on the context of where and why you are going, things like bulletproof vests and helmets may jump to mind, as well as anything specific to the job that you're doing out there - for example camera or audio recording equipment. Most importantly you should do a risk assessment before you travel as it may be too late when you are there.

Nonetheless, there are certain essentials that it may be easy to overlook when packing for a warzone that are cheap and easy to get hold of before you leave, and could make a huge impact on your time out there. High Risk Voyager Travel Insurance has compiled a list of 6 essentials to help you prepare!

Eye Drops

Eye drops could be extremely useful when travelling to a warzone. Many warzones across the world are in dusty and desert landscapes, and you're guaranteed to get dust and dirt in your eyes which could be extremely uncomfortable and unsanitary. They could also provide relief if you were to come into contact with tear gas, allowing you to clear your eyes without touching them with your hands.

Wetwipes

Wet Wipes are a must have to keep yourself clean and sanitary, helping to avoid you getting sick. Be it for day to day hygiene, sanitising equipment, or cleaning minor wounds, wet wipes can be your best friend, as ingesting germs could cause you to become very unwell, and you may not have access to high quality health care or medicines when in the warzone.

Swiss Army Knife

As we all know, swiss army knives are diverse, useful and small! This could help you in innumerable circumstances, least of all opening tinned food reserves without hitch. Also they're so small that it can be with you at all times and completely undetectable to passer-by's, thus not making you look more like a threat. Remember not to carry it in your hand luggage when travelling or it'll be confiscated by the airline!

Layers

In terms of clothing the key is layers! Even hot desert areas can get very cold at night, and multiple thin layers ensure that you can wear the appropriate amount regardless of the time of day or if your accommodation is warm or cold or not equipped with many suitable blankets etc.

Water Purifying Tablets / Bottle

This could literally save your life. We all know we need water to survive, but in many countries across the globe, let alone warzones, there isn't access to clean running water. Water purifying tablets or properly filtering water bottles/ straws can mean that regardless of the water source, you are eradicating potentially dangerous bacteria. This will go far in keeping you from becoming dangerously unwell or dehydrated regardless of what water you have access to.