20 Health Hazards To Look Out For On Vacation

These tiny little critters aren't bigger than a speck of dust and feed on the blood of animals and humans. When they're not feeding, they typically hide in box springs, mattresses and headboards. Travelers often unknowingly bring bed bugs home with them in their luggage or clothing. And because a female can lay hundreds of eggs at once, bed bugs travel fast and are hard to spot. Ew.

That dreamy rental house may have looked good online, but rental houses can be fraught with safety hazards—rickety balconies and neglected infrastructures—which can lead to falls or worse. So don't be afraid to ask detailed questions and zoom in on those photos before putting down a payment.

Beach and resort vacations can be amazing for family fun, but they can also be ripe for safety and health hazards for little kids who aren't water safe. Parents need to know that hotels and resorts won't always have pool fences, and beaches won't be secured from wandering toddlers. So keep your eyes on your little ones all the time when there's water around and no fence.

A lovely nature hike or river rafting trip could be the trip of a lifetime, but watch out for stagnant water. Still water can be a breeding ground for malaria, dengue fever and other water-borne illnesses, so be careful what you drink. It it's not moving, don't drink it.

It's wonderful to try new foods when traveling the world, but the entire world doesn't have the same preparation standards as you're used to back home. So while you're being an adventurous eater, make sure you're also being a smart one or face some serious stomach issues or worse.

What are noroviruses? They are highly contagious viruses that travel quickly through food and drink, making cruise ships ripe for their picking. Those infected face severe diarrhea, vomiting and cramping.

Lyme disease is transmitted to humans through deer ticks, which live in moist, wooded areas one might hike in while on vacation. Ticks travel upwards, so hike with closed toe shoes and check the back of your knees, under the arms and on the neck to make sure you haven't taken a tick with you after that long vacation hike.

Whether it's a trip to the Grand Canyon or a trip to a tropical foreign country, vacations can make one ripe for a snake or spider bite. Some of those bites can be nothing but itchy, while others can be fatal. One more reason to be scared of spiders or snakes.

When traveling, especially to remote locations, travelers might not find doctors and emergency services as available as at home. This can also mean medicine can be harder to come by and that insurance may or may not be valid while traveling. So explore your benefits ahead of time and make sure you know how to find a doctor or pharmacy wherever you may travel this summer.

In the U.S. alone, about 10 people die per day from drowning. Drowning can happen in as little as a few inches or water, and even experienced swimmers can be vulnerable in adverse conditions. So whether or not you're a skilled swimmer, be cautious on that scuba diving holiday or boat trip on vacation. Water can be deadly even for the best of swimmers.

Biking across the Pyrenees sounds fun, right? Skiing the Alps is not to be missed, of course. But any extreme sports vacation can lead to injury. So be careful, but have fun. And for goodness sake, know your limits.

Dry or secondary drowning occurs when water is inhaled through the mouth or nose, triggering a spasm in the lungs. It can occur up to 24 hours after swimming, so if, after an unexpected spill into the pool or lake, you or your child seems lethargic, has a fever or can't shake a nagging cough, head to the doctor. Better to be safe than sorry, even if that doctor's visit is a vacation buzzkill. Learn the facts about dry drowning.

Hypothermia can be a deadly condition and occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can produce heat, causing the body's temperature to drop dangerously low. Exposure to extreme cold can cause hypothermia. So can immersion in cold water. Untreated, the body's organs and nervous system can't function properly.

Sunny summer vacations can lead to epic adventures and amazing family memories, provided the sun doesn't get to you first. Sunburns are not only uncomfortable, they're also dangerous. Extreme sunburns can send you to the hospital. And sun damage, over time, can lead to skin cancer. So don't forget your sunscreen when you're packing for your dream hot weather trip. And your favorite sun hat, too.

Travelers quickly find that not all water is created equal. That's because different countries treat their water differently, making traveler's stomachs susceptible to getting sick from different water types. So if you don't want to spend your vacation cramping and hugging the toilet, drink bottled water and save yourself the trouble.

For those susceptible to blood clots, long airplane trips are a serious matter. Compression hose worn under pants can help keep blood flowing, as can frequent movement. So if you want to avoid blood clots on that long flight abroad, take a walk up and down the aisles every so often to keep the blood moving.

A major cause of alcohol poisoning is binge drinking, so keep your vacation boozing from getting out of hand. Binge drinking can become fatal. The best advice is to go slow and stay out of the heat. A party gets a whole lot less fun if the paramedics have to come.

At home, you probably have your allergies under control with medication and restricted exposure to allergy triggers. But when traveling, it's not as easy to control one's environment. So if you've got fatal allergies, make sure you've got your Epi-Pen on hand all the time. And if you've got serious food allergies, ask what's in your food and don't eat it if you don't know if it's safe.

Malaria can cause chills and fever-like symptoms. Left untreated, malaria can be fatal. Mosquitoes transmit the parasite that causes malaria so beware of getting bit!

Another ailment transmitted by mosquitoes is yellow fever, a virus found in tropical areas of South America and Africa. Untreated, yellow fever can cause severe liver disease with bleeding. Ask your doctor about it before traveling, learn the signs and use the best measures for preventing bites in the first place.