The Year Off Risks of Illness and Injury (and how to avoid them)

“There are many talented people who haven’t fulfilled their dreams because they over thought it, or they were too cautious, and were unwilling to make the leap of faith.” James Cameron

A Year Off is ultimately a leap of faith.

There are many unknowns and quite a few things that can go wrong before, during, and after your Year Off. You take a leap of faith, a leap into the unknown. But there’s no need to leap headlong without being prepared for it. It’s important to know what could possibly go wrong and ways to minimize your risk.

You can never calculate the exact probability of something bad happening. What you can do though is group risks into the two broad categories: things that probably will happen and things that probably will not happen. Also look at the potential long term negative effects if something does go wrong.

It’s important to go through each potential risk and determine whether it probably will or will not happen and to look at the potential consequences. Once you determine what the risks and consequences are, focus on minimizing the risk of things that probably will happen.

Let’s take a look at two of the biggest risks associated with a Year Off, illness and injury.

Illness

Traveling abroad, especially to underdeveloped countries, increases your risk of contracting some kind of illness. Malaria, traveler’s diarrhea, common cold, flu, dysentery, and dehydration are some of the most common illnesses associated with travel.

I would classify an illness as something that probably will happen. If you’re away long enough and come in contact with enough people and foreign foods, it’s likely you’ll get sick at least once. However, I think the potential long-term severe negative consequences that can result because of an illness are all things that probably will not happen.

So what are the potential long-term negative consequences that can result because of an illness? Debilitating long-term disease and financial insecurity because of high hospital and medical bills. Once again, I think these are things that probably will not happen. But I think it’s important to do everything you can to minimize the risk and protect yourself from these severe negative consequences.

How do you protect yourself?

1. VACCINATION – see a travel vaccine specialist and get up to date on all your vaccines and all vaccines required for traveling to a certain destination.
2. TRAVEL INSURANCE – buy the best travel insurance available to protect yourself from high medical bills. Good travel insurance will help quickly get you back home to good healthcare should the need arise.
3. PRACTICE GOOD HYGIENE – use hand sanitizer and keep yourself clean as best you can.
4. WATCH WHAT YOU EAT – make sure it’s well-cooked and prepared in a sanitary manner (as best you can).
5. BRING ANY MEDICATION YOU MAY NEED TO TREAT THE COMMON ILLNESSES – antibiotics and anti-diarrheals for traveler’s diarrhea, nausea medication, antibiotic ointment and a first aid kit, antimalarials if you’re traveling to an area with malaria.

I ended up getting sick just once during my Year Off. I had some stomach/diarrhea issues while in Africa but I easily treated it with antibiotics. None of the worst case scenarios that had played out in my mind before my Year Off came true. If they had come true, I had taken the necessary precautions to protect myself from the severe long-term negative consequences.

Injury

Your risk of bodily injury may increase during a Year Off. Outdoor adventure activities like skiing or mountain climbing can increase your risk of injury. If you are not doing these things, then I think your risk of injury is the same as your risk of injury while at home.

It’s hard to tell what your risk of injury is while traveling. This can vary widely from person to person and place to place. Take a look yourself and try to determine how often you get injured. If you are more accident prone, you are more likely to have an accident while traveling. But once again, I think the potential long-term negative consequences of an injury are things that probably will not happen. Just like illness, long-term debilitating bodily injury and financial insecurity are the main consequences to protect yourself against.

How do you protect yourself?

1. AVOID COMBINING RISKY ACTIVITIES WITH ALCOHOL AND DRUGS – you are much more likely to get hurt if drugs and alcohol are involved with high risk activities.
2. BE EXTRA CAREFUL – get out of your comfort zone and experience as much as you can, but don’t take unnecessary risks and be mindful of your surroundings.
3. TRAVEL INSURANCE – essential to protect yourself from the high costs associated with a severe injury. Make sure it covers all the adventure activities you want to do. World Nomads is my go-to travel insurance.
4. AVOID RISKY AREAS – avoid unstable regions of the world and research your destination beforehand so you know what neighborhoods and areas to avoid. Females and members of the LGBTQ community unfortunately have extra risks in certain areas of the world. Make sure to research your destination ahead of time to avoid any potential problems.

You’re going to hear many reasons why you shouldn’t take a Year Off. Think about the risks. Determine whether you think they will happen or not. Then take the precautions to prevent them or prevent the long-term negative consequences.

It’s also important to not over think things, like James Cameron says in the quote at the top of the page. When your imagination gets going, it can come up with some crazy things. Don’t let these crazy thoughts overwhelm you and keep you from fulfilling your dream of a Year Off.