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Planning A Trip Outside Canada? A Travel Tip You Simply Can’t Afford To Ignore

Your holidays are booked, your bags are packed and you think you have everything you need–money, passport, tickets, and clothing for every occasion. What more could you possibly require?

For almost 41% of Canadians who do not always travel with it, the answer is emergency medical travel insurance. Whether simply forgotten or deemed unnecessary, the fact is that travel health insurance should be a must-have before you leave the country.

When you are away from home even the most minor injuries or illnesses can become a major expense. So while an accident or illness can happen anywhere at anytime, emergency medical travel insurance helps to protect you from the unexpected costs that can come with a visit to a doctor or hospital outside of your home country.

Consider for example the following estimates: A stay in a US hospital typically costs about $2,500 Canadian per day. Even more shocking is that if your condition is serious and you require intensive care, it is not uncommon that you would end up paying about $10,000 per day.

If you’re not worried about the costs, because you believe your province’s health insurance plan will cover it, make sure you look into your province’s coverage first. You may be surprised to learn that if your province’s health coverage does extend outside of Canada it will likely be limited.

For example, if you are an Ontario resident travelling outside of Canada you will be covered for emergency care from a physician but only for as much as that service would have cost in Ontario. And, if you need to stay in a hospital to receive emergency services you are covered up to $400 per day for intensive, complex care. If it is less intensive, the maximum is $200.

Why risk it, when emergency medical travel insurance is so inexpensive?
There’s a good chance you’ve spent hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on your trip. For a few extra dollars, you can protect yourself by ensuring you get the attention you need, when you need it while not having to worry about how your emergency treatment will get paid.

The following travel health insurance quotes can be found easily online and show how little emergency medical travel insurance actually costs:

o For travellers aged 16 to 40 years, emergency medical travel insurance is available for as little as $15 for a 2 week trip–or for as little as $26 for an annual travel health insurance policy that covers you for every 2 week trip you take in a year.

o For travellers aged 41 to 55 years, emergency medical travel insurance is available for as little as $15 for a 2 week trip–or for as little as $27 for an annual travel health insurance policy that covers you for every 2 week trip you take in a year.

o For travellers aged 56 to 59 years, emergency medical travel insurance is available for as little as $21 for a 2 week trip–or for as little as $28 for an annual travel health insurance policy that covers you for every 2 week trip you take in a year.

Quotes are for single and annual trip emergency medical insurance for a resident of Ontario travelling overseas or to the US.

Without emergency medical travel insurance, an illness or injury could not only ruin your vacation but would likely have financial consequences for years to come. Why risk it when emergency travel health insurance costs so little and can save you so much? Not to mention the peace of mind it will give you knowing you’re covered.

Don’t leave home without travel health insurance. Compare emergency medical travel insurance quotes online today and get the coverage you need for your travels. It is a travel tip that could save you thousands of dollars.

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Foods to Avoid With IBS

IBS is a digestive condition that affects many people’s lives, but with the right diet it can be helped. People just need to educate themselves about the foods to avoid with IBS. This article is expert qualified nutritionist advice about the types of foods to avoid with IBS.

Expert Advice on Foods to Avoid With IBS

People who suffer from IBS may find it debilitating and affect their daily lifestyle. If you have IBS the single best thing you can do is learn about foods to avoid with IBS.

Chronic IBS suffers sometimes need to live different lifestyles and can’t do a number of activities that others take for granted. Most so it can make people with chronic IBS to avoid certain social environments and activities through fear of having a bad reaction and not being able to keep their issue a personal secret. This can unfortunately cause them to feel socially outcast and shy away from certain social environments and certain hobbies or things like that.

The following information is for people who suffer from IBS or IBS pain and want to manage their condition through educating themselves about foods to avoid with IBS and making healthy food choices which will help manage and control IBS and allow them to live normal, stress and fear free lives where they do not need to feel left out and not let the condition rule their life.

Education is the key to finding an IBS solution
Educating yourself about the right foods and the wrong foods is the key to managing your IBS symptoms and IBS pain. The problem with IBS is that it won’t just go away if you ignore the problem. So you have to face the issue, educate yourself and treat yourself in the correct way. This is the only true way to ensure that you can enjoy your life and live without the shackles of IBS.

Stress and IBS
IBS can be triggered by foods but unfortunately it can also be triggered by stress and emotions.
This is why educating yourself about the foods that will and will not cause you issues is the key to managing IBS pain. If you are confident about your food choices, then you will not be stress and as a result you will avoid the two most common causes.

Foods to Avoid With IBS

Alcohol
Alcohol in general can cause digestive issues for some, but when combined with carbonation/ bubbles (such as beer and champagne) it can double or triple the effect.

It is worth trialing a few different types of alcohol and seeing what effect it has on you. Some people may find some types of alcoholic drinks perfectly fine, while others cause a lot of issues. It is best to try to stick to ‘cleaner’ alcoholic options that are low in added sugars and are free from gluten, preservatives, sulfates and other common processing inclusions. Spirits without carbonated mixes are usually a pretty good option – but once again it is a bit of trial and error until you find something that suits you.

Gluten
Gluten is a major allergen and many people’s digestive systems cannot handle this ingredient. Unfortunately our bodies were not designed to digest gluten as throughout our human evolutionary period gluten was nonexistent.

It is not until recent years that gluten was brought into the human diet and due to its ease of storage, low-cost, high production ease and ease for transport it because a major staple in the human diet. Foods like breads, pasta, cake, pastries and so on all contain gluten. Gluten is the major protein that comes from grains such as barely, wheat and rye. Even people without IBS can have major issues with gluten in the diet and cause things such as eczema and chronic sinus. So look to cut this out of the diet and you’ll immediately feel much better. Also ensure to read food labels and look out for the code names of gluten such as ‘modified food starch’. Gluten is used in a lot of processed foods so be sure to check label and shop at places that are known for holding a wide range of gluten-free foods – like local health food shops or online.
Rice and corn flour is a great alternative to wheat flour and other high gluten grains.

Soy
Soy is one of the top 8 irritants for digestive health. Soy based products and processed food containing soy should be avoided.

Sugar alternatives/ sweeteners
Sugar free alternatives when broken down in your digestive system cause gas, wind and bloating in most people even if they don’t have IBS. So it is obvious that these ingredient and foods should be avoided for people who suffer from IBS. Avoid at all cost. Natural alternatives like stevia pure leaf extract might be a good alternative for some who need to have a sweetener, but still use in moderation.

Sugar
Foods to high in sugar (particularly highly processed white table sugar) can cause issues as well. Avoid processed highly refined sugar foods like pastries, white breads, sugars and so on.

Fats
Foods that is overly high in fat cause havoc with your digestive system. This is not to say that all fats are bad and fats should be avoided at all costs. Healthy fats such as Omega 3 are vital to good health and a healthy digestive system. Including oily fish such as salmon is one of the best ways to do this. Other alternatives are including healthy grains like flax seeds (or also called linseeds) and chia seeds (very high in protein also). These high omega 3 grains do not give that fishy smell or reflux that some people can get from fish oil capsules.

For more information and a more complete list click on the following link for foods to avoid with IBS

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Off-Road Adventures

The Dakar Rally completed its sixth event in South America last January, incorporating a route that wound its way through some of the most dramatic landscapes of South America from the Atacama Desert in Chile, to the vast salt flats of Uyuni in Bolivia and the spectacular canyons and cacti fields of the Puna of north-west Argentina. You can have great fun designing your own rugged adventure (perhaps with touches of luxury!) by 4WD vehicle through these breath-taking remote landscapes on a bespoke holiday in South America into the vivid desert regions of the Andes.

Perhaps the most awe-inspiring part of the Dakar route is the vast Salar de Uyuni in southern Bolivia. There are no roads here, only simple tracks and mile upon mile of dazzling salt flats whose crust forms a white sea to the horizon, where it meets high volcanic peaks, and whose surface is broken only by the occasional island of giant cacti jutting out onto the skyline. The pure white of the salt and the dazzling blue of clear desert skies form a stunning contrast as you journey across its surface by jeep, stopping in its centre as dusk falls to admire a beautiful sunset. Have dinner sitting out in the middle of this incredible landscape and sleep in your deluxe campervan, luxuriously fitted out to provide unbelievably comfortable mobile accommodation, taking you wherever in this magical region that you wish to go as you encounter unique rock formations and thermal geysers, before descending to the luxurious lodges of the Atacama Desert in Chile. Even here, luxury combines beautifully with rugged adventures by jeep as you explore the vivid canyons, valleys, and salt lakes where James flamingos graze in the Atacama.

At the convergence of this beautiful high altitude region of South America, the borders of Bolivia and Chile also meet with north-west Argentina as you cross dramatic high road passes to descend into equally breath-taking desert landscapes of the Puna which lead further down to lush valleys of high altitude wineries, quaint little traditional adobe villages, and stunning canyons, gorges, and wild plains. Design your very own bespoke journey in the Puna by 4×4 with your own driver and guide as you discover the Puna and its startling landscapes and panoramas for yourself. Combine your stay in local lodges and villages with a chance to unwind in luxury at a winery where you can pamper yourself with spa treatments and gourmet cuisine and wash the dust off from your off-road adventure.

And for a complete contrast to the multi-coloured terracotta hues of the northern deserts, continue the rugged adventure off-road by heading south to the glittering ice-blue lakes and glaciers of Patagonia around Torres del Paine and El Calafate, set amongst wild steppe where you can look out for condors, eagles, guanaco, armadillos, and even rarely sighted wild cats, such as puma, or huemul (Andean deer). Spot when you wish, have your own driver and guide or not as you wish, set the itinerary at your own pace, stopping for picnics in beautiful secluded spots and relaxing in the evenings at specially selected luxurious wilderness lodges. However you choose to explore the remoter reaches of South America, ensure you get there in safety, comfort, and style.