India: The Spiritual Cradle of The Globe Travel Safely Via Immunization

Where in the world to travel to? This question can be answered in a myriad of ways. Obviously, there are many factors contributing to your answer. The first will probably be budget. Not all of us are Trumps who can jet set off to any destination we want to at a moment’s notice. The next will probably be climate because some of us enjoy it warm and beach-like and others enjoy it less humid and more ski-friendly. This has to be hashed out with your travel partner. (Editor’s Note: If it’s your wife you are traveling with give up and go where she wants to.) Next will be relative safety. Safety, you ask? Where are we going, to a long lost island teeming with headhunters? No, but there are risks to any trip. In fact, in order to visit some of the most beautiful and exotic parts of the world, at least one vaccination will probably be necessary. Take India for instance. Travel to India is definitely not for individuals who enjoy the private resort experience, that’s for sure. But not everyone wants their vacation to be so prepackaged. Some of us want a little adventure. India is a wonderfully diverse, huge country filled with everything from white sand beaches to lush tropical rainforests and everything in between. If spirituality is your thing, why not visit some of the oldest and most architecturally beautiful holy sites in the world? Experiencing such an other-worldly location is worth a vaccination or two, isn’t it? After all, you could slip in the bathtub and wind up in the hospital. Nothing worth doing comes without risk… not even a shower. Spiritual Destinations in India First off, why not begin all the way at the beginning… at the beginning of creation, at the beginning of the Ganges river? According to the Hindu faith, the start of the River Ganges is the most holy place on Earth. Starting as a tiny stream in the Himalayan mountains near Uttar Pradesh, the Ganges flows over two hundred kilometers across the continent (that’s one hundred and twenty four miles to we non-metric Americans) and is regarded as the spiritual mother of the nation, capable of washing away a lifetime worth of sins in its purifying flow. Unfortunately for many pilgrims, the Ganges isn’t the cleanest of rivers. It may be pure in spirit, but in water-borne illnesses—not so much. Protect against these, yellow fever and measles via vaccination. India is an awesome place to experience—but a real bummer to fall sick in. Another great spiritual destination to travel to in India is the Golden Temple. Not to be confused with the temple of the same name in the 1986 Eddie Murphy movie The Golden Child, but equally as intriguing, this temple is located on the India/Pakistan border near the city of Amritsar and is the holiest site in Sikhism. Gold in color and shining in the midday sun, pilgrims descend clockwise around its marble threshold and receive a delicious free meal of genuine Indian cuisine when they reach the kitchen on the Eastern side of the temple. Although the food at the temple is of the highest quality and can be consumed safely, food in other parts of India should be approached with caution. Visit a certified travel clinic four to six weeks before your travel begins in order to receive the proper vaccination to keep you healthy during your visit.