The first two weeks of study abroad were great, but week three hit everyone hard. It seemed like half our group got sick, including myself. Week four, everyone who wasn’t sick week three got sick from their friends/roommates who were sick the week before. It was awful being sick and having to miss out on some of the beauty of Italy so here’s a little of what I went through and some tips for being sick while traveling abroad.

My throat started hurting the weekend going into week three of our trip. We had just gotten to Sorrento for a long weekend trip. When I woke up on Sunday I felt terrible. My throat hurt, my sinuses were all stuffed up, and my whole body was achy.

We were scheduled to tour the island of Capri so I went, but ended up leaving early. After a 30-minute ferry over to Capri and a 3-hour boat ride around the island in the sun with no shade, I knew staying on the island any longer wouldn’t do me any favors.

On the way back to the hotel, I stopped by a pharmacy and asked for medicine for my throat pain. At first the pharmacist showed me to the nasal congestion medicine so I had to emphasize that I was looking for throat medicine and then she pointed me in the right direction. One of the strangest things about the medicine I got is that it only lasted for up to four hours. It seems like medicine in the U.S. is constantly competing for which brand will outlast the others for no less than 12 hours at a time.

On Monday I was feeling much better, just super stuffy and congested. While I was feeling better, I wouldn’t say I was well enough to hike a mountain, yet that’s exactly what I did. I hiked an hour up and down Mt. Vesuvius. While the hike would have been difficult regardless, being sick definitely did not help, but I did it nonetheless!

Throughout the rest of the week three I was really stuffy, but felt fine otherwise. That is, until Friday, the day we were leaving for Cinque Terre. I woke up feeling awful again with terrible pain in my throat and ear. I knew I couldn’t make it through a weekend away like that so I went to an English-speaking walk-in clinic that was within walking distance. The hours for the clinic were 12-2 and 3-5, which wasn’t exactly the most accommodating.

I waited about an hour before being called back. The doctor checked me out and diagnosed me with the beginning of an ear infection. She prescribed me an antibiotic and nasal spray, both of which were American brands. Even just one day after taking the antibiotics, I was already feeling much better. By Sunday, my throat and ear didn’t hurt at all and I was much less stuffy. I still took it easy for a few days even though I was feeling better and I think that contributed greatly to my feeling good the rest of the trip.

Both of my roommates got sick our last week. I was grateful I didn’t have to miss out on too much, but I would have loved to explore Capri more. Below are some of my top tips for when you’re sick while abroad.

Sleep!

Whether home or abroad, I always say the key to getting better is to sleep as much as possible. Sleep any chance you get when you’re sick. I left Capri early because I knew my body needed the rest and I just went back to the hotel room to sleep. Was it what I wanted to do? No, but I knew it was what I needed to do to get better as quickly as possible. If I kept pushing myself, I would’ve gotten worse and missed out on even more Italian experiences.

Drink water

This is easier said than done when you’re abroad and free water is nonexistent. In Italy, it’s common to see massive water bottles at convenience stores so I highly recommend buying one of those and challenging yourself to finish the whole thing. It’s easy to get dehydrated while you’re traveling and it can burn you out real quick. Drinking lots of water even when you’re not feeling sick can help prevent any illness.

Eat healthy

While free water may be illusive in Italy, fortunately fresh fruit is abundant. So many
markets along the streets sell big cups of fresh fruit and restaurants almost always offer fresh fruit on the dessert menu. While I was sick I took advantage of all this and got fruit every chance I got. All the vitamins will have you feeling better in no time.

Find an English-speaking doctor

The program we were with in Italy gave us contact information for a few English-speaking doctors and walk-in clinics in Florence. I was very grateful for this resource when I woke up almost too sick to move. It was nice to not have to scramble to find a doctor before we left for Cinque Terre. For reference, I went to Medical Service Florence at Via Roma, 4, 50123 Firenze, Italy – just beware of the intermittent hours they’re open.

Finish your antibiotics

The doctors always say it, but I’m reinforcing it – finish your antibiotics! It doesn’t matter if you feel better after one day. If you stop taking your antibiotics the second you feel better, you’re more than likely going to get sick again soon. It’s a pain to take pills when you don’t think you need to, but it’s worth it to not get sick again.