• Find the name of the best regional medical facilities before you head to a remote destination. Check the U.S. State Department website (//travel.state.gov) for embassy contact information in the country you're visiting; most U.S. embassies have a medical officer. (You may want to consider registering with the embassy before you visit; the website offers instructions.)

• Check out safety conditions in your destination at the State Department site, www.smartraveller.gov.au (the Australian government), www.voyage.gc.ca (the Canadian government), and/or www.fco.gov.uk (the British government).

• In developing nations, avoid foods that aren't cooked or that you can't peel. A single sliver of lettuce dropped me for 48 hours in Mongolia.

• Be sure you're up-to-date on inoculations recommended for your destination. The Centers for Disease Control's website, www.cdc.gov, can help you figure out what you need, but an experienced travel doctor is better. Terry says he often sees patients who have misread the CDC recommendations or are relying on advice from neighbors.

You can find travel specialists through the International Society of Travel Medicine's website, www.istm.org. South Florida has more than a dozen members from Homestead to Boca Raton.

• Carry first aid supplies -- and not just Band-Aids. (The Husband once got an infected leg on a remote island; we had to fly nine hours to get antibiotics.) Ask travel medical experts what you need. For example, the Masta Clinic in London (www.masta-travel-health.com), which advises many Third World travelers, suggests taking clean syringes to Cameroon, where sterile supplies can be in short supply.

• If you get sick and need a doctor, ask your hotel desk for help. You'll probably pay less and get quicker service during daylight hours -- and visiting an unfamiliar hospital after dark is downright scary.

If you're traveling alone, ask a fellow English-speaking traveler to be present. When I got sick in Vietnam, an Australian couple I'd met on a day tour offered to stick with me while the doctor visited. That alone made me feel better.

• Acclimate before attempting high-altitude adventures -- especially if you're a flatlander South Floridian. A few years ago we flew from Miami to Bangkok -- also at sea level -- then immediately to 6,000 feet for a multi-day hike in the Himalayas. We were so wiped out we didn't enjoy the trip.

• Hydrate or die. That Scouting motto isn't a joke. I nearly collapsed from dehydration in Nepal because I didn't want to have to pee in the woods. Now I know that any bush will do. (And beware: You can get overheated in a city; it's happened to me twice in Beijing.)

• If you feel uncomfortable about a physical adventure, bow out. After being tossed out of my raft twice in Class 5 rapids on the Zambezi River, I insisted on riding in the safety dory. Turns out my position on the raft was known as the ``ejector seat.''

At an earlier age I would have been too embarrassed to quit; now I realize that saving face isn't worth drowning.

• Get your will, medical powers of attorney and other paperwork in order, and have them readily available for faxing should you need them.

It sounds grim, and like most people, we put it off. We finally signed them the day we left for Cameroon, which seemed remote enough to warrant extreme precautions -- and was. When this recent crisis erupted, we were glad we'd taken care of the legal matters without the added stress of a medical emergency.

In our case, all's well that ends well. The Husband is home, and we're planning our Next Big Adventure.

Borneo is still on the list. Or maybe we'll opt for Ethiopia, San Francisco, Europe or some place close to home. This year, there are plenty of bargains.

For us, travel -- and life -- are still a trip.

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