Travel is a popular hobby in recent years, with many of us choosing to visit far flung destinations in a bid to get a flavour of different cultures.

In the rush to get ready for a holiday which usually involves buying a new bikini for every day, sandals to match and a new dress or two, we often neglect the more important aspects of preparing to travel.

A new campaign has been launched by Lonely Planet travel writer and broadcaster Fionn Davenport to highlight the importance of safe travelling.

Considering 13% of Irish people know someone who has contracted a disease while overseas, it’s obvious we need to further educate ourselves on the necessity of vaccinations.

Fionn stresses the need to read up on the country you are travelling to. Diseases can be easily contracted through contaminated food and water so, make sure you are looking after your personal hygiene and sanitation needs.

It's Monday and we really wish we were lying on a beach...

He strongly advises visiting your GP before travelling so they can direct you on the best way to prepare for your holiday depending on the country you are visiting. They can also provide you with any injections you might need prior to flying away on your break.

Through research, findings for the travel campaign found that women are more likely to worry about contracting a disease. In turn they are more likely to consider sorting our travel insurance and vaccinations before flying.

So there you go ladies, further proof that we’re ahead of the game yet again. In all seriousness though, if you are travelling to an overseas countries be sure to do your homework before getting on that plane.

Then you can lie back and enjoy those cocktails without worry, now doesn’t that sound good…

For further information, have a look at www.healthytravel.ie