13 of the Best Holiday Helpers

Must-haves, for travelling healthily (and gorgeously). Just click on any of the product names to find on-line. • Lanolips Antibacterial Hand Cream/£8.99 for 50 ml/www.victoriahealth.com. Intense moisturisation plus strong antibacterial ingredients to kill 99.9 per cent of germs, including staphylococcus aureus and e coli, instantly.

• Food Science of Vermont Mega Probiotic-ND, £18.50 for 60 capsules/www.victoriahealth.com. Start taking one week before travelling then daily to prevent holiday stomach upsets, ease digestion and help support your immune system.

• Lepicol, £12.77 for 180 g powder/www.victoriahealth.com. This natural product (psyllium husks plus pre- and probiotics) is a must for anyone prone to holiday constipation, according to nutritionist Gillian Hamer.

• PapayaGold Pawpaw Moisturising Balm, £5.99 for 25 g, nationwide. A legendary standby in its native Australia, this soothing balm combines the medicinal properties of papaya and manuka honey. ‘Indispensable for any and every skin irritation, cuts and bruises, and for dry lips; a tennis-ball-sized burn from a metal slide healed very quickly,’ says our mother-of-two tester.

• De Mamiel Altitude Oil, £25 for 10ml/www.victoriahealth.com. A fragrant blend of antibacterial, antiviral and antiseptic oils designed to support your immune system on planes (or in any air-conditioned environment); also fab to clear your nose.

• Weleda Cold Relief Oromucosal Spray, £9.95/www.weleda.co.uk. A professional singer struck by a lurgy reported this was brilliant for her sore throat. It may also help sneezing, catarrh and achy feelings in neck and limbs.

• Lifesystems Tick Remover Card, £3.99/www.victoriahealth.com. Never try to remove ticks with bare hands. This credit-card-sized tick remover has a magnifying lens and two different sized removal tools.

• Physicool Rapid Cooling Mist, £9.99 for 125 ml/www.victoriahealth.com. Our perimenopausal tester says this ‘brilliant product’, which you spray on your bare neck and chest when a hot flush starts, reduces skin temperature instantly.

• Bloccs Waterproof Protector for Casts and Dressings, from £17, Boots. Natural rubber sleeves that are easily stretched over a cast or bandage to make a watertight seal so you can still swim, shower or bathe. In children and adult sizes for arms and legs.

• BetterYou Magnesium Oil Original Spray, £12.30 for 100 ml/www.victoriahealth.com. For ricked shoulders, sore backs, restless leg syndrome, insomnia – you name it, this helps all ages. Magnesium is absorbed five times more effectively through the skin than orally. Spray directly to the site as often as needed.

• 4head Stick, £4.95, Boots. A wind-up stick containing a powerful natural painkiller (levomenthol) that helps block pain signals and relax muscles in the head. Just wipe the colourless, non-greasy product across your forehead and/or temples whenever required. For children, too.

• Alfresco Acqua D’Alfresco Anti-Bug Bite Spray/£25 for 50 ml/www.victoriahealth.com. An all-natural blend of 22 essential oils that help repel insects but not humans. Recommended for those with sensitive skin, including babies, as it is free of deet – a potentially irritating chemical. The range also includes the Anti-Bug Bite Shampoo & Conditioner Travel Set, each £15 for 100ml.

• Bach Rescue Remedy Spray/£10.70 for 20 ml, Boots. Great for children and pets, or anyone who needs reassurance. I spray it in my horse’s mouth if he is stressed by, say, strange tractors in the yard or animals being moved.

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK: www.projectwildthing.com

Technology is changing the nature of childhood but savvy marketing can sell nature to computer-crazy children, according to David Bond, father, filmmaker and the founder of Project Wild Thing. Watch the documentary film on vimeo.com, download a free Wild Time gift voucher, which means you pledge time playing outside with your children, and, if you are stuck for things to do, download the free Wild Time app, which has activity ideas depending on how much time you have, from ten minutes to half a day.

BOOK OF THE WEEK

Outdoor First Aid by Katherine Wills, (£15.99, Pesda Press)

In an urban environment medical help is never far away. But if something happens in a more remote setting help may take time. Passionate mountaineer and experienced first aider Katherine Wills has tended over 350 rescue incidents as a member of the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team. This comprehensive manual came to fruition after she went looking for such a volume but found none. Essential for outdoor enthusiasts.