Staying alive: a travellers' guide

Seven hints for healthy travelling:

Drinking alcohol in sub-zero temperatures can cause perforation of the gut, resulting in death. Strong spirits can still be liquid at minus 20 degrees, and will freeze your stomach as you swallow.

A dislodged tooth can sometimes be restored by packing tinfoil around it to hold it in place.

Fillings and teeth have an unhappy propensity to fall out at high altitudes. Oil of cloves is an effective anaesthetic.

If you lack the correct equipment for splinting an injured limb, a skipole or even a rolled-up copy of the Independent will do.

The most effective way to sterilise water is with iodine crystals.

Only 10 per cent of the world's snake species are poisonous, and only one bite in six is venomous. Cutting or sucking the wound does nothing but harm.

To reduce the chance of a fatal accident, avoid the three most dangerous countries for road casualties: Venezuela, New Zealand and Belgium.