The other major influx we see from too much drinking – and sometimes drugs – is falls. Most are accidental, from balconies or to the swimming pool or from cliffs, and these typically involve younger male patients. That’s sad because these lives too often end up being lost, or subjected to terrible complications that affect these young people for the rest of their life.

One month ago we had an 18-year-old English tourist who didn’t calculate the depth of the water in a hotel pool, and that fall, unfortunately, resulted in tetraplegia.

Nearly all of these situations are avoidable by watching what you drink and taking care.

Towel-sharing

Not changing swimming costumes after using a communal pool, or sharing towels, can increase the possibility of a urinary tract infection. An untreated infection may ascend to the kidneys and can occasionally cause lasting kidney damage. In rare cases, particularly in people with weakened immune systems, older adults or those with underlying medical conditions, the infection may progress to sepsis, a potentially life-threatening infection. Early recognition of symptoms, prompt medical evaluation, and good personal hygiene are important for reducing the risk.

To minimise the risk, avoid sharing towels, change out of wet swimsuits or sweaty clothing promptly, wear clean and breathable cotton underwear and avoid overly tight clothing (which creates a moist environment).

Eating unwisely

We see quite a lot of gastroenteritis viruses during the summer, so I tell tourists to always drink bottled water and to avoid food that contains raw eggs, like mayonnaise. (This can be tricky, as it accompanies a lot of Spanish dishes.) Raw seafood, like clams, is another common cause of gastroenteritis – again, tempting given the location, but not worth ending up in hospital for.

Even the most delicious-looking tapas can contain harmful bacteria, viruses or parasites, and it’s not always possible to tell from appearances what food may contain them. When in doubt about a food’s freshness or storage history, it is safest not to eat it.

Bad sun etiquette

We have a lot of English tourists who aren’t cautious when it comes to applying sun cream (the Scandinavians, meanwhile, tend to be very careful about this). One woman had put sun cream on her face only. She then came to us because her body was completely burnt.