Events archive
Overseas 2012 Java. Travel tips
- Ensure SEALED bottled water is used. Sometimes water in a bottle may have been refilled from local contaminated water. Ice cubes should be avoided for this reason.
- Realise you are not in Australia now. Local customs and laws are in force. Find out what they are before you need to know. Why create potential problems when they can usually be avoided with a bit of common sense?
- Try to use the local language. At least for greetings, yes and no. Locals do appreciate the attempt and it can create some funny situations that make you accepted since you bothered to try. Many tourists make the mistake of insisting everyone must know and use English.
- Simple etiquette involves handing objects (including money) to someone with the RIGHT hand. Strange looks result if you do not. Locally, the left hand is used instead of toilet paper if paper is not available.
- Food can be very spicy by itself. Mix in sufficent rice to minimise the effect. Water will not help as it makes curry feel much hotter.
- Professional advice should be sought regarding vaccinations weeks before the flight. Typhoid, typhus, hepatitis A and B are all of concern. Malaria also, depending on what areas of Indonesia are visited. Contact with farm animals should be avoided.
- Take enough of your own medications to last the entire trip. Do not assume there will be any locally; the brand name may well be different anyway.
- Ensure at least one person knows first aid.
- Do not expect first aid supplies to be on hand. Aircraft carry on hand luggage is heavily restricted so any items not expected to be required during the flight should be in checked luggage to avoid custom delays / seizure of items (esp. scissors / tweezers). Seal all supplies in resealable plastic bags in case of ruptures en route. A few items to take include :
- Assorted sizes of adhesive strips including island, knuckle and fingertip styles.
- Sufficient mosquito repellent.
- Resealable plastic bags : 10 x large.
- Tools : trauma shears / large scissors, tweezers, assorted safety pins.
- Gloves : 20 x non latex in separate plastic bag.
- Bandages : 2 x 10mm, 2 x 7.5cm, 1 x 5cm.
- Wound care : 3 x 30ml normal saline (0.9%) and 100 pack of 5cm gauze (not cottonwool).
- Alcohol handwash : 2 x bottles. Do not exceed 100ml in bottle or tube.
- Medications.
- Aspirin : Disprin. Blood thinner for heart attack / stroke; will make bleeding harder to control.
- Diarrhea : Gastrostop. Note that uncontrolled diarrhea can quickly lead to dangerous dehydration.
- Nausea : Maxalone, Mylanta / Rennies. Note that uncontrolled vomiting can quickly lead to dangerous dehydration.
- Pain / fever : Nurofen, Panadol.