As someone whose health has been consistently and fondly described as tragic for the past who-knows-how-long, vacations are usually just an excuse for me to go and test out the health care system of various countries. Singapore: yay, Cambodia: nay, Britain: not sure, but I'll bet you $100 (stupid computer not having a pound symbol) that I'll be able to tell you within a month or two.
It was at a fairly young age that I perfected the quavering smile and self effacing chuckle all sickly youths use to earn the title of 'Brave Little Tyke', but in reality I'm still a total sook when it comes to illness. At the merest hint of a sniffle I will immediately move to take refuge in the relative safety of my mother's home and couch for a few days, from where I moan and groan whilst being provided with endless cups of tea and vegemite on toast (nature's cure-all). Sadly, however, this is not an option that is available to me when travelling. My first solo trip overseas resulted in a mostly untreated bout of whooping cough, which very nearly sent my dear mama half way round the world just to drive me to the doctor.
In the years that followed this; I've become better and better prepared for the many ailments which seem to always find me, wherever I happen to be. Things like vaccinations and insurance (neither of which have ever really concerned me in Australia) suddenly take high priority when you're travelling. But there are other things I've figured out over the years. Learning how to say things like "emergency" "sick" and "doctor" in whatever the local language happens to be, taking note of where hospitals are so that you can direct "lost" taxi drivers and making friends with hostel owners so they're more likely to think to check on you if you're looking sickly are three good examples. Don't take your "sickness planning" too far, though. You do need to be careful, but make sure you don't get too carried away and miss out on half your trip out of false concern for your own health.
For example: unless there's an actual health warning out, you can probably forego the face masks and -whilst it's always a good idea to be careful of your water supply and keep clean hands- you can pretty much take it for granted that at some point you're going to eat something that won't agree with you. An upset stomach won't kill you and avoiding local food just means missing out on some of the best made food in any country.
The only other tip I can really give is to have a contingency budget. Planning a $3000 trip to fit within your $3000 of savings is going to leave you in deep, deep trouble should something go wrong. Your insurance won't kick in the very instant you get sick and in some cases, you won't be able to get any treatment at all until you have the insurance funds to pay for it. Make sure you've got at least $500 in extra savings that you can call on, whether you just need to visit a GP for antibiotics, or whether you need to pay for immediate blood tests or xrays. It might mean you wait longer to take your dream trip, but it will be far less painful in the long run.
This post is being crafted out of the sorrow and loss of having dropped my Kobo (like a Kimble only cheaper, nastier and apparently more breakable) yesterday evening. Usually, this would be sad, but not big deal. But, I'm moving to a foreign country. I sold all my books a few weeks ago before I left Australia. And I've got 18 hours in transit, starting today! See, I'm a massive bookworm and now with literally nothing left to read; I'm left to rely on in flight entertainment to keep me... well... entertained.
So, as an homage to my lost Kobo, here's two lists. One list of my top travel related reads, and another of the films currently showing on flights which I really don't want to have to watch.
Travel themed books that you may want to read:
In Patagonia - Chatwin
Turquoise: A Chef's Travels in Turkey - Malouf [Tasty, tasty travels]
Assassination Vacation - Vowell
The Motorcycle Diaries - Guevara
Almost French - Turnbull [Please note that you really do have to be female to enjoy this one]
The Belgariad - Eddings [I'm justifying this one with the fact that all epics are travel related. Did you never notice how much walking went on in The Lord of the Rings?]
Perfume - Süskind [For the murderously inclined traveller]
Movies I really didn't want to watch (that are currently on most flights' entertainment selections):
Bridesmaids
Monte Carlo
Xmen Origins
Red Dog [I'm sorry, Australia, but this looks like a Tourism Australia ad, and we all know how bad those have been for the last decade or so]
Arthur
Pirates of the Carribean 4 [In fairness, this is on the list because I've already seen it... twice... okay, so I like pirates]
Green Lantern
Why, oh why, can I not be flying during Oscar-baiting season? I'm only a month or so off!
5. Marieke Hardy
Because she is the shizzle. And super, super awesome in a variety of ways. And she writes very clever tv shows. Okay, so in reality I've got no idea if she'd make a good travel companion, but as my personal idol (marry me?) she earns a spot on this list anyway. We all owe our idols at least that much. Bare minimum, she'd be great to get drunk with.
4. Daniel Radcliffe
No, no, I'm not a 13 year old girl in disguise, but I have to admit this series always brings out the inner geek in me (don't judge me... or at least, not too harshly). The idea of travelling the world with "Harry Potter" ticks a couple of awesome boxes in terms of ridiculous sounding stories I could later tell. Plus, have you heard the guy sing? I can't imagine better partner for hostel karaoke nights. Plus, he's tiny! We could probably fit him in one of the suitcases. He'd be like the trip mascot or something.
3. Bono
Okay, so he might end up being a bit of a downer, what with all the constant talk about starving people and he might get jealous of Daniel's awesome singing (and mine, of course) but hey, he'd still be a great one to take along. What with the meaningful volunteer work with private jets to fly in and out, who wouldn't want to hang out with him? You get to live a life of total luxury and still feel good about yourself (in a "must be patronising to everybody else" kind of way). Win.
2. George Orwell
Okay so he's long dead, but I think the idea of a world circumferencing jaunt with him is just about as likely as one with Bono. Heck, let's take Hemingway, too. Proving Georgie's predictions of the future wrong would probably be very satisfying (although considering the state of the globe, he'd probably just change the title to 2084 and stick with the same story) and if there was ever a guy who knew the ins and outs of Paris and London, this would be him.
1. David Attenborough
Now admit it, as soon as you read his name, you knew I was on to the best idea ever! This dude is awesome. His accent is adorable, he certainly travels enough to be used to the hardships, and he knows everything about flora and fauna. Hiking trips would never be the same again. Need another reason? Well, he is getting old (was he ever not old?) and if there was ever a perfect way to give David Attenborough a last hurrah: a nice holiday without video cameras sounds perfect. What I'm trying to say is that I'm totally not bringing him along just to ask him to narrate everything back to me. Totally not. I would never! I'm just a nice person, you know?
(Apparently I would also like to take my boyfriend because he is being a little girl and crying about me not wanting to take him on holidays. Don't worry so much, sweetie, I absolutely love you and all that wussy stuff. Totally.)
I've spent close to two weeks in Singapore so far and if there's one thing I now know about this place; it's that they're not hurting for rain. My god this country is damp. With rain close to 300 days of the year and lightning storms on 170 of those days, you learn quickly to accept that you're unlikely to go through a day without getting a little bit wet. So here's some suggestions about what to do on rainy days during your travels.
1. Stuff the rain, go out to the streets/parks/whatever-unsheltered-area-you're-interested-in anyway. If you're in a warm country, this shouldn't be a miserable experience for you, but rather a new chance for some great photos and activities with tiiiny queues. Just don't wear heals, soft shoes or white clothes.
2. Ride around on public transport all day. Unless you're in a city with underground trains (or sometimes even then), taking public transport back and forth can give you a pretty great look at parts of the city you might not get to see otherwise. Plus, after a few trips, you'll never get lost or flummoxed by ticket zones again.
3. Find a nice cafe and catch up on emails. You know those friends you promised to send photos to? You know that mother who complains that your emails are too short and infrequent? You know that boyfriend who's getting all paranoid that you might meet someone else? Here's your chance to make every last one of these folks think you're the greatest. A couple of facebook posts, some pic uploads and a lengthy email or two and you'll be the most popular person you know!
4. Do all that cultural stuff you claimed you were planning on but have yet to make time for. Museums? Art Galleries? With all the valuables inside, these are usually the last places where you're likely to get rained on. The catch is that everyone else knows this, too. Expect larger than normal crowds.
5. Reenact your favourite movie scene. Let's face it, Hollywood loves a good drizzle. So get out there and dance off lampposts, run screaming from serial killers, declare true love, kiss strange girls, have a martial arts fight in fancy suits, whatever! You could even make your own movie if you wanted, but that could just be me being overambitious. I'm like that.
