We have now been to Indonesia (Bali), Thailand and Vietnam in terms of tropical / summer trips and holidays. In each place we have encountered different issues around mosquitoes, sunscreen and motion sickness. Below are what’s worked and what to be aware of as one-bagging, 100ml max limited, pasty-white Australians 🙂
Sunscreen
- sunscreen is readily available in both Indonesia and Thailand to Australian standards (UVA/UVB 50+) but is expensive so needs to be budgeted for
- Vietnam did not have many places selling Aussie appropriate sunscreen. Everywhere was k beauty 50ml bottles that were skin whitening and useless. The Internet lied to us about availability and this was an issue while travelling, especially for me who is very sun sensitive. Next time, we will have to allow 200-300ml each of sunscreen in separate 100ml containers in our carry on allowance. For this try we went to multiple places and finally found some small cancer council tubes….at $25 AUD each. Lesson learned.
Bug repellent
- Last time we travelled to Indonesia and Thailand we took DEET liquid pump spray. It’s now very difficult to travel with that out of Australia and it’s also a challenge when capped at 100ml for carry on only. It’s also worth mentioning Thailand is less of a hassle with mosquitos and has a lower risk of Dengue Fever on the coast so not quite as bad.
- In Vietnam, we were very aware of the risk of dengue, malaria and that we were visiting in wet season and spending time on the Mekong delta. After some research we used Natrapel Picardin Wipes I got off eBay. These aren’t sold in Australia but are absolutely fantastic and don’t count as a liquid
- In addition to the wipes, we treated our “main outfits” with permethrin spray for Vietnam. This stuff is extremely toxic if used incorrectly so make sure to read instructions carefully when applying to clothing before you pack. It definitely worked though, we could see the bugs landing on us, not biting and then falling off! Again, not readily available in Australia but can be purchased off Amazon US
Motion sickness
We both get motion sickness of different types. I mostly only get sick in the car and I feel nauseous but don’t often throw up. Bs takes more effort to start (unless we are on a boat, then he’s screwed) but once it starts he can’t stop the vomiting and it is awful. We have tried all the standard meds with minimal luck but seem to have found a good solution now.
- For cars and buses B only needs Dramamine. This isn’t available on its own in Australia but again…thank you Amazon. I still need a mix so have been taking Dramamine/kwells/caffeine as a combo and that’s making a big difference. In the process of discovering this combo worked we also learnt that travacalm original changed their ingredients a few years ago and this is actually what they have! It’s still hard to find them in Australia post covid though
- We are spending 3 days on a boat in Vietnam this time so purchased some scopolamine dermal patches from NZ. These stick to your skin behind the ear and last 2-3 days. We are hoping this addresses the issue with motion sickness while on the boat!
Travel Vaccinations and Medications
- For Thailand and Bali we have never had any special vaccinations. For Vietnam, it was recommended we have a hepatitis double course as well as the encephalitis one (very expensive) as we were going in wet season when there is lots of standing water…and spending time in freshwater rivers. Rabies vaccination wasn’t recommended unless spending extended time in the mountain regions.
- In terms of medication, Bali and Thailand have private hospitals so worst case you can often get things there. Vietnam was a bit of a different story and I ended up with a letter from my GP and a pack of meds as I was concerned if my back started spasming I wouldn’t be able to access any heath care. We also brought standard meds with us – Panadol, ibuprofen, multivitamins, sting spray, antihistamines, motion sickness stuff, gastro stop etc.
Mel's Travel Blog 