Staying Healthy on Your Bali Vacation — Your long-awaited vacation in paradise should not mean you return home ill if you are prepared with some simple precautions during your visit.
Stomach issues are the most common ailments for travelers to Bali so be sure to take care of your gut health, which is key to a strong immune system. Consider travelling with digestive probiotics that don’t need refrigeration and look for advanced dual action probiotics in capsule form that delivers the “good” bacteria your body needs in both the small and large intestines.
Drink a lot of bottled water and try not to be without a ready supply. Because the weather in Bali is often sunny heatstroke can occur if you allow yourself to go without hydration for longer than is healthy.
Most upper-end hotels and restaurants are safe places to eat but be selective and use good judgement. If you see a lot of customers that provides an indication the food is fresh and the restaurant has a good reputation. Go online by all means and check out reviews. Be sure to wash your hands regularly before and after meals and carry hand sanitizer to eliminate any diarrhea-causing bacteria.
Avoid locally produced alcohol, which can be deadly. An error in the distillation process can add toxic methanol to the brew, and an adulterated drink is indistinguishable from the good stuff until it kills someone.
As much as you like the idea of returning home inked in Bali, avoid the idea of a tattoo. There is at least one known case of HIV being transmitted via infected needles. And the same caution applies to black-henna tattoos. Some tourists have reported getting an adverse allergic reaction from black henna.
Cuts and simple wounds happen easily when one is travelling, especially near coral, and it’s often difficult to know whether to seek medical help. For a minor wound, there is nothing wrong with letting it scab up and dry out. Covering it with plaster (Band-Aid) can help keep a wound clean and protect it from more damage in the first few days; but beware, these get soggy when exposed to water.
If there’s likely to be a lot of dirt in the wound, such as might happen with a graze, it’s best to carefully clean it out before covering. There are also a number of topical antiseptics found at pharmacies (called apotik in Indonesia), as well as cleansing and dressing products, which should be used for contaminated wounds to reduce the risk of infection.
If your wound isn’t improving in the first week after an injury (not getting smaller and still red and inflamed) then that should be a trigger to visit us.
Finally, carry sunblock no lower than SPF 40 and minimize the time in the sun especially direct sunlight between 10am and 3pm.
