Recently, a friend of mine returned from an extended backpacking trip in Southeast Asia. He told me that it was incredible; he saw cool places and met great people, wandering for months among rural villages and exotic cities. It was the perfect trip, except the part where he returned home and rushed straight to the hospital.
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My friend, Finn, was driving on an old moped with his girlfriend, Natalie, in rural Bali, between the small village of Amed to the capital, Depansar. Driving a scooter is one of their primary inter-city modes of transport and they were both very experienced. They slowed down to take a turn when the wheels slipped out from under them and they were thrown from the bike. Finn was seriously injured and there was no hospital nearby. Luckily, Natalie’s injuries were less severe and she was able to alert some locals, who brought them to a clinic. There he was assessed and brought to a hospital in the next town, where they determined that he had several broken bones and that his elbow needed surgery. He opted to return home to have his surgery, so that he could recover in the hospital with his family and friends around. Though it did cut his trip short, he knew that it was the right thing to do.
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Sometimes we can forget how quickly an accident can happen until it does. When I spoke to Finn about the event; it seemed like the most unpredictable of accidents. Both he and his girlfriend were experienced scooter drivers, they were driving a moped, not a high speed motorcycle, and there were no other drivers involved.
When you plan an international trip, make sure to plan for the worst and hope for the best. What that means is above all, travel insurance. Natalie and Finn both made sure to have travel insurance, but he admitted that when his ran out after 6 months and when he needed to renew it, there was about a week that he was not covered where he was still diving and biking every day. It was fortunate that he did not have an accident during that time, but the reality of the accident showed Finn how dangerous that week could have been.
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Another preventative measure to take when planning a trip is to take some basic medicines. Since I have allergies, I often bring a few Benodryl along when I travel. Otherwise it is advisable to pack your preferred painkiller along with any of the medications you take daily. When Natalie wrote about their experience with the crash in her own blog (from which I used several of her photos, thank you, Natalie!), she mentioned that they were not able to receive painkillers of any sort for hours. A small baggie of painkillers could have made the situation a lot more bearable. Another supplement you may want to consider is melatonin, an over the counter sleep aid. Melatonin can be especially helpful when you are unable to fall asleep at a reasonable hour due to jet lag. While many of the medicines can be bought inexpensively all over the world, packing the medications you know you will need with save you several pharmacy trips.
It is also important to give yourself travel recovery time. It may seem silly, but often we need a little vacation from our vacation. The stress of flying, driving, or taking the train or bus, combined with a break in routine, can make an otherwise enjoyable trip take a toll on our stress threshold. Make sure to plan for at least an extra day once you arrive home for jet lag, unpacking, laundry, and possible flight delays.
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Finally, remember that when something goes wrong, it’s not the end of the world. There will always be a day or two during your travels where you don’t feel your best, which can make you feel lousy because you want to be having the time of your life. It’s best not to stress about how much fun you should be having and just go with the flow. The worst experiences always make the best stories, after all!
