With Schoolies around the corner, just a friendly reminder on some of the causes of injury on overseas holidays. Bali, Phuket and Fiji are popular and most frequented destination for our Ozzie Schoolies and would you believe hospitals expect to receive quite an increase of casualties during this period and unfortunately deaths occur also, so here are a few tips to help you avoid ending up in a hospital or becoming a statistic but also to still enjoy your holiday.
. Scooter accidents top the list, so if you don’t ride one at home or not experienced don’t do it there.
If you choose to rent and ride firstly make sure you have the correct licence and that you are duly covered on your insurance, most insurance policies have the cover but it’s usually a premium so you’ll need to select and pay a bit extra but it’s not much.
Rent from a reputable dealer and don’t hand over your passport if asked, you should only allow them a copy, ask and make this clear.
Check scooter over e.g. good tyres and brakes, take your own photos of the bike.
Don’t consume alcohol and ride, it’s not only fraught with danger you won’t be covered by insurance in the event of an accident, try not to ride in the wet and make sure it comes with a good quality helmet’s.
Try and stick to the left side of the road and avoid main arterial roads.
Alcohol- it’s well known in particular Bali has counterfeit alcohol, avoid this at all costs, its usually substituted for Vodka so try and avoid Vodka based drinks, beer is safest.
Drugs- you will often be asked if you want to buy drugs e.g. marijuana and more, do not consider this as no matter how much you think you know the person, its often a trap to bribe money from you, remember you are in a country with strict drug laws and large consequences if caught even for smoking a joint.
Tours, day trips, plan and book with a reputable company that use qualified and certified equipment and tour guides.
Insurance- arrange this when you book your flights, check you are covered for all the activities you expect to explore.
Identification- Always carry ID on you and preferably proof of insurance, if you end up in hospital without it, it will create all sorts of problems and your treatment will be delayed.
If you want to wear light clothing and carry not much on you, grab one of our bands and enter all your details and emergency contacts, medical issues and travel insurance details. $20 odd dollars is very little in the scheme and cost of what can happen without it.
Keep your wits about you, respect the locals, look out for your fellow travellers Enjoy.
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