Of course you prefer to pack your suitcase full of nice summer clothes, but if you reserve a few square centimeters for these medical resources, you can save yourself and your travel companions a lot of complaints. The last thing you want to visit during your holiday in Thailand is the local hospital. Be prepared for the most common complaints during the holidays: skin rashes, insect bites, diarrhea and earaches.
These are the ailments that most holidaymakers contact the Medicinfo medical contact center about, which receives more than 2.000 calls and apps every week at peak times with medical questions for remote care.
General practitioner Jeroen van Zwanenburg often hears it during the holiday period in the medical contact center of Medicinfo: 'People abroad go to the local GP with a complaint about a mild earache and come out with a bag full of antibiotics, of which they doubt whether that is the answer. correct remedy.' Fortunately, many complaints can be remedied quickly and a visit to a foreign doctor is therefore not (immediately) necessary. Jeroen van Zwanenburg: 'If you take a number of basic products with you in your toiletry bag, you can already remedy or prevent many complaints. Of course, in case of doubt or uncertainty about a complaint, we always recommend contacting a holiday app or helpline for remote care or, of course, your own GP.'
What should not be missing in your suitcase
The most common complaints do not seem too serious, but the moment you suffer from them you want to get rid of them as soon as possible. Fortunately, you can also remedy or reduce them with these basic resources that are unfortunately still often missing in the suitcase.
1. A sunscreen lotion with factor 30 to 50
You burn much faster than you think; you are outside a lot and your skin gets a lot of sun hours, especially between 12.00:15.00 and XNUMX:XNUMX the sun is strong. Always keep a small tube in your bag with you. Your face, forehead, shoulders and upper arms are especially vulnerable areas. Therefore, always make sure:
2. A cap or hat
The most practical solution against bright sun in the south of Europe or in the mountains. You can also burn in cloudy weather. The Dutch are chronically short of sun and tend to want to catch up on everything like crazy in the spring. Don't forget, a hat or cap or sunscreen not only protects against sunburn, but also reduces the risk of getting skin cancer and keeps the skin young.
3. After sun
Skin complaints due to sunburn and allergies are the most common complaints during the holidays. It seems so obvious but apparently we are not careful enough. If you have been in the sun a lot, make sure you cool down and apply after-sun or a cooling gel, for example with Aloe Vera, after showering.
4. Deet
An insect repellent, such as DEET, is something people often forget at the last minute. Always take it with you in your toiletry bag and get good advice from your drugstore or pharmacy. Are you still screwed: don't scratch bites or stings from insects, this causes inflammation!
5. Toothpaste
Always handy if you are stung by a mosquito or insect. If you don't have any ointment with you, toothpaste will also help. It contains menthol and this works well against itching.
6. Thermometer
Simple to take with you and very handy to know if you have a fever. Feeling your own temperature by hand turns out to be very difficult. Measuring is knowing!
7. Painkillers
Paracetamol is often sufficient to relieve the worst pain with earaches, headaches or other pain complaints. Always take a pack with you to avoid suddenly having to look for a painkiller. You may feel completely healthy when you get on the plane, but the moment you need it, you regret that your paracetamol is still in the bathroom at home.
8. Nasal spray
Many people suffer from their ears on the plane. A simple nasal spray fifteen minutes before landing or taking off helps relieve pressure on the ears.
9. ORS pouches
ORS is a solution of salts and glucose (grape sugar) in water and good to take with you. You can get diarrhea quite easily, especially in Asia and Africa. Children can also use ORS for watery diarrhea and vomiting. Always make sure you get enough fluids. ORS can help with this, but if you don't have this, drink (clean) water or make broth.
10. Antidiarrhoeal (Loperamide)
If you nevertheless suffer from diarrhea it is good to have this with you. It remains important to use this with care because diarrhea is also a natural way to cleanse your body of contamination with all kinds of viruses or parasites. But if it goes too far, a diarrhea inhibitor can be useful, for example on the plane. Only use this medicine in case of diarrhea without fever or blood or mucus. This remedy is not suitable for young children.
11. Drawing tweezers
If you spend a lot of time in nature, take tick tweezers and the instructions for removing a tick with you.
12. Condoms
In many countries, condoms are difficult to obtain and not always reliable. Preferably bring them from the Netherlands.
13. First aid kit
A bandage kit with plasters, scissors and sterile gauze. Possibly steri-strips for cuts, bandages and safety pins.
14. Disinfectant
Think of Betadine iodine so that you can disinfect wounds yourself. Any skin condition, no matter how minor (such as insect bites or abrasions), should be carefully cleaned and disinfected.
15. Remedy for air, sea and car sickness
Finally, a remedy for when you get complaints while traveling, such as cyclizine or meclozine tablets. Take this approximately 1 to 2 hours before departure.
In addition to taking the above resources with you, there are other health and safety tips that we want to give you extra:
1. Watch out for the exhaust on that fun scooter you're going to rent! Do you have a burn? Then cool it for at least 30 minutes with lukewarm water.
2. Don't pet strange animals, no matter how cute they look. Take great care when visiting caves to avoid being infected with rabies by bats.
Free helplines
Before your holiday, make sure you have the numbers and apps of Dutch medical services in and on your phone so that you can call in care remotely. These services are free and available 7 days a week. Check the website of your health insurer to see which services they offer for remote care while on holiday.
Good to have the items listed. No need to bring them from the Netherlands, because everything is for sale in Thailand at almost every pharmacy.
Dear GuusW,
That's what happens when you get sick, run to the store (pharmacy) to get a
to get medication.
You don't think if it helps.
For example, I contracted pneumonia in Thailand at the beginning of this year.
I just kept it with the regular medication like parascetamol.
Before this I had already had medication in the Netherlands for an infection in my mouth
(salivary gland).
I thought to myself, the best I can do is not to take antibiotics here.
I walked with this for two weeks and got the antibiotics I need back in the Netherlands
had (antibiotics are the same everywhere). The danger is that in Thailand antibiotics are prescribed very easily (you become imum).
Think carefully, and consult or call your insurance, or your own doctor what is best.
Yours faithfully,
Erwin
Well, a suitcase for all these things that you can just buy in Thailand. And use it when needed.
Nonsense …….all available in Thailand and probably much cheaper.
You can buy all these things locally, why in the suitcase?????
I think it's always good to give people tips for a trip, but to put all this in your suitcase at home is, in my opinion, rather unnecessary. Thailand is not a 3rd world country! Nasal spray for the plane, okay. Possibly also a diarrhea inhibitor for during the trip. 2 or 3 paracetamol ditto. Also consider a few pills of a light dose of melatonin to sleep better.
But in Thailand you can buy all these products on almost every street corner in the inhabited world. In my experience, I find mosquito spray (both with and without deet) that works better in Thailand, recently I find (I have very sensitive skin) better factor 50 sunscreen in aerosol (cannot take on a plane, because it is flammable). Ditto after sun, caps, condoms, ORS bags, painkillers, Maalox, you name it, Thailand sells it at 7/11, sometimes with a small pharmacy next to it. Sunscreen at the drug store chain Bootz (I always indicate that I stay longer in Thailand and then I get a loyalty card with a discount). and everything has a fast turnaround, so don't over date.
For the first day of travel itself I always have a small bottle of shampoo (like you find in the bathroom in a hotel) and a sample of toothpaste. Upon arrival at your destination, ask for the nearest 7/11 or Tesco, usually open 24 hours a day. and buy your mosquito spray. (The Thai word for mosquito is Jung!)
For example, 7/11 has a drink for a stubborn cough, green box with a red dragon on it, old-fashioned licorice herbal flavor, works really amazingly well for me. They also sell a natural herbal product against complaints of sore tongue, throat, nasal cavity. Better than at home!
What is indispensable to me, and not for sale there, is Prikweg. an ointment, suitable for small children, that quickly removes the symptoms of insect bites. I never leave the house in Thailand without it. Because the mosquitoes are often under the tables in restaurants during the day.
Have a nice trip!.
If you are in TH. If you don't have a remedy for insect bites, you can buy a jar of Pim-Saen balm oil at 7/11. It is menthol with oil and works great. Within 5 minutes you will be rid of the itch and the whole bump!
All items reported here are cheaply available at any 7/11. And you have a 50/7 every tourist place almost every 11 meters. Why worry about things you never think about in the Netherlands? I have never even had most of the articles mentioned at home, not in the Netherlands and not in the 13 years that I have lived in Thailand.
They should not be missing? How have I survived Thailand for the last 40 years? I don't use any of this other than toothpaste and should I need it can it be bought in Thailand.
Almost everything on this list is - and usually much cheaper - for sale in Th, even at the well-known seh-when. Only sunscreen and aftersun are less easy to find.
But if you go to Laos or Myanmar, it can be useful.
That burnt skin from exhaust is called the "samui-kiss".
Nasal spray, against your ears... wait did you think of just sweets? It is about swallowing, which opens your ears again. So people with babies: have a bottle at hand when taking off, that prevents a crying baby.
Also a tip to take with you: Hadex this is a small bottle with water disinfectant, leave 1 drop in a glass and it is drinkable, this product is also used in shipping to store water in the large tanks. Are you in doubt with an ice cream; 1 drop on it.