General travel info for Indo needed

[Karen Dancheck]

My husband and I are planning our first trip to Indo. This will be our 2nd trip to the Pacific. We were in Palau in 2014. Can anyone direct me to any book, thread or SB posts with general travel info and tips? Thanks in advance!

 

[SaltyWombat]

@Karen Dancheck Your resorts can also help you with some of this. They'll tell you the current covid policies, etc.

On a recent trip, I felt like some locals expected tips. The liveaboard staff definitely expected tips and envelopes were left on our beds for them. The bellboy who brought my luggage to my room also seemed to expect a tip.

 

[Living4Experiences]

Spending a week at Villa Markisa and a week at Wakatobi. Just looking for general info on what to pack what not to pack. Immunizations needed. Suggestions on tipping. Tip in US $ or should we plan to get money exchanged.

Money: Save yourself the hassle and buy the Rupiah from your local bank in the U.S. and take it with you. IMO, tipping is best in the local currency. Don't bother with taking clean, flat, unfolded, not bent U.S. currency. Too much effort! Wells Fargo sells foreign currency for a small fee. I pay $7.50 per order, not per currency. If you have any left over at the end of your trip, tip or donate to a local citizen in the airport. It's the last place you'll need that currency before returning to the U.S. You can also open a free Schwab account, get the ATM card, and use it worldwide with no fees, including no ATM or conversion fees. Example: If you take out $100, your bank statement will show a withdrawal of $100. Fee free! I used it in Europe this summer and it was perfect for needing currency in non-Euro countries.

Vaccinations: Typhoid, Hepatitis A and B. Malaria is only a problem in some areas of Indonesia. Take caution with malaria prophylaxis, as it can have some weird side effects, especially for divers. And some meds you have to take before, during, and after your trip. If your accommodations don't have A/C, you'll be living in insect repellent. Wear Permethrin treated clothing.
CDC link: Indonesia - Traveler view | Travelers' Health | CDC

Personal Comfort: Assume you cannot get basic over-the-counter meds or drug store things, so bring items that will make you comfortable should you have a stomach problem or food poisoning, cuts, etc. I also bring rehydration tablets. Amazon sells Hydralyte and it works great. It really helped me recover when I got food poisoning in Costa Rica and was purging from both ends.

 

[SaltyWombat]

@living4experiences makes a good point about over-the-counter medicines. They were hard to find in Raja Ampat, at least. I needed antiseptic for cuts and scrapes and couldn't find anything other than Betadine, which stains clothing. Certainly on a liveaboard you'd be at the mercy of the boat's first aid kit, which might not be comprehensive.