• If/When you get diarrhea, drink plenty of liquids, eat curd rice, and eat bananas..
• Keep your skin in tact. Bring along antibiotic ointment so you can treat an infection promptly.
• Taking a couple of Melatonin pills the first couple of nights upon arrival helps many people deal with jet lag.
• Mosquitoes are a real menace. There hasn’t been malaria where you are going, but they will keep you awake at night unless you figure out how to deal with them: ointment, netting, strong ceiling fan, etc. If you are going out to a home in the evening, put some ointment and/or repellant anklet on your feet. If you wish you can also spray your clothing the night before and that will repel mosquitoes from coming near you. Lighter colored clothing will not attract as many mosquitoes as dark colored clothing.
• I recommend Ben’s Mosquito Lotion for the skin it has 100% Deet. Put 3-4 drops in your hand, add a few drops or body lotion, mix them together and apply. The body lotion keeps mosquito lotion from evaporating too quickly and also spreads it out over a great area so that less is used. I also recommend a spray for clothing that also has 100% Deet. I believe Cutter’s has that ingredient. Lay your clothes out and spray them the night before. This gives the spray time to soak into the fabric and give you more protection over usually about twelve hours.
• Take a small first aid kit. Swabs, bandaids, gauze and tape.
• Check with your doctor to see whether you will need an antibiotic and malaria medicine while you are away.
• One of the best things you can do for your health is to take an early afternoon nap, preferably 45-60 min. It’s the Indian custom for a reason! One missionary wife put it well: “ India is fine, as long as you stay strong.”
• Be very careful when you are out in the sun between 11:00-2:00 . I need to wear a hat, or I will get heat stroke. Mild heat stroke for me results in sudden diarrhea the next day.
• Do not try to get a tan. You will probably just singe.
• India has excellent medical facilities in the cities, and particularly in Nagercoil. All the doctors and nurses speak English well.
• India does not have good dental services.
• If you have difficulty sleeping when overtired, it would be wise to bring the medication you use at home to overcome that problem.
• A small flashlight can be very helpful in some situations.
• An electric shaver can be used but it must be able to operate and charge on DC current. Most modern shavers are rated for use with “international power” but it is wise to check this before you travel.
• You will need a power outlet adapter to plug hair dryers and electric shavers into the India outlets. These are usually available at Target and Radio Shack stores.
• If you bring mosquito netting, I recommend the canopy type. It will not come into contact with your body and therefore give better nighttime protection. You will need a small nylon rope -about twenty-five feet long to suspend the canopy above your bed. I have always been able to find two sturdy items to use to tie my rope and suspend the netting. This keeps crawling and flying insects off me and from buzzing near me while I sleep. If you don’t take netting along, at least spray the wall area around your pillow to keep the mosquitoes from buzzing close to your head while you are trying to sleep.
• Buy an inflatable pillow for sleeping during the flight. They are comfortable, hold your head where you want it and when deflated take very little packing space.
• Unless you fly British Airways or some other airline that furnishes these items, purchase an eye shield to keep light from your eyes when trying to sleep. Their traveler’s kit also includes socks to wear that keep your feet warm and comfortable and ear plugs that allow you to hear but dampen sounds to a tolerable sleep level.
• Handywipes and 70% alcohol are a great way to clean hands when uncontaminated water is not available. Buy a plastic tub of wipes (about 5-6 for each day you will be in India ) and a 1 pint bottle of alcohol.
• A day before you arrive in India open the alcohol and pour it into the handywipe tub. Allow the wipes to absorb as much alcohol as they can. Then open a small plastic zip lock bag, take out five or six wipes and place them in the zip lock bag for your use that day. Before meals you can easily clean your hands and the used wipes can be discarded in the first waste receptacle you find. (Alcohol cannot be purchased over the counter in India .)
• Take whatever medications you need in ample supply. You may not be able to get the drug in India and with unpredictable weather and political unrest we experience around the world, you may need to stay a few days longer than you plan. Other common items e.g. aspirin, cold medicines, etc., are usually available in the large cities. I have found that dental floss is not readily available so be sure to take some with you.