HIV travel restrictions and retreats

 

There are a few simple things you can do to avoid travellers' upset stomach. Be careful with street vendors' food and use common sense -- try and make sure:

• food is cooked in front of you (fried or boiled food is safest)
• ingredients are refrigerated
• avoid fruit you can't peel yourself (eg. fruit salad)
• avoid shellfish

Where local tap water is not safe:

• drink bottled water (and use it to brush your teeth as well) and check the seal on the bottle, because soft-drink bottles are sometimes reused as glassware rather than opened fresh;
• ask if ice used in drinks was made using boiled water.

Foo in mid-range hotels which cater for tourists is usually safe. Be adventurous - trying different foods is all part of a good travel experience  but also be careful!

Street Smarts

Don’t draw unwanted attention to yourself.  Expensive outfits, accessories, and consumer electronics can make you a target for thieves. 

Don’t carry all your cash around – this will minimize the damage if you do get robbed.  Ask your hotel to store your valuables in their safe.

Some cultures are more conservative about dress and manners, so tone it down and cover up to show your respect and avoid unwanted attention.

Tourist information centres and hotel staff can provide invaluable information about good places to visit (and good places to avoid).

Scams

If you find yourself caught up in a scam, keep your cool and remain polite. For instance, some scammers demand an inordinate amount of money for a meal, product or tour you’ve already consumed. 

Remember, your physical safety is the first priority.  Cash and valuables can be replaced – use them to bargain.  Even when travelling alone, remember you “have close friends who are waiting at the hotel for my return”. 

If you are separated from your bank card, call your card issuer immediately to cancel the card.  Unauthorised transactions can usually be reversed if you provide a police report.

Bribes

Bribes are a taken-for-granted part of life in some countries. However it may be unwise to offer a bribe unless you are certain it is expected, as you may end up facing criminal charges, either real or contrived to jack up the bribe amount.

Police

If you are arrested overseas, you are generally entitled to receive a visit from local consular staff.  However, consular assistance is very limited. 

This may include visiting the person regularly in detention, providing general information about the country’s legal system and local prison system, offering a list of local English-speaking lawyers, helping them to contact their family, and attending their trial as an observer (if approved by the local authorities).

Consular officers can approach local authorities to request that the detainee’s basic needs are met and that humanitarian standards of treatment are respected. However, they cannot organise better treatment than that provided to the host country’s own citizens. 

If you use recreational drugs, remember the laws related to illicit drugs vary enormously from country to country.  In Singapore airport, posters announce ‘the penalty for drugs is death’.  Elsewhere, dealers may ‘value add’ their sales by informing on overseas purchasers to local police in exchange for a cut of the bribe.

Play Safe

If you drink or take party drugs, remember your normal judgments of risk might rely on having friends around, or at least security guards who speak your own language!  If you’re alone or in new company, drink or dose in smaller amounts, spaced apart, and keep aware of your surroundings.

In some countries, including Thailand, police raid nightclubs on a semi-regular basis.  Hotel staff and tour guides may know which clubs are safest to visit. 

If you experience sexual assault, remember there may not be the same support structures you’d expect to find.  First ensure you’re physically safe, then contact the embassy or consulate.  They can advise you what to expect and how best to proceed if you want to make a police report.

In some countries there is a thriving trade in commercial sex work, targeting overseas visitors.  If someone young and attractive comes on strong, it’s not impolite to ask ‘are you working?’ to avoid misunderstandings later.

Remember the age of consent may vary overseas and sex between men is outright illegal in some countries.  Do your research before you travel.

Condoms can be difficult to purchase in some countries so bring your own personal supply.  Don’t take too many – in some countries, possession of a very large number of condoms can be taken to mean you are a sex worker.

Consular Assistance

Embassies and consulates can help you locate medical assistance, normally by helping you make contact with an English-speaking healthcare provider.  They can facilitate communication between the traveller and local doctors/hospitals, monitor the welfare of the traveller in hospital, and communicate with their next-of-kin back home. 

In a worst-case scenario they can assist in coordinating a medical evacuation (medivac).  However, quite strict limits apply to the kind of assistance a consulate/embassy can provide.

Overseas PLWHA Organisations

The Internet is your friend!  Before you travel, use it to find PLWHA organisations in the countries you’re planning to visit.  The laws in each country are different, and it may not be possible to find them out in advance.  Local PLWHA organisations can provide advice and support in the event of a legal crisis or health emergency.
See:  http://www.thebody.com/hotlines/internat.html.

Next of Kin

There are steps you can take before you leave to ensure a swift response is possible if you need emergency assistance while travelling overseas.

• Arrange an Enduring Power of (Medical) Attorney for your partner, next of kin or a trusted friend, endorsed with their contact details on it, and give them a copy of this. 
• Also give them copies of your vaccination certificates, relevant health documentation, insurance policy, identification documents– anything they might need to fax overseas in an emergency.
• For your safety and their peace of mind, agree on a schedule for phone calls, e-mail &/ blog updates while you’re away. 
• Leave any medication you don’t take overseas with your next of kin or a trusted friend, so they can post it to you if you lose your baggage or medication overseas.  They will need to include a letter from your doctor and a customs declaration. Advise them to send no more than a month’s supply at a time, as it may be confiscated by customs if they send more.