jehflyer

So far I have had shots for Hep A&B as well as Tetanus.
Doc gave me a prescription for Levaquin and, based on a recent post, plan on asking him for Xifaxan.
I am staying in top hotels in Delhi and Chennai so I assume that bottled water (Evian or equivalent) will be available and that shower water will not present a problem.
As far as food goes, I only plan on avoiding street food, uncooked vegetables, salads and ice.
Will bring some mosquito repellent (Off or equivalent).
Plan on wearing long sleeve shirts,slacks and executive length socks.
Will only drink bottled water, wine, beer or alcohol served straight up.
Am I missing anything-this list already sounds like going off to the heart of darkness ?
Your advice will be much appreciated and I will report back!

mcgahat

You can do all that but I can tell you from first hand experience that sometimes your body just doesnt like something in the food you eat etc. I would say that list is pretty solid though.

travelmad478

+1, especially the part about getting sick (from food) anyway, no matter how many precautions you take. If you have not traveled to India before, or don't do a lot of traveling in the developing world, just prepare to have some stomach issues no matter what. Bring Immodium and memorize the ingredients of the BRAT treatment (banana, rice, applesauce and toast) for recovering from diarrhea/dehydration. And eat a lot of yogurt--it's everywhere in India (called curd--it is available at all mealtimes) and is really good for keeping your stomach healthy.

You want to go where?

Your precautions sound sensible.

Shower water - is safe for showering, not for drinking, keep your mouth closed while showering.

Rinse your toothbrush with bottled water not tap water.

Indian food can be quite rich with a lot of fat and spice. It is easy to overindulge and have problems that way.

Finally, you should consider malaria prophylaxis - malaria is far worse than abdominal complaints, although your mosquito preventions do seem to be sensible.

mapu

Even with all the precautions mentioned you are likely to catch something as a first time visitor to India, especially if you are not used to spicy food.

SylviaCaras

You've done your research; your plans are careful. I'd add giving yourself time to get over the time differences, get adequate rest, stay hydrated. And now that you have all this in place, focus on the adventure and have a wonderful time.

Sylvia

Keyser

you should be fine jehflyer....just don't let these issues spoil your trip....sometime people worry so much about the fact that they might get sick, they forget the purpose of the trip....

troyb

In a five star? Or even a slightly lesser hotel?

Brushing with bottled water is not necessary at all. You can use the tap water for that.

hserus

Dont bother with the anti malarials unless you actually GET malaria.

You aren't likely to find mosquitoes in top hotels. And you dont want to drink Evian - that's way overpriced at any top hotel. There are plenty of local water brands available - Aquafina, Bisleri etc - which should do.

And the hotel drinking water supply is filtered so no worries there.

Just dont drink the shower water.

You want to go where?

Clarifying - the drinking water supply is what comes in bottles. I wouldn't drink what comes out of the tap, no matter what tap it comes from - shower, tub, or sink. I have only been in one hotel in all of India which even claimed its tap water was safe. Since the bottled water is free in 5-star hotels, you might as well use it.

hserus

I'm not talking about tap water. I'm talking about bottled water placed in your hotel rooms, or that you buy from convenience stores.

And also about water that the hotel waiter serves you from a jug he's carrying. He'll of course ask if you would prefer evian first (at about 5 dollars a bottle), or failing that, a 10 rupee (5 cents) bottle of water at about a dollar.

Keyser

inr 10 is about 20 cents....

manneca

I take powdered Gatorade for when I get sick. I was never a fan of Immodium until I got really sick in Mongolia and wound up eliminating more than I could take in.

On my only trip to India, I didn't get sick, so maybe you'll have good luck. (I tend to get sick in South/Central America and Central Asia and Germany.)

User Name

Fecal matter from the hand of the person who prepared it usually does the trick.

yosithezet

I figure any hotel which give me free water knows something about the quality of the water from the tap. I still brush my teeth with the bottled water and in the office, though they have filtered water, I stick to bottled water. Never gotten sick in some 50 trips.