SAS Urban Survival Handbook (84 page)

RED TAPE Do you need a visa? What are the customs restrictions? What would you do if you lost your passport? Is hitchhiking allowed? What if you’re arrested? As with health care, it’s as well to be prepared for the worst—collect phone numbers/addresses of the consulate, embassy and travellers’ cheque/credit card ‘lost or stolen’ departments in one place and keep them with you. Ensure your travel insurance covers legal costs.

The following list of the major vaccinations, when to have them, how long they last and for which destinations they’re required or advised is a general guide. ALWAYS check your vaccinations are up to date before you travel. NEVER assume you’ll be OK without them.

SMALLPOX
On 1 January 1980, the WHO (World Health Organization) declared the entire world free from this disease, and innoculation is no longer necessary.

CHOLERA
An acute infection of the small intestine, cholera is spread by the
Vibrio cholerae
bacterium in food or water contaminated by the faeces of someone suffering from the disease. Symptoms are severe fluid loss—profuse sweating, vomiting and diarrhoea (‘ricewater stools’). Over 50 per cent mortality rate, if untreated.

Vaccination:
At least six days before travel; revaccination necessary after six months—if within that time, no waiting period is required. Some (Middle Eastern) countries may require two injections.
Required:
Pakistan, India, Burma (renamed Myanmar). Many Middle Eastern and Far Eastern countries and parts of African continent. Gives limited protection. Avoid local water.

YELLOW FEVER
Spread mainly by the
Aedes aegypti
mosquito, yellow fever—or yellow jack—affects the liver and kidneys. Symptoms include chills, headache, fever, black vomit and jaundice. It can be fatal.

Vaccination:
Only given in registered centres, at least ten days before travel and not within 14 days of any other live virus vaccine (except polio). Valid ten years and 100 per cent effective.
Required:
Central Africa (15° N of equator to 10° S), Central America (northern border of Panama state to 15° S of equator—except Bolivia and part of eastern Brazil).

TYPHOID
The digestive system is infected by the
Salmonella typhi
bacterium, causing weakness, high fever, chills, sweats, a red rash on chest and abdomen and—in severe cases—inflamation of spleen and bones, delirium and haemorrhageing.
Salmonella paratyphi
A, B or C cause the milder paratyphoid fever.

Vaccination:
A course of two monovalent typhoid injections two-six weeks apart gives protection for up to three years. If time is short, a single injection gives some protection for six-eight weeks.
Advised:
Worldwide except northwest Europe, Canada and the USA.

TETANUS
Affects the nervous system after contamination of a wound with the bacterium
Clostridium tetani.
Symptoms are muscle stiffness and spasm followed by rigidity, starting in the neck and jaw (hence ‘lockjaw’), spreading to the back, chest, abdomen, limbs and possibly the whole body, causing it to arch backwards. Accompanied by high fever, convulsions and extreme pain.

Vaccination:
An initial course of three injections of the tetanus taxoid, spaced out over six—twelve months, then booster every three-five years. A patient receiving an open wound, especially if dirty, should have a booster if their last was more than a year before.
Advised:
Worldwide.

POLIOMYELITIS
Still a problem in the Third World, polio or infantile paralysis is spread by the faeces of people who have the disease and affects the central nervous system. Paralytic poliomyelitis is the most extreme, less common form, causing muscle weakness and eventual paralysis. All forms are more severe when contracted in adulthood, and there is no cure.

Vaccination:
The preferred form is the Sabin vaccine—three drops on a sugar lump, taken three times at monthly intervals. Pregnant women are given the Salk vaccine by injection. Booster every five years.
Advised:
Worldwide.

MALARIA
Spread by the
Anopheles
mosquito, malaria is thought to have killed Oliver Cromwell, who refused quinine—then known as Jesuit’s Bark—on religious grounds. Nowadays the disease has left Europe (though it can theoretically be present anywhere warm where there is water). There are four varieties, of which Falciparum Malaria is the worst. Symptoms are high fever with alternate shivering and sweating, intense headache, nausea and vomiting.

Prevention:
There is no vaccine, but preventative measures are usually effective. Cover up and use insect repellant after dark when this type of mosquito bites (only the female bites humans). Take prophylactic Proguanil, Chloroquine, Pyrimethamine, Maloprim or Fansidar tablets, the first of which is available without prescription. ALWAYS consult your GP about malaria pills, however, as the map of resistant strains is always changing. You may have to take more than one type.
Advised:
Practically worldwide except Europe, Australasia, the South Pacific and North America.

PACKING

From the life-threatening to the purely practical

... Packing is the inescapable chore you must perform every time you travel, and it’s worth becoming

an expert at it. Successful packing means you’re equipped for every eventuality, from a 14-hour delay at Charles de Gaulle Airport to sunstroke in Bombay.

The aim is to cut down the time you spend and the baggage you end up having to lug around. Most people ‘overpack’ shamelessly, which they come to regret when they can’t find a taxi at some remote stopover and are faced with a two-mile walk in the midday sun.

On a flight, for short trips, it’s worth trying to avoid using the hold for your luggage and packing everything into your carry-on bag. That way you avoid the often-interminable wait for your luggage at the carousel. If you’re driving, the less you take, the less fuel you use.

Air travel

Other than jetlag, most people should experience no difficulties in modern civil aircraft—generally, the longer the flight the more uncomfortable, though!

However, people suffering certain medical conditions should inform the airline when they make reservations.

The decreased oxygen in a pressurized cabin can cause problems for passengers with any form of heart disease or recent thrombosis, anyone suffering severe respiratory disease and elderly people with hardened arteries.

People with sinus trouble might experience sinus pain and earache owing to the slightly-rarefied atmosphere. This can also cause expansion of intestinal gases—uncomfortable for anyone with a recent gastric or intestinal lesion, operation or haemorrhage. If in doubt, ask your doctor, or even the airline—all the major ones have medical departments.

Plane crashes

Actually, there is a common problem with flying. It is FEAR. Since flying is far safer than motoring, this fear is irrational, if understandable. Doctors think it’s more about the loss of control or a mild claustrophobia than a belief that the plane will go down. REMEMBER! You are more likely to die in your armchair (from coronary diseases) than in a plane crash!

You will, of course, have listened and watched CAREFULLY during the cabin crew’s demonstration of emergency procedure—if the unthinkable happens, you will know roughly what to do.

BUSINESS TRIP

• ■
  Ensure each garment can be worn with several others (it used to be called ‘mix and match’!). That way you get more mileage out of fewer clothes. Favour crease-resistant fabrics.
  
• ■
  Fit the sleeves of one shirt/blouse over the sleeves of the next, button it up, and continue until you’ve ‘put them all on’ the first, then roll the whole thing up. You end up with a bundle that takes up only a little more space than a single shirt, and you prevent creasing. Do the same with skirts, jackets and trousers.
  
• ■
  Roll up socks, tights, underwear and stuff them into shoes.
  
• ■
  Shoes are the heaviest items, so take only one spare pair.
  
• ■
  If you’re going to need an overcoat and heavy jacket, wear them.
  
• ■
  If you make frequent business trips, refine your packing technique until everything fits in a briefcase – it is possible!
  

HOLIDAY

• ■
  DON′T be tempted to cram the suitcase full. You’re bound to need space for souvenirs/duty-free goods etc.
  
• ■
  Take only as much shampoo, sunscreen, soap and the like as you can use in the time. There ARE shops in other countries!
  
• ■
  Take a leaf out of the backpacker’s book – tear up your books! Buy paperbacks and discard sections as you read them. Tear out the relevant pages of guidebooks and leave the rest at home.
  
• ■
  Pack essential overnight requirements in your carry-on bag, so that you can cope with long airport delays or if you lose your luggage.
  
• ■
  Bring film for your camera – it invariably costs more abroad.
  
• ■
  Wear a moneybelt for your valuables.
  

REMEMBER

ALWAYS
attach name/address labels to your cases to differentiate them from similar ones and to identify lost luggage. Mark your cases inside too.

ALWAYS
attach something to your luggage to make it instantly recognizable on the carousel—a bright strap, bright tape on the strap or handle, a sticker. It is not vital for you to spot your luggage quickly, but it may be vital to stop someone with similar baggage from taking yours.

ALWAYS
ensure your bags are strong and securely fastened—tie a belt round dodgy cases. Baggage handlers invariably hurl the luggage about and it’s inconvenient, not to mention embarrassing, to find your dirty laundry scattered over the conveyor.

NEVER
pack cash, valuable jewellery, important papers, fragile items, liquids or vital medications.

Sixty per cent of plane crashes actually happen on take-off or landing, so you may as well relax for the most part of the flight. The cabin crew are highly trained in all aspects of emergency drill and will guide you, if anything does happen. DON’T add to the horror by screaming and panicking—be the one that helps the crew. Keep up morale and comfort others.

RESTRICTED AND PROHIBITED ITEMS

The following must NOT be carried on board an aircraft or even checked in:

• ■
  Compressed gases (including butane cylinders for camping, aqualungs, lighter fuel, even hairspray)
  
• ■
  Corrosives (including mercury and wet-cell batteries)
  
• ■
  Explosives (including flares and fireworks)
  
• ■
  Flammable liquids (including lighter fuel, paint, white spirit)
  
• ■
  Radioactive materials
  
• ■
  Oxidizing material (including bleach and peroxides)
  
• ■
  Poisons (including insecticides and weedkillers)
  
• ■
  Infectious substances
  

The following must ONLY be carried in checked bags:

• ■
  Firearms (you must declare that they are unloaded)
  
• ■
  Toy guns
  
• ■
  Knives, scissors and similar
  

You will probably be asked a series of questions about your luggage at checkin. Normally these are:

• ■
  Did you pack your bags yourself?
  
• ■
  Do your bags contain a wrapped gift/parcel, which YOU did not wrap?
  
• ■
  Have you left your bags unattended at any time since you packed them?
  
• ■
  Do they contain any electrical equipment—and any of the other items from the above list?