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HEALTH...
Most of the time going on holiday involves - getting there, having a great time, and recovering at home the week later.
• General Health
• Vaccinations
• HIV+ Travellers
Other than the recovery being physically and/or mentally hideous (especially if you cannot take another week off work), all should go well...
But going 'at it' solid for two weeks in Ibiza, can turn a simple cold into hell, so some common sense below.
GENERAL HEALTH
If you are unlucky enough to suffer any health problems in Ibiza, don't be put off visiting a chemist immediately, they tend to speak very good English, and can save your holiday. They will direct you to an English-speaking doctor if necessary.
There is no point in suffering with sinusitis, tonsillitis, insect or jellyfish bites, etc, when a short course of antibiotics/antihistamines will clear it quickly. The pharmacists in Spain can dispense many drugs that require a prescription from a GP in the rest of the world.
For some reason the average queen on holiday can get twatty about taking a course of antibiotics, but think nothing of necking recreational chems - of very dubious origin, at every opportunity.
If you need a pharmacy/chemists, look for the distinctive green cross (the ones with a blue cross are vets). If the nearest pharmacy is closed, there will be directions to the next nearest open, and there is always at least one available twenty-four hours a day. A phrase-book is always useful in these circumstances, in case your Spanish, and their English/German/Dutch, don't quite coincide...
Health and hygiene standards abroad may not be as high, or adhered to as well, as in the your home country (and it can be bad enough here in the UK, we can't even keep cattle healthy).
If you are going to do anything other than sunbathe with factor 24, followed by an early night with a barrage of Terry Pratchett books, reduce the risk to your health wherever possible:
Do not drink the tap water. It may well upset your stomach.
If you are on medication, be sure to check the patient information leaflet that there will not be a negative reaction to sunlight (this may also include certain anti-HIV medications, so check with your doctor/pharmacist before you go, as there may be alternatives available).
Take your own condoms, and use them.
Beware of the possibility of food poisoning from shellfish, etc.
Have Hepatitis A & B vaccinations (or have your immune level checked), well before you go.
STDs (VD) spread like, well, 'the clap in a dark room'. If syph has been spread across London, through 'darkroom bars', God knows what has got around Ibiza. If you spot any symptoms, go see a doctor, or at least a chemist (you could be extra good, and have a check-up before you go on holiday).
Keep away from needles (including tattooing, piercing, etc. A good idea for a tattoo when off your face in Ibiza, may make you look like a twat back home.)
 BE AWARE:
The medical section of holiday insurance policies normally does not cover drink or drug abuse.
If you get off of your face and break a leg falling off of a speaker in Amnesia, your insurers just won't pay up if the medical report states that you were obviously twatted.
It is also quite common for the small print of a holiday insurance policy to point out that you are only able to claim back the proportion of treatment not covered by european reciprocal health agreements. Check before you travel, of any such agreements with your country and Spain.
In Europe see the form E111 ("Certificate of Entitlement to Benefits in Kind during a Stay in a Member State").
The E111 form, obtainable from the Post Office [why can't holiday companies post them with your tickets?] entitles you to free medical treatment in Spain (and other EC member countries), so get one before you travel. If needed, show the nice doctors at Casualty the E111 thingy, they may still rip you off and bill the lot to your only credit card.
VACCINATIONS
Normally vaccinations are not required for Ibiza, but check with your Department of Health for the latest vaccination recommendations. You may be surprised. I have had friends returning from a 'farmhouse villa' holiday in Ibiza with diphtheria..
Gay holidays relate quite simply to sex. OK, beaches and sex, clubs and sex, bars and sex, and shopping and sex.
For some reason, the gay holiday companies, selling gay holidays to gay men, NEVER suggest that the GAY part of your holiday is going to put your health at risk. You are hopefully likely to indulge in sexual behavior that is outside your normal daily pattern (well, you are on holiday) and that will put you at risk.
A reminder on behalf of all the companies, and businesses involved in your holiday:
Hepatitis A is easier to catch than crabs, and it can kill you. Hep B is worse. (It can kill you twice.)
Avoid taking the risk. Have a vaccination well before you travel.
Getting twatted and having unsafe sex will not protect you from HIV.
No matter what the latest advertising campaign says: ONLY YOU CAN PROTECT YOURSELF: NO ONE WILL DO IT FOR YOU.
'I want to give him one, but not give him it.'
What a load of bollocks. If you have unsafe sex with him, and he is positive, he will assume you are...
TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOURSELF.
Having vaccinations, where available, will not make your holiday less enjoyable, but ignoring the risks (and this simple protection) doesn't make it safer (apparently, pointing the risks out does not help sell holidays, bars, clubs or darkrooms).
In the UK Hepatitis vaccination(s) are FREE at any GUM clinic, and could save your life. A walk in service is operating in central London (see the gay press for current details ).
+VE TRAVELLERS
This section has been compiled from information supplied by friends, and from personal experience. Please let us know of your experiences.
As far as the holiday companies appear to be concerned, +VE travellers do not appear to exist outside of selling insurance, but probably make up a high proportion of their regular customers.
Disabled and gay, and wanting a gay and disabled friendly hotel? Forget it... If you know otherwise, please contact us. The best you will find in a brochure is 'While every effort is made....' and 'Please contact us for details.....'
+VE travellers who know their status are generally discriminated against by holiday insurance companies. Even though they may take better care of themselves on holiday, apparently knowing your status makes you more of a risk than those who do not.
A number of GAY companies provide cover for +VE clients, but you may have to disclose some detailed health information. If your counts fall outside certain limits companies generally refuse cover, this can make you feel like you are on your last legs. In effect they are only covering HIV+ travellers at an additional premium who appear to be at no additional risk from their status than HIV- clients (or those that just don't know).
A refusal of cover may be difficult to deal with, especially if you are going away to forget about the very thing that is being clinically discussed by a third party.
For whatever reason, should you choose to ignore the whole issue of your status and you do suffer from any unforeseen illness while abroad, the support you receive from the holiday company/rep, may not be as expected.
Some companies appear to expect everyone to be 'happy with their status' and treat it as normal. If anything does go wrong, you may be surprised art their reaction, after all they are not family...
UK Insurers
I currently use an annual policy from EASY Travel Insurance. They cover people with HIV/AIDS.
• Easy Travel Insurance 0870 345 345 1
In essence, should you need medical assistance while away from home, they will get you home for treatment.
Ask for a quote then check their policy and prices against the other main HIV insurers which you can find absolutely anywhere.
For HIV cover search for 'HIV holiday insurance' in any search engine. (Their details, companies change too often to sustain a list here...)
Some +VE travellers travel with a standard holiday insurance, keeping their status to themselves, and rely on a credit card to buy a flight home should they need to return in an emergency (if the reason to return is obviously HIV related) This approach is based on the fact that 'you do not need to disclose your status to get treatment for a broken arm'. If you intend to do this ask your doctors advice before you travel (taking it is up to you), as you should at least be aware of the additional risks to your health at the time you intend to travel. Have a check up and make sure you are not already coming down with anything.
When traveling abroad, always carry your HIV drugs (or other medication) in your hand luggage, never in your case, luggage does go missing, even if only for a day or two.
It is useful to carry a list of the drugs you are taking and a 'traveling with medication' letter from your clinic. Try to keep your drugs in the original packaging.
Minimize the risk to yourself:
Does your medication need to be kept cool? During the summer in Ibiza it can get up 40ºC. Check with the hotel, travel agents, or holiday company that there is a fridge in your room, or that they can securely store medications for you (with guaranteed access when you need it).
Take extra medication, just in case you are delayed coming home, OR WANT TO STAY LONGER.
Take your clinic telephone numbers with you.
If you can, keep your medication in a safe. The casual thief may see the combination drugs as a possible high, or supply of 'E' to sell in the clubs.
If you hire a push bike or motorcycle, you may not fall off, but someone will run in to you, and the bugs in the gravel are not funny.
Carrying your combination, or any other drugs, around town can cause problems, the police can spot-check anyone. If you have got one 'E' they may confiscate it, and let you go, but a pocket full of combination drugs may be viewed as possible promotion prospects by an inexperienced arresting officer, and you could spend a night in a cell and miss your drugs.
Don't risk food poisoning. Keep off the sushi, or anything else that looks like it could be (a) heading towards making whale meat look like an acceptable food, or (b) need cooking.
Stick to bottled water at all times.
If the sea water is not clean, keep out of it, especially with low CD4 counts. You may put yourself at risks from stomach bugs, (diarrhoea and sickness) that can be bad enough to deal with alone, but it may stop your combination from being absorbed.
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