So, I’ve travelled a bit, so I thought I’d be fine planning my trip with only 4 weeks to spare. Looking at flights, somehow it was $300 cheaper to go via Japan instead of flying straight from Brisbane to Madagascar. So yep, I’ve decided to stop off and visit my family in Tokyo during Golden Week. Bonus detour!

First up, I realised I knew nothing about Madagascar except that there are lemurs and chameleons. I had to research basic stuff like the weather. Turns out May is the start of the cooler season, so I’ll need layers – which works out, since that’s exactly how we roll in winter in Brisbane. Layers, layers, here we come.

I haven’t been proper hiking since Nepal in 2011, so I know I need to invest in some decent gear – like those excellent, very fashionable zip-off hiking pants. I’m hoping to find a pair in one of the epic op shops in Japan. (If you’ve never been to an op shop in Japan, you are missing out. Make it your top priority, get some cool stuff, THEN go sight-seeing, then you’ve got cool stuff to pose in).

Vaccinations. This is something you should really sort out way earlier than I did. I needed tetanus (Boostrix), flu, Hep A, typhoid, cholera (oral), and rabies. Since I only decided three weeks before my trip to sort it all, I ended up with multiple muscular injections in both arms in a short amount of time. It felt like I got punched real hard in both sides. Not ideal when you’ve got weekly pickleball dates with Tazel (sorry guys).

Now, what I didn’t know: there are two types of rabies vaccines. The IM (intramuscular) method is $195 per injection (you need two), and the ID (intradermal) method is $70 per shot (also two). The ID method is for healthy people under 50, so I was stoked to qualify. Buuuuuut I didn’t realise you need the two shots at least seven days apart, then wait two more weeks, and then get a blood test to check your antibody levels. Since I left it too late, I had to go with the pricier IM option so I’d be covered in time before leaving the country. Add on travel doctor consult fees and nurse time, and it adds up. Thankfully, my travel doc was fantastic and the nurse was HILARIOUS, which made the whole jab-fest and expensiveness all worth it. I’ll need a booster later on to get long-term protection – just in case visiting Madagascar becomes a regular thing.

Malaria meds: My GP first gave me a weekly option called mefloquine, but my travel doc vetoed that quick-smart. Apparently, if you’ve ever had any mental health stuff (I’m on meds for PMDD), mefloquine is not recommended – it can cause depression and hallucinations. Ahhhh no thanks. So I’ve been prescribed doxycycline instead. Less dramatic side effects but probs some runny poos so have to take some travel probiotics, immodium etc to help with that. But with doxy, I have to take it every day and continue for 28 days after my trip, because malaria can stay dormant in your system. And since mozzies already think I’m an all-you-can-eat buffet, I need to take this seriously and also take enough repellent that’s enough for like an army.

I also found out some doctors don’t update your vaccination records to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR), and discovered some old vaccine records from 2016 (yes I’m a hoarder). Turns out I already had Yellow Fever – and it’s still valid. Score! (even though I don’t actually need it for this trip).

I’ve also been prescribed other meds to take with me:

• Ondansetron for nausea/vomiting
• Azithromycin for traveller’s diarrhoea
• Cephalexin just in case I get a wound or UTI while I’m out bush

I’ve also got other stuff like:

• Hydralytes (to keep my hydrated)
• Aquatabs (to purify drinking water)
• Lacteeze (cos I’m assuming I won’t really have ‘lactose-free’ options)
• Immodium (to stop normal light diarrhoea)
• Travel Probiotics (with Saccharomyces cerevisiae)
• Ginger bears (cos they’re delicious)
• Travel Calm (both ginger and the original stuff – who knows what kind of transport I’ll be in, plus the original stuff makes me super drowsy so good for if I want to sleep on plane)

Equipment stuff I have:

• First aid kit (a billion bandaids of all sizes)
• Insect repellent spray AND Insect repellent lotion (wanted to double bug repel)
• Rechargeable lights/headlamps
• Grayl filtered water bottle
• Gum boots and gaiters
• Hiking boots
• Trail sandals
• Rain jacket
• Travel umbrella
• Travel tripod
• Camera equipment (2 x mirrorless cameras and various lenses plus extra batteries and SD cards)
• DJI Osmo 4 (plus extra batteries)
• Travel battery banks (not sure how often we’ll have electricity!)
• Travel laptop (surface pro)

Yes you could say I am like overprepared, but I know that once I get there, there’s no shops so I neeeeed everything I could possibly need to not get sick and get enough footage.