Holiday Tips - Health & Safety

Sunburn

After all that good food and wine, DON'T Fall Asleep In The Sun, no matter how tempting the warm sunshine, cool breezes and gentle lapping of the waves on the shore.

DO apply sunblock to raised areas like tops of feet, thighs, boobs, lips, nose, forehead, backs of calves, arms, bottom and shoulders. If you see some poor soul asleep and fast lobstering in the sun, do them a favour and gently awaken and warn them.

Be careful to re-apply sun lotion after prolonged periods in the water, there is no 100% waterproof sun cream! A t-shirt is the equivalent of sun-factor 25. This means you can stay in the sun 25 times longer with a t-shirt on than without (you will still get burnt after a while!)

Useful advice on tanning and sun care products, from Coppertone

If you've read this bit too late (for this holiday), you'll find vinegar, the colder the better, applied over the sore areas will soothe and prevent peeling. Never scrub a burned skin.

Heat Rash

Most commonly caused by too many layers of tanning product. The pores get clogged, can't breathe, and set up an irritation.

Gippy Tummy, Sore Throat & Dizziness

Downing iced drinks in the blazing sun causes severe temperature clashes in your system, resulting in the above symptoms. As these are seldom felt till many hours later, possibly after a meal, it is easy to wrongly blame the food! Remember, a body temperature drink in the sun; an iced drink once you've cooled down in the shade.

Although the local water is generally safe to drink, its best to buy bottled water, cheapest in the giant sizes. It's comforting to know that All Food Establishments And Public Swimming Pools are subject to spot checks & analysis by vigilant health inspectors, who have the right to shut down those infringing the stringent regulations.

The Red Cross, marked on the Ibiza map in the Avenida Espana, has a 24 hour emergency ambulance service. There is always a CHEMIST (Farmacia) OPEN 24 HOURS. The duty roster is posted on the doors of all chemists which are marked on each Town Map. Spanish chemists are wizards at recommending the equivalent of your English medicine, or suggesting an excellent Spanish alternative.

Important telephone numbers

Passports & Safety

Your passport is the property of H.M. Government, although your accommodation will require it for a maximum of 24 hours for registration purposes.

In the event of you breaking any local law the police will forfeit it so that it may be produced in Court. No one else has the right to take possession of your passport.

Although Ibiza has a low crime rate, it's always a good idea to take safety measures, so here goes:

Make a note of:

• Your Passport number and details
• Travellers Cheques numbers
• Holiday Insurance Document (name of company, where to claim, whom to consult etc.)
• Keep this information apart from the Documents, so you can produce it in the event of theft or loss.

Frustrate the highspeed bag snatchers by walking on the inside of the pavement and hold your bag on the side of your body away from the kerb. NEVER LEAVE BAGS UNATTENDED. Take only what you need when going out, leaving the rest, in an insured safety deposit box at your accommodation.

Theft and Robbery

If your passport or valuables are stolen, you should report this to the police (Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil) - if you are going to make a claim on your holiday insurance then it will be necessary for you to have a copy of the police report. To do it yourself by visiting the police station would probably involve you having an interpreter. Therefore it is better (and faster) to make the report over the phone:

• Call 902 102 112 and ask for someone who speaks English (If all operators are busy, you will hear a Spanish announcement followed by music - just hold the line until you are put through).
• The interpreter, who is trained by the police, will take the details of your incident and input them in Spanish onto the Internet. 
• When you have finished providing the information, the interpreter will tell you from which police station you can collect a copy of the report, for Ibiza this is the 
  Policía Nacional in Ibiza-Town, Avenida de la Paz s/n, Tel.: 971 39 88 31.
• You will be given a reference number. 
• When you give this reference number in at the police station they will download the report from the Internet, check it, examine any damage your possessions may have suffered and you will be given the certified copy of the report for your insurers.

This doesn’t cost anything, you only pay for the telephone call.

Read more:

• Food & Drink
• Shopping
• Ladies First
• Transport
• Taxi fares
• Telephone
• Spanish Phrases

Print version