Thinking of cruising the Galapagos Islands, but worried about sea sickness… Take it from someone whose been – and gotten sick – it’s still worth it!
The classic 8-day yacht cruise is a great way to see all the Galapagos Islands has to offer. You see more animals, visit more islands and – on occasion – get to see some whales or dolphins passing by. With all the benefits of a yacht-based tour, it’d be a shame to miss out just because you’re worried about maybe getting seasick.
Some tips for keeping seasickness at bay:
1. Our guide on board the M/Y Letty told us – after fifteen minutes of being on board that we should already be able to tell if we were seasick prone. First mistake, I got competitive. My boss told me stories of being on a fishing boat in Alaska and I thought… awesome! That would be crazy! I could do that! So I ignored the somewhat off feeling I felt in the hopes of discovering my hardcore inner sailor. Three hours later I was not so hardcore.
2. Know your course. With briefings each evening your guide(s) will let you know what to expect. They even told us “Hey, at 4pm after your siesta and before the dingy ride this would be a good time to take a sea sickness pill.” Our boat even had a little candy dish of Dramamine. As long as I remembered to take a pill when they said to, I did fine
3. Over-the-counter Medication: I took Dramamine. I also heard of people using Bonine. The upside to these tablets – they’re easy to get and they worked. Even if I happened to take it a bit late. The downside – you need to remember to take it, which sounds like a no brainer but when your out playing all day it’s easy to forget. Also, they can make you drowsy – even the non-drowsy formulas.
4. Prescriptions: Patches (Scopolamine): These seem to be the way to go. A lot of my shipmates had them. They didn’t feel an inkling of seasick. The small, circular patches are placed inconspicuously behind the ear. They can be worn for up to 3 days (which means much less remembering) and provide time-released doses of the medication. The only downside I see is you have to make a trip to the doctor to get them.
Promethazine (Phenergan). Suppose to be very effective at settling the most violent of sea tummies. Side effects tend to be sleepiness. I get the impression that it’s more of a last resort – nothing else is working drug. And for those troubled few that have problems keeping a pill down they also offer it as a rectal suppository and an injection. Probably not a necessity for Galapagos waters.
5. Natural Remedies: The sea-band is a skinny, wristband that has a plastic stud protruding out of it. The stud is to be placed on the Nei Kuan acupressure point on each wrist. I was skeptical, but being that I worked in health food store and we sold them I had to try it.
When I was actually feeling nauseous they took the edge off. I would not recommend them as a way to ward off feeling sick. But they’re good to have around when you are actually feeling seasick.
Ginger and peppermint are good anit-nausea remedies. You can find them in pill form at health food stores or, if you’re like me, get the little ginger chews (crystallized) – makes a great snack while protecting against nausea 
They also sell hard candies – just be sure your buying candies that actually use the herb for flavoring and not some phony chemical cocktail.
With so many preventative options available - that work well for most people – there’s no reason to forgo a destination because of sea travel. Just be prepared.
Eric, Letty, Flamingo I in the Galapagos Islands
New Galapagos Islands departure for solo travlers on the Eric, Letty, Flamingo I yachts February 13-20, 2011!
Ecoventura is offering a designated cruise departure on their flagship Galapagos yachts catering to SOLO Travelers for the first time the week of February 13-20 2011. This trip is perfect for those who prefer to travel with other single travelers.
They are offering 3 singles, 2 triples and requests for shared rooms on both dolphin and iguana decks. Best of all, this departure date is on the early bird promotion (5% off)!
Contact Detour for more information!
Awesome Wildlife Viewing in the Galapagos Islands
ECUADOR AND GALAPAGOS TRIP REPORT
Galapagos on the Eric, Quito City Tour, and Whitewater Rafting the Rios Toachi and Blanco. Trip Report from Traveler Karen Gardner, who traveled with her husband and daughter in July/August, 2009.
I just wanted to let you know how great our trip was. First of all our arrival in Quito, it was so nice to have David from Metropolitan Touring meet us at the airport. Metropolitan consistently outdid themselves with great tours and guides and service. We had Henry as a guide twice, once for the city tour and once for the Cotopaxi trip. He was fantastic and adjusted the trip to best meet our interests. Richard took us to Otavalo and he was also terrific.
The Patio Andaluz was wonderful. The service and accommodations were superb. We really enjoyed the location and in fact, ate at the restaurant there a couple times. We enjoyed the atmosphere and food. We were in the midst of all the action with the independence day celebrations which went on for a whole week!
The absolute highlight for all of us was the trip to the Galapagos. Ecoventura gave us a fantastic adventure on the Eric. The boat was perfect and for the most part the people we shared the trip with were wonderful people. There is always one exception as we had a family from Vermont along who were owners of a travel company and were extremely critical and not particularly engaged to see, learn and experience the Galapagos. The guides (Alexis and Pepe) were very tolerant of their behaviour and handled their annoying behaviour very professionally. We were all happy to see them leave after the 4th night. It was clearly not the kind of trip they should have been on with their two badly behaved children! I may write a note to Ecoventura (I’ll copy you) to support the guides, who the family complained about almost immediately when they got off the boat.
Espanola Island
We’re just looking at our pictures and are still pinching ourselves in disbelief over the experience we had on the Galapagos. My 14 year old daughters favourite was swimming with a playful sea lion for over 30 minutes at a beach the last day. The sea lion was swimming all around us and coming very close to our faces and blowing bubbles at us. It was so cool. My favourite thing was all the snorkeling we did. We saw and swam very close to giant sea turtles, penguins, sharks, sea lions and lots of fish. My husband fell in love with all the colorful fish. On land, it was hard not to love the many birds. My hair ended up looking like a baby Frigate by the end of the week! We have pictures of our daughter up close (within 2 ft) of a Galapagos Juvenile Hawk that was right on the path. He didn’t even put his foot down, he stayed in his relaxed stance on one foot.
I would recommend this sized boat to anyone going to the Galapagos and the extended trip of 7 nights made the trip relaxing as well as worthwhile to get to some of the farther islands and away from the traffic. The food was tasty, healthy and accommodating to any taste. The crew put on a birthday party for my husband’s 60th birthday. I had ordered a cake but they pulled out guitars and various noisemakers/instruments including a cheese grater and sang us some Ecuadorian songs. They even decorated with balloons and streamers. It was great fun.
The other trip we did was the rafting and it was a bit more on the rustic side but turned out to be great fun. It was a long drive but we got to see more of the countryside down to Santo Domingo. The people from the adventure company were great.
Thank you for all your recommendations and help putting the trip together. I wouldn’t have changed a thing. We did discover a funky little restaurant in Quito, just a block from the Patio Andaluz. It’s called Vista Hermosa at Mejia 453 y Garcia Moreno, up the elevator to the top floor. It’s really inexpensive and has a great view. The food was really good and it seemed to be pretty authentic and non-touristy although the menu was in English as well as Spanish. We also had a great meal at La Chosa in the new part of Quito and it was excellent.
Let me know if you ever need a reference. I’d be happy to recommend your company and hope to save up some money to book again with you!
Kind regards,
Karen Gardner
Mitad del Mundo -- The Equator
Hybrid technology is showing up everywhere and now it’s in the Galapagos Islands. In November, the M/Y Eric (part of the M/Y Eric, Letty, and Flamingo I fleet operated by Ecoventura) became the first hybrid boat in the Islands .
In October 2008, 40 solar panels and 2 wind generators were installed on the Eric. The goal of the project is that 17% (or more) of the vessel’s power will come from solar and wind sources. The project was financed by Toyota, a producer of hybrid cars and a supporter of the World Wildlife Fund.
Ecoventura has continually set the pace in ecological innovation and commitment for Galapagos operators. We hope that this will help pave the way for other yachts to incorporate renewable energy sources in their operations.
Don’t Miss out on a great Galapagos trip at a special price!
There are some great deals on Galapagos Islands Travel this year, especially for those of you able to take off on short notice.
One of these awesome specials is the Galapagos Islands on the Eric, Letty, and Flamingo I by Ecoventura, Nov 2-9, 2008. They are offering 5% off the trip price, and will waive the fuel surcharge of $125.00 per person for this departure. The 5% off is off of the normal prices of: $ 2675.00 per person on the Iguana deck, $2995.00 on the Booby Deck, and $3250.00 on the Dolphin Deck.
I was on the Flamingo I in September, 2008, and had an awesome time! The itinerary is one of the most comprehensive in the Galapagos, as it goes to Genovesa (Tower), Isabela, F
ernandina, and Espanola, as well as visiting the central islands such as Bartolome.
The boats themselves are quite comfortable, and my Dolphin Deck cabin had great views out the picture windows. The cabins on the lower decks are equally nice. One of the best features was the large, comfortable top deck — our group loved hanging out up there watching whales and enjoying the sunset.
On our trip we got close to 4 different pods of whales, 2 pods of dolphins, and saw lots and lots of penguins and sea turtles, among other species. On one snorkel at Isabela I had about 8-10 penguins swim past me at the same time, and on a snorkel at Puerto Egas, James Bay, I was surrounded by 7 sea turtles, all mellowly munching on plankton while we drifted in a small wave surge.
It was a great trip—large comfortable boat, great staff and food, and an awesome itinerary. Don’t miss this discounted trip, the Galapagos Islands on the Eric, Letty, and Flamingo I, if you can travel on short notice!
Reserve your space today before its gone!
To reserve the trip or to get more information on this Last Minute Special, contact Detour:
USA 720-246-8884
info@detourdestinatons.com
