[True Story: Cairns Trip Part 2] One of the top 3 worst bouts of seasickness in my life... 5 lessons learned from a Green Island tour

Hello everyone!
I'm "R-chan," currently living a demi-pair life in Perth 😊

In my previous article, I shared what happened on my first day after leaving Japan and arriving in Cairns.

I checked into my Airbnb, and the next day was finally the Green Island tour I had been looking forward to most on this trip.

In this post, I will share my actual experience and the 5 lessons I learned from it, after suffering through one of the top 3 worst bouts of seasickness in my life during the Green Island tour.

……However, on this day, there was an "event that would rank in my top 3 most painful experiences" waiting for me (lol).
I would be happy if you could read this as a funny story.

I hope you can read this as a funny story.

🏝️ Booked a Green Island tour!

Actually, at first, I had booked an English-language tour to enjoy snorkeling at Fitzroy Island.
However, I had to undergo surgery right before leaving for Australia, so I was unable to enter the water.

So, I hurriedly changed my plans and switched to a Green Island tour that I could enjoy even without entering the water.
In the end, this choice was a great success.

As a result, this choice was a great success.

📱 The booking site I used was "GetYourGuide"

The site I used to book this time was a tour booking site called GetYourGuide.

I used the app, and it was very easy to use because I could manage everything in one place, including:

・Booking confirmation
・Ticket display
・Reminder notifications
・Calendar registration

It was very easy to use as I could manage everything in one place.

Of course, you can also book from the website, but I felt the app was more convenient while traveling.

I compared several booking sites before my trip, and among those I checked, I found better deals on GetYourGuide.

🚢 Here is the tour I joined this time!

I joined the Green Island day trip by
<Great Adventures Reef & Island Cruises>.
Green Island day trip.

・10:30 - 16:30
・Duration: Approx. 6-7 hours
・Language: Japanese-speaking staff available (*may vary depending on the day)
・Includes glass-bottom boat or snorkeling

That was the content.

Even if you are a little worried about your English, just having Japanese-speaking staff there provides a sense of security.

🌊 "Motion sickness medicine is sold on board"

After arriving at the port and finishing check-in, a staff member said one thing to me.
(Check-in was also available in Japanese.)

"Motion sickness medicine is sold on board."

......At that time,

"Well, it's a big boat, so it should be fine."

That's about what I thought.

As someone who is usually prone to motion sickness, I had brought motion sickness medicine from Japan.

However, I forgot it at my accommodation.
"Well, if I can buy it on the boat, it'll be fine."

Thinking so lightly was the biggest mistake of the day.

🤢 One of the top 3 worst bouts of seasickness in my life

As soon as I got on the boat, I headed to the second-floor seats.
That's because I thought seats exposed to the wind were less likely to cause sickness.

By the way, motion sickness medicine was sold on the first floor, but

"I don't want my seat to be taken!"

That feeling won out, and we departed just like that.

Thinking about it now, I should have prioritized the medicine over getting a seat 😂

For the first 10 minutes or so, I was thinking,
"I knew it, on a big boat like this, I'm totally fine!"

......But a few minutes later.The world changed in an instant.

The boat started rocking more violently than I had ever experienced before.Up and up.

Down.

Left.

Right.

"Wait, is it really shaking this much?"

The waves were so big that people standing up to take photos were almost thrown off balance.

I couldn't stop breaking out in a cold sweat, and I was suddenly hit by dizziness, nausea, and a strong sense of fatigue like when you have a high fever.
I couldn't even stand up.

"I want to go inside and lie down."
Even though I thought that, I was too scared to even let go of the chair.

That's how violently it was shaking.

I couldn't even speak.
"Haa... haa..."
Just breathing was all I could manage.

I didn't even have the energy to look at my watch.

I just desperately gripped the armrests of the chair,

"Please arrive soon..."

That was the only thing I was wishing for.

Out of the approximately 45 minutes we were on the boat, I was in this state for probably close to 30 minutes.

"Please, just arrive soon..."
"How many more minutes?"
"I can't take it anymore."

I seriously thought, "This might be the end of my life."
That's how painful it was (lol).

💊 I want to convey this one thing.

[I recommend preparing motion sickness medicine before you board.]

For those of you who are even slightly prone to motion sickness.
And for everyone like me who is approaching their 30s (lol).
Really, truly.
I wish I had taken motion sickness medicine before getting on the boat.

I
thought, "I can just take it later."

However, I do not recommend this decision.

You will end up like me (lol).

🐠 Even on the glass-bottom boat, I still got seasick (lol)

Once I arrived at Green Island, I recovered a little.
After that, a Japanese-speaking staff member showed me where to get motion sickness medicine, and I bought a slightly more expensive one.
I thought, 'This will be fine!'... but.
I still got seasick on the glass-bottom boat afterward (lol).

It wasn't as bad as before, but looking down made me feel sick, so I couldn't see the coral reefs that were the whole point (lol).
Even though it was a glass-bottom boat, all I ended up looking at was the sky (lol).

Still, the sea was crystal clear.

The sky was bright blue.

The breeze was pleasant.

Just that scenery alone made for a perfectly happy time.

🌴 A luxurious time spent on the island

Since I wasn't feeling 100% when I arrived at Green Island, I rented a beach chair.
I thought, 'I'll just rest for a bit.'

That was my intention, but it turned out to be the best decision I could have made.

In front of me was the emerald green sea.
Only the sound of the waves could be heard quietly.

And I realized that in the beach area where I was staying, the connection was unstable and there was almost no signal.

At first, I panicked a little, thinking, 'Wait, no service?'

But precisely because I couldn't use my smartphone,
I looked at the scenery,
read a book,
ate a slow meal,
and enjoyed the time doing nothing.

Before I knew it, I had spent time away from my phone for the first time in a while.

Nowadays, there is the term 'digital detox,' but I never expected to spend such a luxurious time doing that in Australia.

Even though I should have been in the worst mood because of the seasickness,

by the time I left, my feelings had changed to, 'I'm so glad I came after all.' That is how I felt.

A time when only the sound of the waves can be heard quietly.

In Japan, I find myself opening my smartphone the moment something happens.

Whether it's checking social media, replying to messages, or just passing time, I sometimes realize I spend more time looking at the screen than at the scenery.

But this day was different.

No notifications. No social media. Just gazing at the ocean.

I never realized that such a moment could be so luxurious.

💡 5 lessons learned from the Green Island tour

On this Green Island tour, there were many things I learned precisely because I went there, not just the fun parts.

Here, I will summarize the five things I learned from this trip 😊

1. Take motion sickness medicine 'before' boarding, not 'after'

This is the biggest lesson from this trip. Even though I brought motion sickness medicine from Japan, I forgot it at the hotel.

Thinking 'it will be fine if I can buy it on the boat' resulted in one of the top 3 worst cases of seasickness in my life. If you are prone to even slight motion sickness, I recommend preparing before you get on the boat.

2. Prioritize your physical condition over getting a seat

I felt like 'I have to get a good seat!' and chose to secure a seat rather than go buy motion sickness medicine.

Looking back now, I completely got my priorities wrong 😂

When traveling, you want to enjoy yourself because you've come all this way, but you must prioritize your own health first.

I learned that this is truly important.

3. Don't let your guard down even on a glass-bottom boat

Even though I took motion sickness medicine after arriving at Green Island, I still got seasick on the glass-bottom boat.

Don't let your guard down just because you rested once.

If you have plans to go on a boat, I felt it is important to consider your physical condition, including any subsequent travel or activities.

4. Be prepared for areas with unstable signal

On Green Island, there were times when communication was unstable in the beach area where I was staying.

When traveling, it is easy to think, "I'll be fine as long as I have my smartphone!"
but without a signal, you cannot look things up or use translation tools.

I had prepared the offline feature of Google Translate before my trip, so I felt at ease even in places where the signal was unstable.

When traveling abroad or on a working holiday to places with unstable signal, I recommend checking the features you can use offline in advance.

5. Make "doing nothing" part of the fun of the trip

This was the most surprising thing for me this time.

Precisely because I was feeling so unwell from seasickness, I didn't pack my schedule on Green Island and spent time relaxing on a beach chair.

I couldn't really use my smartphone.
I didn't check social media.
No notifications came in.
I just gazed at the ocean.

By spending time like that,

I felt, "Traveling isn't just about sightseeing a lot."
I realized.

When I go to a tourist spot, I feel like I have to see everything.

Since I've come all this way, I feel like I have to experience as much as possible.
Perhaps that is how I have been thinking until now.

But enjoying the time spent doing nothing as well,

I learned on Green Island this time that that is also one way to enjoy a trip.😊

🌏 A small piece of advice for those who are not good at English

I highly recommend the offline feature of Google Translate for overseas travel or working holidays.
If you download Japanese and English in advance, you can use translation even in places without a signal.

It provides peace of mind even in places with unstable communication, so I recommend setting it up before your trip.

Even for me, someone who is not good at English, just having "translation for emergencies" on my smartphone gave me a sense of security.😊

⚠️ Things you should prepare before going to Green Island

For those heading to Green Island,

I think you can enjoy your trip with peace of mind if you prepare at least these three things.

There were many things I thought, 'I wish I had done this!' after actually going there myself.
That is exactly why I don't want those going in the future to have the same experience 😂

🌈 Summary

One of the worst bouts of seasickness in my life.
Honestly, it was such a painful time that I thought I never wanted to get on a boat again (lol).

But even more than that,
'I'm glad I came.'
Green Island had scenery that made me feel that way.

To summarize what I learned from this Green Island tour,

These are the five things.

I still cannot forget the Great Barrier Reef sea that I saw for the first time since coming to Australia.

Since I had just had surgery, I gave up on entering the water this time, but next time I come to this place, I want to challenge myself to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef in perfect health.

I will definitely enter the water.

I want to see the Great Barrier Reef I saw that day with my own eyes from inside the water next time.

It was a day that gave me a new goal like that.

📢 Next Preview

The Cairns trip is finally in its final chapter.

While summarizing what I felt for the first time in Australia and things that surprised me by being 'different from what I thought!', I am finally heading to my destination, Perth.

Thank you for reading until the end.

If you found this helpful or want to say 'Sorry about the seasickness (lol)', I would be very happy if you could support me with a 'Like' or a follow.

Next time, I'm finally heading to Perth! 🇦🇺

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