Episode Show Notes
The Primitive Travelers Survival Guide is Tom Rowland's field-tested checklist for staying healthy on fishing trips to remote, primitive destinations. About 90% of ruined trips come down to five things — the water you drink, too much sun, foodborne illness, a cold or flu picked up in transit, and minor injuries. On Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 26 (How 2 Tuesday #2), Tom walks through exactly how to avoid each one so a trip you saved hard for does not get wrecked by something completely preventable.
Listen now: Spotify · Apple Podcasts · or press play in the player above.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Primitive Travelers Survival Guide?
It is a How 2 Tuesday episode in which Tom Rowland shares the health and safety lessons he has learned traveling to remote fishing destinations like Christmas Island, Honduras, and the Caribbean. He explains that roughly 90% of ruined trips trace back to five causes — bad water, too much sun, foodborne illness, a cold or flu, and minor injuries — and gives a practical plan to avoid each one so you can actually enjoy the trip you paid for.
How do you avoid getting sick from the water on a remote fishing trip?
Treat the local water as off-limits for drinking, even if locals drink it fine. Buy a case of bottled water when you arrive, keep bottles by the sink, and cover the faucet with a towel so you do not brush your teeth with tap water out of habit. Wipe the tops of cans and avoid ice in drinks, since ice is made from local water. Be careful with coffee too — heated water may not be boiled long enough to be safe, so Tom brings instant coffee and mixes it with bottled water.
How should you protect yourself from the sun on a tropical fishing trip?
For the first couple of days, cover up completely: long pants, a long-sleeve shirt, a buff over your face and neck, a hat, and sunglasses. Destinations near the equator have far stronger sun than most people are used to, and on the flats — with wet legs and the sun at your back — you often do not feel how badly you are burning. A first-day sunburn can keep you off the water the next day, so save the shorts for later in the trip.
How do you avoid foodborne illness at a fishing lodge?
Many remote locations do not refrigerate food the way you are used to. Fresh catch and prepared items like fish salad can sit out for hours in a hot kitchen. When in doubt, go with the safe bet — peanut butter and jelly or sealed deli meat — and consider bringing some of your own food. A week of PB&J beats a few days of being sick.
How do you avoid getting a cold or flu on the way to a fishing trip?
Most travel illness is picked up on the plane during a long flight. Wash your hands frequently and keep your hands away from your eyes, nose, and mouth. Many experienced travelers also carry a Z-Pak or other medication from their doctor in case they come down with something — talk to your physician before the trip about what makes sense to bring.
What should be in your travel medical and foot-care kit?
Tom packs a kit on every trip: a foot-care setup with a needle and alcohol wipes for blisters, moleskin, gauze, and Neosporin for minor cuts that can turn serious far from a pharmacy. He also carries anti-diarrhea medicine, Tums, electrolyte powders like Gatorade or DripDrop for recovery, Advil, aloe and sunburn cream, 100% zinc-oxide block, and a backup pair of sunglasses. Wearing broken-in boots prevents most foot injuries in the first place.
How to Stay Healthy on a Primitive Fishing Trip
Here is the five-part checklist I walk through in the episode.
- Control your water. Drink only bottled water, cover the bathroom faucet, skip ice, wipe can tops, and use instant coffee mixed with bottled water.
- Respect the sun. Cover up for the first couple of days — pants, long sleeves, a buff, a hat, and sunglasses — and save shorts for later in the trip.
- Eat the safe bet. Avoid food that has been sitting out; lean on peanut butter and jelly or food you bring yourself.
- Guard against cold and flu. Wash your hands on the plane, keep them off your face, and ask your doctor about carrying a Z-Pak just in case.
- Prevent and treat injuries. Wear broken-in boots and pack a foot-care and medical kit with moleskin, Neosporin, electrolytes, and pain relief.
I go through the exact reasoning and a few hard-won stories behind each one in the audio. Press play in the player above for the full guide.
Why I Made This One
I have been fortunate to fish some genuinely primitive places — Christmas Island, Honduras, parts of Central America and the Caribbean. I have also watched people, myself included, come down with things that made an expensive, once-in-a-lifetime trip miserable. The frustrating part is that almost all of it was avoidable. This episode is the list I wish someone had handed me before my first trip.
Water Is the Number One Way Trips Get Ruined
If you only fix one thing, fix the water. It is the single most common way I have seen anyone get sick, and it sneaks up on you — a rinse of the toothbrush, an ice cube in a soda, a hot coffee that was never actually boiled. I explain the small habits that keep tap water out of your system entirely, including the towel-over-the-faucet trick that has saved me more than once. Listen to that section for the full routine.
Sun, Food, and the Twelve-Hour Plane Ride
The sun near the equator is not the sun you are used to, the kitchen is not refrigerated the way yours is, and the plane is a sealed tube full of other people's germs for half a day. None of those have to take you down. I break down how I cover up, what I am willing to eat, and what I do on the flight so I arrive ready to fish instead of ready for bed. Hear the details in the episode.
The Kit I Pack on Every Trip
I bring the same medical and foot-care kit whether I am headed to Christmas Island or somewhere in the United States, because the stuff that turns a minor problem into a trip-ender is almost always something simple you did not pack. Broken-in boots, moleskin, Neosporin, electrolytes, zinc oxide, and a spare pair of sunglasses do not weigh much, and any one of them can save a day on the water. I run through the whole list in the audio.
Listen to the full guide: Spotify · Apple Podcasts · or press play in the player above.
Final Thoughts From Me
You work hard to earn a trip like this, and the difference between a great one and a ruined one usually is not the fishing — it is whether you took care of a handful of small, boring things before they became big ones.
Watch the water, respect the sun, eat the safe bet, protect yourself on the plane, and pack a real kit. Do those five things and you give yourself the best possible shot at enjoying every day you are out there. Send me your questions for future How 2 Tuesday episodes at podcast@saltwaterexperience.
Places & Topics Mentioned
Christmas Island · Honduras · Costa Rica · the Caribbean · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
About Tom Rowland
Tom Rowland is a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, the host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series he breaks down one practical skill at a time — fishing technique, gear, travel, and the habits that keep him performing on the water — in concise, ten-minute episodes.