Seasickness on a Komodo boat: choosing cabins for a team

Seasickness depends on the sea and on the person. The sea is the part we can describe: calm from April to June and in October and November, windier in July and August, rough in the wet months of December to March. Most legs between stops take 30 to 90 minutes, and the first leg from Labuan Bajo to Kelor takes 50 to 70 minutes.

The person is the part we cannot judge. A guest who has never sailed may be fine, and a seasoned traveller may not be. The planning rule is to ask the team before the rooming list is final, not after the first morning. A calm month does not remove the risk, and a rough month does not guarantee it; the season table on the when-to-go page gives odds, not promises. A short, honest line in the invitation does more good than silence: legs are short, stops are frequent, and swims and walks break up the time on the water.

On a boat of any kind, motion is usually felt least low in the hull and near its middle. Zada Ulla's Master and Suite are on the upper deck; for any other cabin we confirm the deck in writing. We do not describe motion for any cabin. If you need a firm answer for a named guest, we ask and give it to you in writing.

We give no medical advice. A guest who is concerned should ask a doctor or a pharmacist before travelling, and bring any medication in its original packaging. Pharmacies in Labuan Bajo have a limited choice, so the supply should come from home. Carry prescription medicine in its original packaging with the doctor's letter, and declare it on the arrival card where the rules ask.

Put the question in the dietary and medical line of the producer's checklist: any guest who expects to need a remedy, and any guest who must avoid one. That line goes to the captain and crew with the manifest, and we confirm in writing what the boat can do with it.

Two non-medical habits are standard travel advice rather than a treatment. Drink water through the day, eat what the chef serves at regular times, and tell the crew early if you feel unwell; the crew can help, and a guest can rest in the cabin while the group walks. Meals on board are four on a 2D1N, seven on a 3D2N and ten on a 4D3N charter, so there is regular food, and the dietary line tells the chef what to avoid. The itinerary notice applies here as everywhere: the route may change with weather, current and season, and the captain decides the change on the day.