Seasickness on a Komodo sailing trip: what helps

It depends on the month more than on the boat. The sea rates as calm in April, May, June, October and November. March, September and December are moderate. January, February, July and August are rough, with the wind building from June and the swell peaking in the wet months.

These are monthly ratings, not forecasts, and the weather on your own dates can land anywhere in that range. A calm month can still hand you a bad day, and a rough month can hand you three good ones.

Much of the route runs between islands, not across open ocean, which cuts the long swell. Wind still builds chop between the islands in July and August. Bombana 1 and Bombana 2 run the same printed route, so the month is the thing to look at. The month-by-month page has the table.

Tide and current add a layer that no monthly rating can capture, since a stop can be choppy on a calm-rated day and flat on a rough-rated one. The captain reads the water on the day. Plan for the range, not the average.

Eat lightly on the morning of day 1. An empty stomach makes it worse. So does a heavy, greasy one. Sleep well the night before, and skip the late party in Labuan Bajo.

Many travellers take a motion-sickness tablet before they board. This is third-party advice, not ours. The guidance on the packet is to take it 30 to 60 minutes before you start, and some tablets cause drowsiness. Ask a pharmacist or your doctor, especially if you're pregnant, taking other medicine or travelling with a child.

Wristbands and ginger help some people, and we can't promise they will help you. If you know you get sick in cars or on ferries, plan for it now, not at the jetty. Meet the guide with the plan already made. Pack the tablet in your day bag, not in your suitcase, so it is in reach.

Keep your eyes on the horizon. Stay in fresh air on deck instead of down in a cabin, where the movement is felt more and the view is gone. Sit near the middle of the boat, where the motion is smallest.

Don't read or stare at your phone while the boat is moving. Sip water, nibble something dry, and stay out of closed spaces, especially near the engine. A hat and sunglasses stop the glare, which adds to the feeling.

If you feel it starting, act then. Waiting until you are green makes everything harder, because by that point the usual fixes, like a tablet or a sip of water, are slower to work and harder to keep down. Tell the guide, move to the middle of the deck and look at the farthest line you can see. The feeling passes for many people once they are still, and the stops are there to give you that.

No cabin on Bombana 1 or Bombana 2 is rated smoother than another. The month matters far more than the room.

The middle and lower parts of a boat move least. On Bombana 2 the lower-deck sharing cabin, with a queen bed and a single, is the lowest. The master and the balcony cabin are on the upper deck, and the private cabin and the larger sharing cabin are on the main deck.

If motion worries you, tell us when you book. The cabins page has every cabin.

If you get seasick easily, avoid July and August, when the south-east wind makes the sea rough. The same goes for January and February, when the wet season brings the roughest water and the lowest visibility.

Pick April to June or October and November if you can, because those 5 months are rated calm. The sea is calm, the water is clear and the stops are less crowded in the shoulder of the year. September is moderate, with the wind easing.

If your dates are fixed, the trip still works. Take your preparation more seriously, start it earlier, choose a sitting spot early, and tell the guide on day 1. Rough months still run the printed route, and the captain decides each day what the water allows. Simple as that.

Early. Tell the guide on the first morning that you are prone, so they know who to check on. They can't fix the sea, and they can pick a seat for you and bring water and something dry to eat.

Tell them again the moment you feel it. Don't wait until you're sick. The guide would rather help you at the first sign than at the last.

You won't spoil anyone's trip by asking. Most people on a boat have felt it once. Here's a checklist you can copy:

• Check the month before you book
• Eat lightly on the morning of day 1
• Ask a pharmacist about a tablet, and take it 30 to 60 minutes before boarding
• Sit near the middle, outside, eyes on the horizon
• Tell the guide early, not late