Travelling can be an adventure of a lifetime, especially for Australians who love exploring and discovering new things.

Southeast Asia has been a go-to destination for adventurers with its rich culture, stunning landscapes, and warm hospitality.

However, recent events cast a shadow over the excitement of travellers, where an incident raised severe health and safety concerns.

The Australian government issued a warning to travellers heading to Southeast Asia, particularly Laos.

This warning came after alarming incidents involving suspected methanol poisoning, which left two Melbourne locals fighting for their lives.

The travellers, who are on life support as of writing, suffered after reportedly consuming methanol-laced drinks while in the region.

While it's okay to indulge during travels, Smartraveller urged Aussies to be vigilant about the drinks they consume in other countries. Image Credit: Pexels/Magda Ehlers

According to reports, two other travellers lost their lives to the poisoning, and at least a dozen more have been hospitalised.

In light of the incident, Smartraveller has updated its travel guidelines.

'Several foreign nationals, including Australians, have been victims in November 2024 of suspected cases of methanol poisoning through consuming alcoholic drinks,' the updated advice stated.

'Be alert to the potential risks, particularly with spirit-based drinks, including cocktails.'

Methanol, a toxic chemical commonly found in paint, fuel, and cosmetics, could be illegally added to alcoholic beverages as an alternative to ethanol.

Consuming Methanol, even in small quantities, could lead to blindness, kidney failure, or death.

The incidents should be a grim reminder of the risks associated with consuming alcohol in overseas destinations.

While trying local specialities and enjoying the nightlife should be part of the experience, it's crucial to remain vigilant about what travellers consume during their holidays.

Here are some tips to help you stay safe during your travels:

• Stick to sealed, branded bottles: When possible, choose beverages in their original, sealed containers. This reduces the risk of consuming altered food and drinks.
• Avoid homemade or unlabelled spirits: These drinks could contain Methanol or other contaminants.
• Be cautious with cocktails: Cocktails could mask the taste of Methanol, making it harder to detect. Ask the bartenders to prepare the drinks in front of you.
• Watch out for symptoms: Symptoms of methanol poisoning include headache, dizziness, nausea, and lack of coordination. If you or someone you're with starts to feel unwell, seek medical attention immediately.
• Travel with a buddy: Have a friend or companion who could look out for your well-being, especially if you plan to indulge in the local nightlife.
• Stay informed: Stay updated with the latest travel advisories from Smartraveller and register your travel plans in case of emergencies.

Our hearts go out to the families of the affected Aussie travellers, and we hope for a speedy recovery for those still battling the effects of this suspected poisoning.

Key Takeaways

• Australian travellers are warned about the risk of methanol poisoning after cases in Laos which involved Australians.
• Two Melbourne locals have been on life support, and there have been deaths and hospitalisations linked to the suspected poisoning.
• Smartraveller updated its guidelines urging caution towards spirit-based drinks, particularly cocktails.
• Methanol could be illegally added to alcohol, and small dosages could be fatal.

How do you keep yourself safe during travels? Share your tips and experiences with us in the comments below. Let's help each other stay informed and enjoy our travels without compromising our health.

 

[Lynnyrose]

How do I keep myself safe when travelling overseas? Firstly I DONT go to any Asian country particularly Indonesia (Bali) . Your only asking for trouble. People (particularly young ones) are going because of the cost. It's cheap. I hope a lot of young Australians are turned off by what has happened but I doubt it. Teenagers in particular think they are invincible.
It's very sad what has happened to these young girls & now one has died. And nothing will happen to the people responsible. So tragic!

 

[Jennylolo]

there are now 5 who have died- one USA, 2 Denmark, one Aus, one England. Too many. Several are still in hospital globally.

 

[mylittletibbies]

How do I keep myself safe when travelling overseas? Firstly I DONT go to any Asian country particularly Indonesia (Bali) . Your only asking for trouble. People (particularly young ones) are going because of the cost. It's cheap. I hope a lot of young Australians are turned off by what has happened but I doubt it. Teenagers in particular think they are invincible.
It's very sad what has happened to these young girls & now one has died. And nothing will happen to the people responsible. So tragic!

This is very sad and my heart goes out to the families of these young girls.
However I've been going to Bali for the last 35 years, and your wide spread condemnation is a bit OTT.
Millions of people from all over the world go there without any problems.
Care needs to be taken travelling in any country, not just with alcohol.

 

[Veggiepatch]

Consumption of 50 mL to 100 mL of pure methanol can result in death. It is most likely that methanol was added to an existing ethanol containing spirit.

Say, if the spirit was cut by 20% with methanol and a typical nip is 30 mL, this means that there is 6 mL per "drink".

So to ingest a lethal dose of methanol, one would have to consume from 8 to 16 of this 30 mL "drinks" - quite a decent drink for a teenager as is the case of Bianca Jones.

 

[mylittletibbies]

Consumption of 50 mL to 100 mL of pure methanol can result in death. It is most likely that methanol was added to an existing ethanol containing spirit.

Say, if the spirit was cut by 20% with methanol and a typical nip is 30 mL, this means that there is 6 mL per "drink".

So to ingest a lethal dose of methanol, one would have to consume from 8 to 16 of this 30 mL "drinks" - quite a decent drink for a teenager as is the case of Bianca Jones.

Unfortunately many young Australians go to Bali and drink way to much, and then act like absolute idiots.
I do not know what the solution to this problem is.
It is an embarrassment admitting you are Australian.
Obviously the Balinese are very dependant on Australian tourists, but their opinion of our Australian youth leaves a lot to be desired.
Some of the young girls are worse than the guys.

 

[Veggiepatch]

Unfortunately many young Australians go to Bali and drink way to much, and then act like absolute idiots.
I do not know what the solution to this problem is.
It is an embarrassment admitting you are Australian.
Obviously the Balinese are very dependant on Australian tourists, but their opinion of our Australian youth leaves a lot to be desired.
Some of the young girls are worse than the guys.

I have once been to Bali and that was in 1981. It was quite evident back then that the Javanese criminal element was putting its feelers out.

I have no doubt that the practice of adulterating alcoholic drinks with methanol has criminal connections anywhere in Asia. In June this year, over 36 people died in Tamil Nadu, India, from methanol tainted alcohol.

 

[Rosi Gordon]

I have travelled through Asia, Europe and the south pacific and the one rule I have always stuck to I will only drink from unopened bottles whether it's water, juice or anything else I feel like drinking. I would hate to be stuck in another country from 'delly belly' or what these tourists are going through.

 

[Rosi Gordon]

Unfortunately many young Australians go to Bali and drink way to much, and then act like absolute idiots.
I do not know what the solution to this problem is.
It is an embarrassment admitting you are Australian.
Obviously the Balinese are very dependant on Australian tourists, but their opinion of our Australian youth leaves a lot to be desired.
Some of the young girls are worse than the guys.

I've been to Bali and the behaviour of young Aussies was disgusting. Every day and night they are drowning in alcohol, vomiting and urinating in the streets by both girls and boys, fighting, hooking up with anyone and overall being an embarrassment to themselves and well as Australia. This was happening everywhere in Bali all the time and one place I would never return to again.

 

[marni]

Dozens? Could we please be more factual. So sad to hear about those that have lost their lives. Please schoolies (don’t think these were) do not go overseas, it’s unsafe enough in your own country.

 

[mylittletibbies]

I have once been to Bali and that was in 1981. It was quite evident back then that the Javanese criminal element was putting its feelers out.

I have no doubt that the practice of adulterating alcoholic drinks with methanol has criminal connections anywhere in Asia. In June this year, over 36 people died in Tamil Nadu, India, from methanol tainted alcohol.

Yes, you are correct. The Balinese people are very nice people, but the Javanese criminal element is a problem.
I had my bag snatched a few years ago and the police told me they were having problems with young gangs of Javanese guys on motorcycles snatching bags.

 

[drambuie69]

This type of behaviour, ie: adding methanol to drinks has been going on for years in South East Asia. You don't hear of 'locals' dieing from this poison, they know all about it because the people there are in on making it for the 'tourist market.' It is cheap and easy to produce with a ready market for it so the locals are in it for the money. I went overseas with three mates and we went to a night-club, not being a drinker ever I purchased a can drink and told the waiter to give me a sealed can and that I would open it. He gave me a 'very strange look and then grinned.... he knew why I had ordered the drink that way. Later that night both a mate and I went to use the 'amenaties' which were located out the back. We went out and whilst trying to find the amenaties we took a wrong turn and came across two locals sitting beside a 'still' set-up and pooring the clear liquid into bottles. There were also a number of labelled spirit bottles ie: Vodka, rum, burbon and whiskey lined up on a shelf. They were all up-side- down with the necks poking through a hole in the shelf. The two 'chemists' got a bit aggitated when they saw us standing there and yelled at us to 'get out.' We had a good idea what was going on, my mate took out some money and offered to buy a bottle, from the shelf and offerred more than what it was worth. One of the 'chemists' spoke some english and said that we 'no tell anyone, I sell you.' We agreed and my mate grabbed the bottle of 'Burbon.' and we left. Just as we cleared that room a 'senior ranking police officer' was walking down the corridor, he nodded to us, my mate indicated that the toilets were round to the right, he smiled and went directly to the 'chemist lab.' I looked around the corner and saw one of the 'chemists' count out a 'wad' of notes and hand them to the cop. We quickly left and when we got back to our table we grabbed our other mates and hurridly left. We decided to leave the area and went back to our hotel. There we inspected the bottle and found that a small hole had been drilled into the base of the bottle and then sealed with a clear wax. What these two 'grubs' were doing was draining some of the original alcohol out of the bottle and topping the bottle back up with the methanol then filling the hole with wax. Not wanting to go to a police station and report the matter for obvious reasons, we took the bottle and story to the Aust. Embassy. The lady we spoke to was not surprised about what we had seen and said there wasn't much they could do.
If you haven't noticed about the reporting on the two Aussie girls, there has been no mention about what the Police have done or progress with their enquiries. A lot of people in these tourist locations will do anything to maximise their profits and will sell to the tourists as they are the most suseptable. My answer is don't go there and spend money, or if you must and are attracted to the 'cheap cost of drinks', be aware that there are people there who don't care about a 'tourist death', they know that it won't be properly investigated by the local police, so they just carry on.

 

[mylittletibbies]

I've been to Bali and the behaviour of young Aussies was disgusting. Every day and night they are drowning in alcohol, vomiting and urinating in the streets by both girls and boys, fighting, hooking up with anyone and overall being an embarrassment to themselves and well as Australia. This was happening everywhere in Bali all the time and one place I would never return to again.

I stay in Sanur, much quieter and not so many young people.I would recommend Sanur to any seniors intending to go to Bali

Stay away from Kuta and surrounds.

 

[Veggiepatch]

Dozens? Could we please be more factual. So sad to hear about those that have lost their lives. Please schoolies (don’t think these were) do not go overseas, it’s unsafe enough in your own country.

According to reports, two other travellers lost their lives to the poisoning, and at least a dozen more have been hospitalised.

Not DOZENS!

 

[Julia TH]

Everyone is quick to condemn Bali, but this happened in Laos. Yes, be vigilant when travelling in SE Asia, but in Europe as well. My niece saw a man spike the drinks that she and her friends had ordered in Germany. She warned her friends and they left, although they were followed back to their hostel. The police were called and the man who had followed them was arrested. It turned out he was part of a group of Romanian people traffickers. Very scary.

 

[Dynamo]

I have travelled through Asia, Europe and the south pacific and the one rule I have always stuck to I will only drink from unopened bottles whether it's water, juice or anything else I feel like drinking. I would hate to be stuck in another country from 'delly belly' or what these tourists are going through.

Good idea

 

[Ebby]

What a horrible dreadful cruel thing to do to these girls .What is wrong with these people?

 

[Scoobydoo]

What a horrible dreadful cruel thing to do to these girls .What is wrong with these people?

What is wrong with these people, everything they don't give a shit about human life especially foreigners, it's all about the money! Nothing will be investigated properly about this because the money trail goes all the way to the top. I hope tourist stay away from the place. Smiling faces whilst they kill you.

 

[peteloo]

When we visited Vietnam, we see people enjoying street side noodle soup. Looks delicious but we decided not to try the food when we saw the way the seller “recycled” washing water to wash the bowls. And also using some of the water to wash the vegetables.
No thanks - we were not going to get bacteria infection through food.

 

[Parrot]

The answer is if in doubt don’t Eat/Drink out .. you pay more in the Hotel BUT at least your safe
From getting poisoned.