Keeping Healthy and Avoiding Upset Stomachs When you Travel

When traveling to a foreign country, one of the biggest worries is "is the food safe to eat or will it make me ill?" The infamous effects of consuming the local food and drinking water abroad have acquired many names: Montezuma's Revenge (Mexico), The Pharaoh's Curse (Egypt), etc. The most frequent cause, by far, is poor food hygiene and contaminated water. You should prepare yourself for all possibilities if you are to stay clear of these effects altogether.

Avoiding the main causes of illnesses is relatively easy. Stay away from eating raw or undercooked meat, and be cautious of seafood. Be wary of poorly cooked cream sauces and unpasteurized dairy products. And always wash fresh fruit, even if served at a restaurant. Thoroughly-cooked and packaged foods are usually safe, as is bottled water. Buy from stores instead of street vendors, as they sometimes rebottle tap water and pass it off as genuine. Alcoholic beverages, carbonated soft drinks, and properly boiled teas and coffees should be safe as well. Since local hygiene and food preparation standards vary from country to country, check out reports or blogs from people who have had experience vacationing in your destination. Don't assume local restaurants will be overly cautious about their food preparations, and if you feel that their standards are lacking, go somewhere else; it is not worth ruining a trip over.

Most hotels exercise caution with their water and have appropriate filtering systems in place. If you find that this is not the case, you may have to resort to using bottled water only, even for brushing your teeth. For hand washing, you can always use convenient antibacterial wipes, so bring a supply wherever you visit and clean your hands before handling any food.

Sometimes the problem is simply that we aren't used to the purifying agents and chemicals used by other countries. In this case, even clean drinking water will cause illness and discomfort. Egyptian water, for example, has a reputation for causing stomach cramps and diarrhea. The main cause is usually not bacteria, but in how the water is treated; however, over a long period of use the body can acclimatize to it quite easily. Good water filters can help reduce these chemical compounds, so consider taking one. There are also products that can kill 99% of bacteria in water supplies. Sticking to safe bottled water is still the best way to reduce the chances of being affected.

Finally, a word about medications. Nausea is often a side effect of vaccinations taken to combat the common illnesses in certain countries, so consult with your doctor on which inoculations you absolutely need. Malaria shots are infamous for making travelers feel unwell. As always, good research can prevent unnecessary hassle and headaches.

Stomach cramps and nausea can put a sour twist on even the most wonderful of vacations, so follow this advice and stay healthy, happy, and relaxed on your journeys. For more advice and answers to your travel questions, visit TripMama's Travel Forums , where you will find our Online Travel Community eager to help and share their experiences.

"Tina Halford" is a Senior Writer & Journalist working with TripMama Tina writes articles with special focus on the airlines discussion boards, besides sharing travel tips and nuggets on booking air travel deals, hotels, tour packages and travel destinations.

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