How to Avoid Diarrhea While Traveling

Nothing can disrupt a long-awaited vacation more than having to run off and find a bathroom every 20 minutes. Here are tips on how to avoid intestinal distress while you're on the road.

1

Ask your doctor for a preventative diarrhea prescription before you travel, especially if you already know that you are susceptible to this condition.

2

Clean and dry your hands thoroughly before touching any food. If hot water and soap aren't available to do this, carry a packet of disinfecting wipes in your purse or backpack.

3

Survey every eating establishment before ordering any meals. The tabletop serving spaces should be clean and there should be no signs of open trash, flies or rodents. The bathrooms should likewise be fastidious since the employees who work there are going to be in and out of them all day and handling the food that's brought to your table. If anything looks suspect, trust your instincts and move on.

4

Order hot tea with your meals but ask that the tea bag be brought separately. In this way, you can pour a little hot water on the washcloth and wipe off the utensils, glasses, and dishes. You can also use a cotton swab swished lightly in hydrogen peroxide to wipe off your utensils. Only use chopsticks that are brought to the table in sealed wrappers; the reusable wooden ones aren't going to be 100 percent clean.

5

Avoid drinking tap water in foreign countries. That goes for adding ice cubes, too!

6

Brush your teeth with bottled water or water that has previously been boiled. As cautious as travelers are in otherwise avoiding tap water, they seem to totally forget about it when they get ready for bed.

7

Pack plenty of snacks from home. What often gets travelers in trouble when they're seeing and doing lots of things is that when hunger strikes, common sense seems to fly out the window and they'll buy the first vendor yummy that looks good. Crackers, cookies, nuts, trail mix, and dried fruit will quell the hunger pangs on the road and keep you away from roadside entrepreneurs.

8

Avoid salad bars when traveling abroad. If though you know that greens are good for you, they can do a world of harm to your intestinal tract if they have been washed with impure water or left out on display in hot or humid conditions a tad too long. Vegetables and fruits should also be suspect when abroad.