No one wants to spend their holiday recovering in a hotel room.
While there's no guaranteed way to prevent travellers' diarrhoea, there are plenty of practical, evidence-based steps you can take to significantly reduce your risk.
The good news? Most are simple, inexpensive and start before you even board the plane.
Prevention in 30 Seconds
- Prepare your gut before you travel.
- Wash or sanitise your hands often.
- Drink safe water.
- Choose freshly cooked food.
- Be cautious with raw foods.
- Replace lost fluids quickly if you become unwell.
1. Prepare Your Gut Before You Leave
Just as you organise travel insurance before a holiday, it's worth preparing your gut before you travel.
A healthy gut microbiome supports digestion, immune function and resilience while travelling.
Many travellers now include probiotics, prebiotics and electrolyte support as part of their travel preparations. A comprehensive formula such as The Belly Solution's Probiotic + Prebiotic + Electrolyte Rehydration Formula has been specifically developed to support gut health before, during and after travel.
2. Drink Safe Water
In many destinations, tap water isn't considered safe to drink.
Choose:
- Bottled water
- Filtered water
- Boiled water
- Properly treated drinking water
Use safe water for brushing your teeth in higher-risk destinations.
3. Be Careful With Ice
Ice is often overlooked.
The good news is that commercially manufactured ice is now widely regulated in many popular destinations, including Bali, and is generally considered safe. A common sign of commercially produced ice is the familiar tubular cube with a hole through the middle.
However, if ice is made from untreated tap water, it can carry the same risks as drinking it. If you're unsure where the ice has come from, it's safest to leave it out.
4. Don't Swallow Pool Water
Swimming pools aren't usually the first thing people think about.
However, parasites such as Cryptosporidium can survive normal chlorine levels and spread through contaminated recreational water.
A hard one to completely avoid where children are involved, but try to avoid swallowing pool water wherever possible.
5. Choose Freshly Cooked Food
Freshly cooked, steaming hot food is generally the safest option.
Be cautious with:
- Buffet food that's been sitting out for long periods
- Raw or undercooked seafood
- Undercooked meat
- Food that's only lukewarm
6. Think Twice About Raw Foods
Fresh salads and unpeeled fruit may have been washed using contaminated water. Unless you've prepared them yourself, it's difficult to know.
Whenever possible:
- Peel fruit yourself.
- Choose cooked vegetables.
- Be cautious with raw salads in higher-risk destinations.
- Be cautious with intentionally raw seafood dishes, such as sashimi, tuna and sushi, particularly if they've been sitting in buffet displays.
7. Wash Your Hands Often
Your hands are one of the easiest ways to transfer germs to your mouth.
Wash them regularly, especially:
- Before eating
- After using the bathroom
- After handling money
- After touching menus, handrails, door handles and other frequently touched public surfaces
- Carry a quality alcohol-based hand sanitiser when soap and water aren't available.
If you're a nail biter, take extra care to keep your hands away from your mouth, particularly after touching public surfaces.
8. Be Smart About Street Food
Street food isn't automatically unsafe.
In fact, some of the best meals you'll ever eat come from street vendors.
Choose stalls that are:
- Busy with locals
- Cooking food fresh in front of you
- Serving food hot
- Avoid food that's been sitting uncovered.
9. Stay Hydrated
Hot climates, increased activity and long flights all increase your fluid requirements.
Starting your trip well hydrated makes it easier to stay that way.
10. Be Prepared Before Symptoms Start
Many travellers only think about travellers' diarrhoea after they become sick.
Instead, pack a small travel health kit before you leave. Including The Belly Solution's Probiotic + Prebiotic + Electrolyte Rehydration Formula means you'll already have gut support and electrolyte replacement on hand if you need it, rather than trying to find a pharmacy while you're feeling unwell.
11. Listen to Your Body
If something doesn't look, smell or taste right, don't eat it.
Most travellers have a gut instinct (no pun intended).
Trust it.
12. Have a Plan
Know where local pharmacies and medical clinics are before you need them.
A few minutes of preparation before departure can save hours of stress overseas.
Prevention Is Always Better Than Cure
Travellers' diarrhoea can't always be avoided.
But good preparation, smart food and water choices, careful hand hygiene and looking after your gut can dramatically reduce your chances of becoming unwell.
The goal isn't to stop you enjoying your travels.
It's to help you spend more time making memories—and less time searching for the nearest bathroom.
In our next guide, we'll explain what to do if you develop travellers' diarrhoea, including how to stay hydrated, what to eat, how to support your recovery and when it's time to seek medical advice.
Because knowing what to do before you need it can make all the difference when you're travelling.
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