Health and Food Safety

Travel carries inevitable risks. Leaving your familiar surroundings and venturing into the unknown is always an adventure to some degree. You can try to play it safe by staying within your comfort zone or push the boundaries, widen your horizon and accept the potential hazards that may come your way. In any case, you should always take prudent precautions to avoid unnecessary disasters.

My advice is this: Protect yourself as best as you can without becoming timid or paranoid over what might happen in a worse case scenario. Travel is supposed to be both fun and educational. You cannot learn about other countries and cultures by avoiding exposure to them. But travel is not a time for reckless behavior. Gather as much information as possible about your destinations, make sure you have the necessary vaccinations and medications and then use good judgement at all times.

Protect Your Health at All Times
Without Getting Timid or Paranoid

Yet, sometimes you can’t avoid getting at least a little sick. Food-borne illnesses can affect you anywhere, even at home. But when you travel to far-flung places, you will likely encounter some bacteria and viruses your immune system is not used to. For this reason, I always carry a broad spectrum antibiotic with me.

Speaking of medications: Before embarking on trips outside the country, I usually pay a visit to a hospital or medical center that offers travel medical services. Many clinics have such facilities or can refer you to other sources. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services can issue you an International Certificate of Vaccination, which is approved by the World Health Organization (W.H.O.). The certificate is a small booklet that lists all vaccinations you’ve received. I mention this because you may be denied entry into some countries without proof of vaccination against certain diseases. Documentation of your vaccinations can also provide important information to a doctor not familiar with your medical history.

A serious health concern for travelers, especially to Africa but increasingly many other parts of the world as well, is malaria. I strongly recommend not to take the risk of malaria lightly. Discuss possible preventive measures with a doctor who is knowledgeable about tropical diseases. There are a number of medications to choose from, like Chloroquine or Malarone, but all of them have potential side effects.

Besides accidents, the greatest threats to your health come from food- and water-borne bacteria. It is a tragic fact that in most countries it is no longer safe to drink water from a faucet, let alone from natural sources, like lakes, rivers and creeks. Bottled water is your only reasonable choice. But don’t assume because it is sold in bottles that the water is automatically drinkable. Always make sure the bottle’s seal is intact. Avoid putting ice in your drinks if you don’t know the water source of the ice maker.

Sticking to familiar water- and soda brands won’t protect you either. Even Coca Cola bottles can be tampered with (cans are better for this reason). Beer and other alcoholic drinks are generally safe, but don’t rely on these to keep you hydrated. To the contrary. All alcoholic beverages have a diuretic effect, which will only aggravate the risk of dehydration. The same goes for tea (except for herbal teas) and coffee. If you have milk or cream with these, you may add the risk of unsafe dairy products. Drinking sugary sodas can leave you more thirsty than you were before. So, there are no real alternatives to water.

If reliable sources of safe drinking water are not available, you can purify whatever water you have with iodine tablets. But this should be considered an emergency measure only. I personally use sometimes a so-called SteriPEN™ to sterilize water I’m not entirely sure about. Some say it’s not fail-proof, but it gives me a little more peace of mind.

Needless to say, if you cannot trust the quality of your tap water, don’t brush your teeth with it and literally keep your mouth shut when you’re in the shower. If all else fails, it is best to boil your water in a pot or tea kettle or whatever else comes in handy.

Tainted food is harder to identify. If you eat out in restaurants, you are by and large at the mercy of the kitchen staff. You can reduce your chances of getting sick by avoiding uncooked foods, like lettuce, raw vegetables and cut fruits (bananas are a good choice because you can peel them yourself). If you eat meat, order it well done, even if that spoils your idea of a juicy steak.

Maintaining a healthy, balanced diet is always recommended but it matters more when you travel. Eat foods that provide you with rich nutrients and lots of vitamins to strengthen your immune system. In all likelihood, you will suffer to some degree from sleep deprivation and stress that is inherent to travel. Don’t exhaust yourself physically by walking long distances, especially in hot climates, unless you are in top shape to begin with. Travelers of a certain age sometimes forget their limits when they’re having fun. All in all, just take good care of yourself. “You are the only one of you we’ve got,” as one of my favorite travel writers once said.

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