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Travel health

Eating Safely While Traveling: How to Avoid Getting Sick Abroad

The most reliable rule for eating safely while traveling is: boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it. Avoid tap water, ice, raw vegetables, undercooked meat and seafood, and fruit you didn't peel yourself. Freshly cooked, piping-hot food served in a clean environment is generally the safest choice.

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Why Do Travelers Get Sick From Food and Water?

The most common travel illness is traveler's diarrhea — loose stools caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites in contaminated food or water 1. Your gut bacteria are adapted to local microbes; when you encounter unfamiliar ones, your digestive system can react even when local residents are unaffected. Most cases are mild and self-limiting, but severe cases can cause dehydration that requires medical attention.

What Are the Core Food and Water Safety Rules for Travelers?

Water is the hidden risk most travelers underestimate. In many destinations, tap water is not treated to the same standard as back home. That risk extends to ice (made from tap water), uncooked vegetables rinsed in tap water, and fruit with edible skin that may have been washed with it. Stick to sealed bottled or canned drinks, or water that has been boiled or chemically treated 1.

For food: freshly cooked meals served hot are much safer than buffet items sitting at room temperature, raw salads, or street food that has been sitting out. Well-cooked meat and seafood, freshly peeled fruit, and packaged snacks carry lower risk. Pasteurized dairy kept cold is generally fine; unpasteurized dairy and soft cheeses from unknown sources carry more risk 1.

Hand hygiene is a first-line defense that many travelers overlook. Wash hands with soap and water before eating, and use hand sanitizer when soap is unavailable.

Higher-Risk and Lower-Risk Food Choices at a Glance

Lower risk: bottled or canned drinks, carbonated water, tea or coffee made with boiling water, freshly cooked and piping-hot meals, bread, hard-boiled eggs, fruit you peel yourself (bananas, oranges, mangoes), packaged crackers and snacks.

Higher risk: tap water and ice, salads and raw vegetables, rare or undercooked meat or seafood, raw shellfish, unpasteurized dairy, sauces and condiments left out at room temperature, buffet food.

This is not a rigid prohibition — millions of travelers eat local and street food without incident. The goal is reducing unnecessary exposure, not eliminating the experience of local food.

What Should You Do If You Get Sick Abroad?

Mild traveler's diarrhea — a few loose stools per day, no fever, no blood — usually clears within a few days with rest and careful rehydration 1. Oral rehydration salts (ORS packets available at most pharmacies worldwide) replace electrolytes better than plain water alone. Continuing to eat simple bland foods — rice, crackers, bananas — is generally better than fasting.

Some travelers carry a short course of a prescription antibiotic obtained before departure. Whether that is appropriate for you, and which antibiotic is safe and effective for your destination's resistance patterns, is a conversation to have with a clinician before you leave. Avoid anti-diarrheal agents if you have fever or bloody stools — in those cases, seek care rather than self-treating 1.

Should You Get Typhoid and Hepatitis A Vaccines Before Traveling?

Both typhoid fever and hepatitis A are transmitted through contaminated food and water — and both are preventable by vaccine. Hepatitis A vaccination is recommended for most international travelers, particularly to destinations with lower sanitation standards 2. Typhoid vaccination is recommended for travel to South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of Latin America and Southeast Asia where typhoid remains common 3.

Being up to date on these vaccines removes two significant foodborne risks from the equation. A travel medicine consultation at least four to six weeks before departure gives enough time for vaccines to take effect and to discuss any standby prescription antibiotic for your itinerary 4.

Common questions

Is street food safe to eat while traveling?

Street food can be safe when it is freshly cooked and served piping hot in front of you. The risk is highest with food that has been sitting out at room temperature, prepared with tap water, or involves raw ingredients. Busy stalls with high turnover are generally lower risk than food that has been sitting.

Can I get sick even if I was careful about what I ate?

Yes. Food and water precautions significantly reduce risk but cannot eliminate it entirely. Even careful travelers sometimes develop traveler's diarrhea from exposures that are difficult to avoid — handshakes, shared surfaces, or a single contaminated ingredient in an otherwise safe-looking meal.

Do I need typhoid and hepatitis A vaccines for every international trip?

Not for every destination. Western Europe, Japan, Australia, and similar high-income destinations with robust water infrastructure carry very low typhoid and hepatitis A risk. Vaccination is particularly important for South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, parts of Southeast Asia, and parts of Latin America. A travel medicine clinician can advise based on your specific itinerary.

Is it safe to drink bottled water everywhere abroad?

Sealed commercially bottled water from reputable brands is generally safe in most destinations. Be cautious about bottles with damaged seals or refilled bottles in destinations where water quality is uncertain. For brushing teeth in high-risk areas, use bottled or treated water.

Are probiotics helpful for preventing traveler's diarrhea?

The evidence for probiotics preventing traveler's diarrhea is mixed and not strong enough to make them a primary strategy. They are unlikely to cause harm, but food and water precautions and appropriate vaccination are more reliable tools.

Talk to a clinician

Nina Osei, NP — Nurse Practitioner

checkups, refills & skin. Gale can match you with a licensed clinician for a visit.

Find care →

When to seek care

  • —Bloody diarrhea or stools that look black and tarry.
  • —High fever (feeling feverish with chills) alongside diarrhea.
  • —Signs of severe dehydration: no urination for many hours, extreme thirst, confusion, dizziness, very dry mouth.
  • —Severe abdominal pain that does not ease.
  • —Diarrhea or vomiting lasting more than a few days without improvement.
  • —Symptoms that began after eating shellfish and include weakness, tingling, or vision changes — possible marine toxin.

If you develop bloody diarrhea, high fever, signs of severe dehydration, or neurological symptoms after eating seafood, seek emergency care or go to a local hospital immediately. Call 911 (or the local emergency number) if someone is confused, unresponsive, or cannot keep fluids down.

This article is general health education and is not a diagnosis, personalized medical advice, or a substitute for care from a licensed clinician. If you are ill or have questions about your specific situation, please consult a healthcare provider.

References

  1. 1.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2023). Travelers' Diarrhea — CDC Yellow Book 2024. CDC Travelers' Health. link ✓Food and water safety rules, oral rehydration, antibiotic indications, and anti-motility contraindications for traveler's diarrhea prevention and management
  2. 2.Nelson NP, Link-Gelles R, Hofmeister MG, Romero JR, Moore KL, Ward JW, Schillie SF (2018). Update: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for Use of Hepatitis A Vaccine for Postexposure Prophylaxis and for Preexposure Prophylaxis for International Travel. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6743a5 ✓Hepatitis A vaccination recommendations for international travelers, particularly to destinations with foodborne transmission risk
  3. 3.Jackson BR, Iqbal S, Mahon B; CDC (2015). Updated recommendations for the use of typhoid vaccine — Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, United States, 2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. PMID 25811680 ✓Typhoid vaccine recommendations for travel to endemic regions including South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa
  4. 4.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2023). CDC Yellow Book 2024: Health Information for International Travel. Oxford University Press / CDC. link ✓Pre-travel consultation timing, vaccine scheduling, and standby antibiotic prescribing for international travel

4 sources, numbered by first appearance. General health information, not medical advice — synthetic demonstration content.