Experts outline how travelers can prevent common gut issues
Digestive problems can derail trips by exposure to unfamiliar food and water, hygiene differences, and disrupted routines, so specialists emphasise simple precautions to reduce risk before and during travel.
Dr Franjo Vladic of the Cleveland Clinic notes that stomach upsets often follow lapses in basic food and water safety, while Dr Michael Camilleri of the Mayo Clinic adds that many cases stem from “not taking logical precautions”.
Travellers’ diarrhoea is the most predictable travel-related illness, typically caused by contaminated food or water and marked by sudden onset with cramps, nausea, vomiting or fever; constipation is also common due to changes in diet, fluid intake, mobility and suppressed bowel movements during long journeys.
Other frequent issues include shifts in bowel habits, gas, bloating and indigestion, and travel can exacerbate underlying conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, according to Dr Aditi Stanton of Gastro Health in Ohio; maintaining consistent sleep, hydration and balanced meals while moderating alcohol and caffeine can help.
Key figures in context: travellers’ diarrhoea affects 30%–70% of travellers during a two-week period, and symptoms commonly last three to five days.
Practical steps include preparing a small toolkit (regular prescriptions plus fibre supplements, probiotics, anti-reflux or anti-diarrhoeal medicines, and oral rehydration/electrolytes), checking with a physician for conditions such as Crohn’s disease, IBS, ulcerative colitis or Gerd, choosing food that is well cooked and hot, avoiding untreated tap water and ice, steering clear of pre-peeled produce or items left unrefrigerated, and washing hands after the bathroom and before eating.
Source basis: CDC statistics on incidence, guidance from the Indiana University Bloomington health centre, and expert advice from Vladic, Camilleri and Stanton.
