Tommy has over 15 years experience within the insurance industry, and his primary focus is helping travellers find the right cover for their medical conditions.
Travelling, and especially travelling abroad, is something that many of us love and look forward to every year, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t downsides. When we travel abroad, we are exposing ourselves to new atmospheres, food, water and routine, and sometimes this can have a negative effect on our bodies, but that doesn’t mean it has to ruin your time away, and there is plenty to be done to try and avoid traveller’s tummy.
In this guide, we offer some top tips for those looking to try and avoid traveller's tummy on their upcoming holiday; keep reading to find out what they are.
Ways to try and avoid traveller's tummy:
- Take relevant tablets with you
- Watch what you eat
- Include fibre in your diet
- Drink plenty of fluids
- Wash your hands frequently
Take Relevant Tablets With You
One of the best ways to avoid a traveller's tummy, whether this is from travel sickness or from new and unusual foods, is to make sure you have adequate tablets with you to ease the pain and soreness.
If you suffer from travel sickness, then make sure you are packing sickness tablets or travel sickness preventatives with you and taking them prior to travelling so they have time to take effect before flying or sailing.
Packing ibuprofen, paracetamol or other pain relief tablets with you in case of stomach pains is always a good idea and means you’ll never be caught short. Other tablets like Imodium are always a wise choice too to try and prevent travellers’ tummy.
Watch What You Eat
If you’re heading abroad or even to other parts of the UK, when making sure you watch what you eat is an essential way to try and avoid travellers’ tummy. Seafoods like oysters, prawns and mussels are often a culprit of upset stomachs, so if you’re wanting to indulge, it is worth making sure they are fresh and thoroughly cooked before eating.
Try not to overindulge too much and stick to the normal three meals a day, eating too much can make you feel uncomfortable and bloated and this on top of foods and ingredients your body may not be used to can often be a cause for distress.
Include Fibre in Your Diet
As well as watching the types of food and the amount of food that you are eating whilst you’re away, for those that commonly suffer from traveller’s tummy, it might be wise to consider including more fibre in your diet.
Fibre is great for binding the food together in your stomach and you are less likely to feel unwell or sick after eating unusual foods.
Fibre is in a whole plethora of ingredients and foods including apples, broccoli, almonds, whole grain and brown rice, bananas and oats, so look out for these on menus and in restaurants.
Drink Plenty of Fluids
It goes without saying, but one of the best ways to stay fit and well whilst on holiday, especially if you’re in a warm climate is to make sure you’re drinking plenty of water. Guidance in the UK is to drink roughly 1.2 litres of water daily, but in warmer climes, this may be more due to excess heat and sweating.
Drinking plenty of liquids flushes toxins through the body and means that bad bacteria and viruses travel through, and out of the body much quicker, meaning the likelihood of you feeling unwell is much slimmer.
However, it is really important when you’re abroad to check the water you are drinking and whether tap water is safe, this is something that the blog Along Dusty Roads speaks about in an article:
“In many, many countries across the world, drink the water that comes out of the tap, and there's only one place you're going to end up - the bathroom. In these situations, you have two options. Spend money on dozen of plastic bottles that are slowly killing the planet, or find some way to make the water safe. Unsurprisingly, we go for option number two. Either bring with you on your travels a water bottle that has an in-built filter or uses a steripen. Some accommodations will provide filtered water, in which case, refill a quality glass water bottle each day. Do note that even in countries where the tap water is technically sanitary, mineral levels can vary quite significantly so ease your body in gently.”
Wash Your Hands Frequently
Being sanitary is a great way to avoid unwanted germs entering the body and one of the best ways to do this is by washing or sanitising your hands frequently and with warm water and antibacterial soap. If you’re out and about then consider carrying some small hand sanitiser bottles in your bags to use when you haven’t got access to a tap and soap.
Getting sick whilst on holiday is something none of us want to endure, but sometimes these things can’t be helped, which is why it is essential that you have travel medical insurance to cover you in case of emergency healthcare and the cost of treatment. Here at Medical Travel Compared we offer travel insurance for a whole host of pre-existing conditions, so you don’t have to worry about finding cover for your condition. For more articles and inspiration like this one, make sure you head to our blog.