Don't Drink The Water

Water and Food Safety Issues When Traveling

You definitely don't drink the water if the locals don't. Apart from this obvious guideline, it is difficult to judge when it is safe to drink the water in another country. As a rule, it is best to rely on bottled water, which is available almost everywhere now, and is usually cheaper in other countries than in the United States.

Don't Eat The Water

Unfortunately, it isn't enough to just drink bottled water. Was the salad you are eating washed in the local tap water? If so, you may not be feeling well later. Ask, if they don't post a sign saying that food is washed in purified water. Otherwise, skip the salad. The Latin-American custom of dousing salads with lime juice may actually kill many of the bacteria form the wash water. I have taken my chances - with good luck so far.

Ice cubes are often the culprit in water-borne illness among tourists. Ask if the ice cubes in your drink are made with purified water, or order your soda without ice. Also, you should brush your teeth with bottled water to be safe. Showering in the local water is usually safe unless you stand there with your mouth open.

Food Safety

Use your common sense when you choose a restaurant. It won't be cleaner in the kitchen than it is in the customer area. I saw a cardboard box of meat sit unrefridgerated for three days once in Mexico. It was still for sale when I left town, and it occurred to me that although I wouldn't buy meat from that store, the restaurant I ate at might. Look for signs of cleanliness, and wipe the edge of our glass before you drink.

My wife and I eat everywhere, and have so far been healthy during our travels. One thing that has worked well for us, is waterless hand-sanitizer gel. We always have a small plastic bottle of it handy, and we use it before every meal when traveleing. Often it isn't the food that gets you sick, but the bacteria from your hands, which have been handling money and other biologically active things all day. If you wash your hands a lot, and use sanitizer, you'll cut the risk of illness in half or more, in my opinion.

If you aren't sure which restaurants are clean and safe, ask the locals. Also, watch to see what the local residents do when eating. Do they refuse to drink the milk, or do they bring their own soup spoons? Also, if you are in an area where the standards of cleanliness and food safety are just plain lower than you like, look for a restaurant that is owned by someone from a country with higher standards.

Finally, if you want to really be safe when you travel, don't drink the water, and don't eat the food in restaurants at all. I wouldn't go this far, but you can eat quite well from packaged foods, and you can bring iodine pills to make purified water. If you eat fruit washed in your iodine-water, you can even maintain a healthy diet this way.

Related page: Travel Safety Tips