How to Stay Healthy on Your (Backpacking) Travels

I’ve always been very lucky when it comes to illnesses, I’m simply never sick, before I went to Bali in April this year, last time I spewed up was over ten years ago.

Yes, that’s right, that was BEFORE I went to Bali… :p

I have travelled to heaps of (less-developed) countries where you’re most likely bound to get sick, and most of the time I was the only one in the group who never got sick, not even just a little bit.

So yes, I started taking my luck for granted, and started eating foods everyone knows you shouldn’t even go near in those countries. But hey, I never get sick, right?

So imagine what a schock it was to all the sudden have fluids in all colors of the rainbow spraying out from all sides and angles of my body!  I’m not going to gross you out more than that but if you’ve ever had the BALI BELLY then you know what I’m talking about.

And for me who couldn’t even remember what it was like to spew up I thought I was going to die..!

Did I learn a lesson?

You bet!

Will I only eat western food like pizza and spaghetti when travelling in the future?

Hell no!!

But I will prepare my body beforehand, and I will follow certain rules when eating out.

This picture was taken on the 1st morning of bali-belly out on a bumpy – to say the least- ride, before I knew I had it - Yes, I realized it pretty soon out there… If the picture would have been taken 2 seconds later this picture wouldn’t have been as nice…

Do’s and Don’ts To Avoid Bali-Belly and other Stomach Illness

1. Before you travel, prepare your stomach with good bacterias so it’s strong enough to fight the bad bacterias that come in. You can do that b eating Probiotic yoghurt (for examle Yakult) every day for a month before your trip, and everyday during your stay.

2. Don’t eat any cold food – Always make sure the food has been properly cooked and is still hot by the time you get it.

3. Always put Hand Sanitizer on your hands before eating, and every time you’ve dealt with money. Even dispite that, do it a couple of times a day to keep clean.

4. Don’t eat food that has been standing out for a long time, like buffets.

5. Make sure the lid of the water bottle is sealed when you buy it, so that you can be sure that no one has put tapwater in it and then try to sell it to you.

6. When asking for water in a restaurant, ask them for bottled water, not in a jar.

7. Don’t ask for ice in any drink.

8. Don’t eat ice cream.

9. Don’t pick with your fingers in your mouth, eyes or nose.

10. Don’t eat too spicy food, as that irritates the bowels - or just not every single day!

11. Take a Travelan tablet before each meal. These tablets are completely natural bio-products that work to counter the effects of the major strains of E. coli (ETEC) which are the major cause of travellers’ diarrhoea (TD).

Clinical trials have shown Travelan to be 90% effective in preventing TD. Even in the 10% of cases where it doesn’t work, it reduces the symptoms of the TD.

(This kind of buffé is a big NONO)

Eating the right food does not mean your safe from Bali-bellys’ and Travellers’ Diarrhea

Many people think that you’re safe from any bugs in your stomach as long as you eat the right food, that’s unfortunately not true.

You can get these bugs in your system in many other ways, for example by touching money and then putting your fingers on your lips.

What To Do If You Still Get The Bali Belly/Travelers’ Diarrhea

If the illness is there, first thing you should do is to go and see a doctor.

In the countries where this illness is common, the locals there usually know exactely how to treat it. I got three different type of pills to take, each one served different purposes.

Even at the hotels and restaurants they knew exactely what I was dealing with.

All I ever had to say was “Bali-belly”, and they cooked a special meal that is good for that exact illness (rice made in a special way with certain specific herbs in it) for me.

I suggest you not to take Imodium or similar tablets, as that keeps the bug in your system for a longer period of time. What you want is to get rid of the bacteria as fast as possible.

There are certain degrees of the illness, some people just get a very nervous stomach, and some can’t get out of bed for days.

I was the later one. I couldn’t even eat anything for the first three days without throwing up, and all I could drink was water.

Not eating makes your body even weaker and your blood sugar levels sink, the weaker your body is the harder it is to get rid of the bug.

No matter how hard it is, you just have to keep trying to eat, and start drinking tea with sugar (your body is in deep need for sugar, but don’t eat anything sugary like cookies!) as soon as possible.

Eat nothing but rice with possibly some butter the first time. It might be hard to keep it in, but you have to keep trying.

I couldn’t even chew the food until everything came out and more, but you just have to continue to try.

It might seem impossible, but slowly but surely you’ll be able to keep the food longer and longer.

Do you have any personal advice (expereinces) for how you stay away from illness when you travel?