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How do you get your stomach ready for a trip? How do you get your stomach ready for a trip?
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Staying Healthy on the Road Medical info, e.g. malaria, vaccinations, travel medical tips, medical insurance, where to find a doctor.
Photo by Lois Pryce, schoolkids in Algeria

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  #1  
Old 16 Nov 2022
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Ajo!!
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Old 16 Nov 2022
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I do nothing whatsoever to prepare my GI tract, and I’m generally less ill than other travelers. The thought that I’d stop handwashing(!) or start eating spoiled food before a trip strikes me as more than a bit odd.

I’ve never been obsessive about cleanliness at home—I don’t run around spraying everything with bleach or sanitizing chopping blocks and cookware—and this, too, has worked for me.

On the other hand, my hygiene while traveling has benefited from learning the hard way what’s really important and what’s merely performative. I’ve had giardia, dysentery, malaria, inactive TB, and various topical and systemic infections, and I try my best to evade those particular microbes and parasites. I definitely do NOT try to invite them into my life in hopes of building some sort of immunity.

That’s what works for me, but you know the standard disclaimer.

Mark
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Old 16 Nov 2022
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Originally Posted by markharf View Post
I do nothing whatsoever to prepare my GI tract, and I’m generally less ill than other travelers.
Similarly - we take care of food hygiene whether travelling or not - no difference prior to travelling. Seems to work. If it seems like a bad idea to eat or drink something, don't. Eat where others are eating - street food sellers don't survive if they sell food which results in indigestion or worse. The traditional view that eating where truck drivers eat is good advice - truck drivers cannot afford to be sick, especially in countries where the minimum wage is zero...


The single occasion on which I recall being sick in the last decade was when I drank açai juice sold in a plastic bag on a stick from a canoe at an Amazon port in Brazil: I should have known better.
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Old 16 Nov 2022
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Originally Posted by markharf View Post
I do nothing whatsoever to prepare my GI tract, and I’m generally less ill than other travelers. The thought that I’d stop handwashing(!) or start eating spoiled food before a trip strikes me as more than a bit odd.

I’ve never been obsessive about cleanliness at home—I don’t run around spraying everything with bleach or sanitizing chopping blocks and cookware—and this, too, has worked for me.

On the other hand, my hygiene while traveling has benefited from learning the hard way what’s really important and what’s merely performative. I’ve had giardia, dysentery, malaria, inactive TB, and various topical and systemic infections, and I try my best to evade those particular microbes and parasites. I definitely do NOT try to invite them into my life in hopes of building some sort of immunity.

That’s what works for me, but you know the standard disclaimer.

Mark

I have never done anything either but being more cautious at the 1st stages of a any trip. I just wondered if people had some tricks, just to share thoughts/open debate.



I usually did not get sick -but I am no hardcore traveller, and no infections/diseases as you mention-, except some years ago in India that I spent a few days with high fever vomiting and going to the toilet a lot. I eat almost anywhere, but I reckon India standard is too much for me and definitely avoid sellers in buses/street stalls. I do not intend to develop any special inmunity either!



I travelled a bit by car through Northern Morocco with my 9 y/o daughter some months ago and I was especially cautious regarding food to avoid her getting sick. We met plenty of people sick who ate like they would do in Europe, so she learned that fresh salads washed with tap water were a no-go during the trip.


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Originally Posted by Alanymarce View Post
Similarly - we take care of food hygiene whether travelling or not - no difference prior to travelling. Seems to work. If it seems like a bad idea to eat or drink something, don't. Eat where others are eating - street food sellers don't survive if they sell food which results in indigestion or worse. The traditional view that eating where truck drivers eat is good advice - truck drivers cannot afford to be sick, especially in countries where the minimum wage is zero...

The single occasion on which I recall being sick in the last decade was when I drank açai juice sold in a plastic bag on a stick from a canoe at an Amazon port in Brazil: I should have known better.

I like the idea of truck drivers. In Spain we consider they go to places with good meals.


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Ajo!!

"Garlic", what does it make it special?
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Old 17 Nov 2022
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My biggest concern is reducing its size to get into the riding gear more easily.
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Old 17 Nov 2022
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Talking
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"Garlic", what does it make it special?
Its chemical composition and effects on human anatomy
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Old 18 Nov 2022
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I do nothing to prepare in advance. It is all about food hygene. The faster I travel the more rigerous I am. If I can/will stay put in one pkace for a few days, I take grwatwr risk.

Fried is better than boiled, boiled is better than raw and washed. Be vary about large kitchens that offer a broad selection. Eat seafood only near the sea.

Hand hygene!

I swear by psyllum husks for perfect bowel movements (one wipe only).
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Old 18 Nov 2022
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Good luck if you think you can 'prepare' your stomach by pre eating sub standard food or dirt or whatever. You're more likely to go down with something severe enough to postpone the trip than end up with a cast iron constitution.

Other than that I don't think there's much you can do other than taking hygiene seriously and hoping it's your lucky day. Because sooner or later, and if not this trip then the next, something will get you when you least expect it. Mostly, my odds say anyway, it'll be mild and you'll either live with it or get over it quickly, but occasionally it'll be severe enough to cause you issues (delays or a need for medical care) - as I found this summer.

Take a (good) supply of the diy remedies (imodium in my case) that you're most likely to need, hope that over zealous customs officials believe the contents of your first aid kit are all for your 'medical condition' and check your medical insurance covers you for more professional help if that's not enough / it's all confiscated. Buying stuff over the counter in a pharmacy in a foreign land isn't easy when drug names for the same active ingredient vary and you don't know what to ask for.
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Old 21 Nov 2022
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Planning to ride from northeastern US to Ushuaia. How can I get salads? Clearly shouldn't have lettuce on street tacos.

What are my chances with a salad at a "good" restaurant? Can I clean salad greens well enough in camp?

Even riding in western Canada or walking in Europe, I get too much meat and not enough greens (for me).

I'll have to adapt my diet to what's available, what's safe, plus some local specialties. Balance needs to include salads.

I've ridden all over US and Canada and visited Europe but this is my first foray into Mexico and south. Been studying Spanish for over 2 years for this trip.
Last edited by DaveGetsLost; 21 Nov 2022 at 20:44. Reason: Add my limited experience
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