Early Retirement Extreme Forums

What's your policy on avoiding local water when traveling? The last two times I've been out of the US I've gotten somewhat sick.

That said, I don't really try to avoid it. Homestay places always seem to make smoothies for breakfast, there are mixed drinks and other local things to try, meals have uncooked vegetables, etc. It always seems to be too much of a hassle to explain the situation in another language and get something custom made. The only precaution I take is not drinking tap water.

For those who have travelled a lot, is getting sick just part of the cost, or do you really try to follow all the rules to avoid it? Is it only a matter of time before I ruin a trip by getting really sick?

We have to be very careful with DS wrt drinking water (even it parts of the US). I like this product for size, cost, and effectiveness ... https://sawyer.com/products/sawyer-mini-filter/ .

My general rule of thumb in China was to only drink out of bottles. Since bottled water can also be sketchy depending on who is providing it, I would request beer or fizzy water. I never had an issue with fluids.

When it comes to food, I think being an adventurous eater made things easier. I could handle most anything. But I learned the hard way to only eat poultry when it's cut into small pieces before cooking. The sickest I've ever been was after eating at a Chinese KFC -- I'm pretty sure it was salmonella poisoning. That was brutal.

bottled water.

I drank bottled water and boiled water mostly in tea form. Avoid ice cream or anything else that may contain impurities because they used untreated water; avoid ice cubes like the plague.

I haven't got sick in ~8 months of living in China*. Most of that time was in a tiny city, too. I drink bottled water and eat street food. If you're staying for any significant duration, you can buy a big jug and pump for your apartment. I've also found that the 1.5L bottles of water here cost the same or less than the smaller, 20oz. bottles of water.

* Luck may play a factor

From my travelling in Africa:

- Expect stomach issues from time to time
- Always carry tissue paper in bag in case of emergency
- Carry antibac for hand washing and stay clean
- Bottled water only
- No raw foods

Bottled water should be viewed as a no-no on this site no?
If you get a water filter as used by trekkers/campers you'll never be in trouble. Fill up in the morning, or during the day.

https://www.rei.com/product/695265/msr- ... ter-filter

I have that one. It's the business. I however generally drank local water when travelling, always asking locals if it was safe first though!! Travelled solo for a few years.