--- title: Food Safety: How to Avoid Food Poisoning While Traveling description: If you're traveling in developing countries, stick with bottled water and use it to brush your teeth. canonical: https://time.com/4422396/food-poisoning-traveling-prevention/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-08-03T17:00:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-06T09:45:21.736Z article:section: Health og:title: 4 Ways to Prevent Food Poisoning When You’re Traveling og:description: Stick to bottled water og:url: https://time.com/4422396/food-poisoning-traveling-prevention/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb51dbb3d5678ec54/69889f2a5f570f7048b21e12/prevent-food-poisoning-travel.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5616 og:image:height: 3159 og:image:alt: Plastic bottle of mineral water with glass, close up og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 4 Ways to Prevent Food Poisoning When You’re Traveling twitter:description: Stick to bottled water twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb51dbb3d5678ec54/69889f2a5f570f7048b21e12/prevent-food-poisoning-travel.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 4 Ways to Prevent Food Poisoning When You’re Traveling > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=4e87c092-4477-4503-a06b-9f9e13e53456&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 5 Travel Tricks From a Pro [Watch (HLS stream): 5 Travel Tricks From a Pro](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1oXCjMna.m3u8) (1:15)  _Published 2016-05-27. Follow your nose and pack a collapsable bag to anything you may bring home._ by [Jacqueline Andriakos / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Jacqueline Andriakos / Health.com Contributor Aug 3, 2016 5:00 PM UTC by [Jacqueline Andriakos / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Jacqueline Andriakos / Health.com Contributor Aug 3, 2016 5:00 PM UTC Tummy-tormenting illnesses, like [E. coli](http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20509598,00.html) infections, have made news in the past year. To avoid spending a holiday near the toilet and protect yourself from [food poisoning](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20934643,00.html), digest this food-safety refresher. **1\. Don’t drink tap water** If you’re traveling in developing countries, stick with bottled H2O and use it to brush your teeth. Also, ask for no ice and be alert for items that may be made with tap water (like an ice pop), since even a small amount can contain bacteria or viruses. **2\. Order vegetables cooked** Seedy and leefy vegetables are among the [top sources of food poisoning](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20310810,00.html), per a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report last year. If you’re dining where the water may be iffy, go for the sautéed or baked veggie sides instead of raw options; high heat will kill most harmful bacteria. **_Health.com_**_:_ [_9 Foods to Avoid When Your Tummy Hurts_](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20570225,00.html/?xid=time) **3\. Skip street food** Food carts may not be held to the same hygiene standards as restaurants, and you don’t know whether the ingredients are fresh or how long the food has been sitting out. If you want to try a local delicacy on the street, order something you can see come hot off the grill. **4\. Be prepared** Take Pepto-Bismol (for up to three weeks) as a preventative measure; studies have shown that ingesting 2 ounces of the liquid or two chewable tablets four times a day before and during travel may cut your risk of traveler’s diarrhea in half. _This_ [_article_](http://www.health.com/digestive-health/prevent-food-poisoning-vacation/?xid=time) _originally appeared on_ [_Health.com_](http://www.health.com) ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] So, in terms of travel tips, I would say that some of my favorites are to get off the beaten path. Follow your nose. A lot of times people are tied to a specific itinerary. There's ten things they need to see when they're there But if you smell an amazing bakery or you hear some music coming out of a pub, even though you might be on a bit of a tight schedule, try to make the time to get off that beaten path and see what that local treasure is. Oftentimes, it can be what makes your trip. I have a few different travel tricks that I like to use, one of which is zip ties. Zip ties are extremely handy. When you have a zipper break, or shoe lace break. They can sub in, in a hurry. They are also great, if you have to gate check your bat. You can use them to close your bag. See if anybody got into it while you are apart from it. The other travel trick that I like to use is I bring a lot of magazine with me. They're great for reading on a plane and then it freeze up room in my luggage for stuff I wanna bring home and then I always carry a collapsible little Duffle bag but just in case there happens to be a puffy jacket I find or something that a neat blanket, I have that extra bag to check if I have to. 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