How to prevent getting ill whilst travelling South East Asia

It is inevitable that if you’re travelling for a long time then you will get ill. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t precautions you can take to prevent this from happening.

I’m someone who worries about getting poorly and this meant I was going to do everything in my power to prevent Jacob and I getting ill.

Here are some of my top tips for avoiding illness whilst travelling…

Hand sanitiser

Always always always have sanitiser on you. I took some with me from home but quickly ran out of it. You can buy hand sanitiser from any pharmacy while you’re travelling.

Make sure your hands are clean before eating or drinking anything. If you can use soap and water that’s great but sometimes you won’t have access to this. This is where your trusty hand sanitiser will come into use.

Probiotics

I took probiotics in the weeks leading up to our trip to try to get my body used to new bacteria. I continued taking probiotics for the duration of our travels.

I did take my own from home but it is easy to buy probiotics from pharmacies while travelling.

The probiotics that I used were the Holland & Barrett travel biotic live friendly bacteria + ginger capsules. These were the best ones I could find as they were only 1 tablet per day, didn’t need to be kept in the fridge, and the added ginger was great. Ginger is good for settling your stomach so this gave more peace of mind!

Charcoal tablets

I came across charcoal tablets on TikTok and they have proved to be a lifesaver. If you ever feel sick or a bit off after a meal then simply take a couple of charcoal tablets. You’ll feel right as rain soon after.

I took two bottles (100 tablets in each bottle) with us. I ordered the charcoal tablets from Amazon but you can buy them in pharmacies or places like Holland & Barrett.

I have seen them available to buy in shops like 7 Eleven in South East Asia too so don’t fret if you forget to bring them or run out.

Never drink the tap water

Never ever drink the tap water in South East Asia. This tip obviously depends on where you travel in the world but as a rule of thumb stick to bottled water.

In South East Asia definitely stick to bottled water. Even the local people in this part of the world don’t drink the tap water because it makes you sick. It is full of nasty bacteria and toxic metals.

It is cheap and easy to buy bottled water from the local shops. Some hotels even provide free filtered water so make sure you take advantage of this.

As well as avoiding directly drinking the water, make sure you don’t brush your teeth with the water or swallow any when showering.

Also be mindful of fruits and vegetables that might have been washed in the water. We have never had any issues with this but if your salad is obviously wet then I would leave it.

Be careful with ice

Generally speaking there are no issues with ice because most restaurants/cafes buy their ice in bags. This ice is made from safe, filtered water. It is usually easy to spot this type of ice as is will have a hole down the middle. If you’re unsure you can always ask if the ice is filtered.

There will be a small percentage of places that do make their own ice. You might find this in more rural areas.

My best advice is if you’re unsure, don’t drink it.

Google reviews

Check out the google reviews for anywhere you’re going to eat/drink. If there is any mention of food poisoning or illness then avoid it. It isn’t worth the risk.

There will be odd occasions when you can’t check out the reviews (maybe you’re somewhere more rural) so sometimes you do just have to risk it. BUT if you can help it then please look at the reviews.

Read through the lowest rated reviews and also search the words ‘food poisoning’.

Stop biting your nails

I’m not a nail biter so this hasn’t been an issue for me. Jacob is though and it has proved problematic for him.

Biting your nails is a bad idea because there could be all sorts of bacteria under your nails that you’re putting straight into your mouth.

Jacob had gastroenteritis while we were in Cambodia and we’re pretty sure the cause of this was nail biting.

If this is a habit you have then it’s time to stop, or else you run the risk of being poorly.

Use insect repellant

Don’t bother taking insect repellant from home. You’re much better off buying it from your destination because it will be more effective.

In South East Asia most of the shops will sell insect repellant for a cheap price. This is the one we have used from 7 Eleven.

Insects like mosquitos can carry diseases such as dengue fever and malaria. Using insect repellent will reduce your risk of catching anything like this.

Be careful in the sun

Not only is it important to use suncream but there are other precautions that can be taken when it comes to the sun.

Make sure you drink plenty of water, wear a hat to cover your head, and take electrolytes to keep hydrated. Electrolytes help your body with rehydrating.

You can buy electrolyte sachets from 7 Eleven or pharmacies. There are also drinks such as Pocari Sweat that contain electrolytes.

These are the electrolytes we often used.