by Christine Morris

Created on: January 02, 2007   Last Updated: May 14, 2007

Travel diarrhea comes in 3 forms. The first is bacterial contracted from food or water. The second is viral and you could pick that up anywhere. The third and most common for travelers comes on from general rhythm discombobulation. All are easily treatable, though without some planning, can really put a hitch in your plans.

People usually get bacterial diarrhea from eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water. Avoid eating food from street carts period. Even in first world countries like the United States it can be risky. In second you should be careful about uncooked foods. Sometimes it's ok, sometimes it isn't. For instance, in Korea it's perfectly safe. In third world countries you should only eat cooked foods. In the first world, tap water is generally safe to drink. In second world countries it might be ok and it might not. There are test kits you can get if you like, or you can just drink bottles. It is usually safe to brush your teeth with. In third world countries you must always use bottled water, even for toothbrushing.

Viral diarrhea is just luck of the draw. There are no clear guidelines on avoiding it other than what you would probably do anyway. Wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your face.

True Traveler's Diarrhea is what happens when you are cooped up on a plane, train or bus for hours, eating strange food and crossing time zones. All that shifting around does a number on your circadian rhythms. The best thing you can do is take Pepto Bismal (or the generic equivalent) every 4 hours while you are traveling. You shouldn't do this for longer than 2 days and it will cause a darkening of stool. This will eliminate any Traveler's Diarrhea leaving you to deal with all the other wonderful symptoms of Jet Lag.

Ok, say you've already got it. Bacterial diarrhea is best treated by doing nothing more than drink lots of (safe) water. You need to let whatever is in there out or it's going to keep causing trouble. Your body will eventually deal with the problem, but heaven only knows when that will be. Ditto viral bacterial. At worst it'll last 2 days. Unfortunately, you never know when it's going to hit. Traveler's Diarrhea only occurs during or immediately after actual transportation. It will also only last a day or 2 and will add to the joys of freak chills, random nausea, and body aches that make up Jet Lag. When you're dealing with all of that, you probably won't even notice.

Most diarrhea is no big deal. You get it, you're unhappy and trapped in the hotel room, you get better. However, if it lingers for more than 3 days or if the skin doesn't snap back into shape when pinched seek medical care. It is possible to become so dehydrated from diarrhea that it becomes dangerous.

Considering the massive Jet Lag my husband and I got from traveling from Ohio to Korea, we should have been fighting over the bathroom for a couple of days, but we took out Pepto-Bismal religiously and had not trouble with that at all. If you plan ahead you will have a much better trip.

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