Travellers Diarrhoea: The Practical To-Do List
Travellers Diarrhoea: what is worth doing, what is worth avoiding, and when to stop and see a doctor.
Diarrhoea acquired abroad, usually from contaminated food or water. It is the commonest travel illness, usually self-limiting, and the main risk is dehydration rather than the infection.
Key takeaways
- Main risk: dehydration
- Treatment: oral rehydration salts and fluids
- Most useful single change: Pack oral rehydration salts before travelling.
- Commonest mistake: Loperamide if you have bloody diarrhoea or fever.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
Do
- Pack oral rehydration salts before travelling
- Drink sealed bottled or properly boiled water
- Avoid ice, salads washed in local water, and unpeeled fruit
- Wash hands with soap and water before eating
Do not
- Loperamide if you have bloody diarrhoea or fever
- Tap water, including for cleaning teeth, where quality is uncertain
- Antibiotics carried "just in case" without advice
The numbers behind the list
The list is built from the numbers below, which come from the bodies cited at the end.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Main risk | dehydration |
| Treatment | oral rehydration salts and fluids |
| Antibiotics | not routinely needed for mild illness |
| Loperamide | avoid if there is blood or fever |
| Food rule | cook it, peel it, boil it, or leave it |
If you change one thing
Pack oral rehydration salts before travelling. Start there. The rest of the list keeps.
Where to go next
- Answers to the Common Questions on Travellers Diarrhoea
- Travellers Diarrhoea in Five Minutes
- Travellers Diarrhoea — the reference entry
- Flying and Health: What Published Guidance Supports
- Sun and Heat Abroad: What the Evidence Actually Says
When to speak to a doctor
Seek medical help abroad or on return for bloody diarrhoea, high fever, severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, or signs of dehydration. See a GP for diarrhoea persisting more than a week after returning, and mention where you travelled — persistent post-travel diarrhoea needs stool testing for parasites.
Where this comes from
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.
Spotted something wrong? Report an error on this page. We correct on the page and say what changed.
