How to Avoid Digestive Problems While Traveling

You may be looking forward to a spring break getaway or scheduling summer travel. Whatever your plans, you don’t want digestive problems like diarrhea, constipation, or indigestion to interfere. So, it’s important to think ahead about ways to maintain your digestive health while you’re away.

To help you avoid common pitfalls and plan for possible difficulties, gastroenterologist Arthur Magun, MD, draws on his many years of expertise treating patients to explain how travel can disrupt your digestive health and what you can do to make your trip more pleasant. 

What is digestive health?

Digestive health is a broad subject. But digestive health when traveling revolves around two important basic concepts.

One is eating (and drinking) foods that provide the necessary nutrients for normal functioning.

The second is avoiding foods that disrupt the normal functioning of the human digestive tract.

“Normal” refers to the absence of abdominal pain, bloating, acid reflux, cramps, diarrhea, or constipation.

What are the main digestive issues associated with travel?

Diarrhea, constipation, and indigestion are the most common scenarios. In some people, nausea can accompany indigestion.

What is it about travel that disrupts our digestion?

There are several reasons travel disrupts the normal functioning of our gut. First, if, during our travels, we drink the local tap water, we could introduce new and different strains of bacteria and other pathogens into our gut.

Second, travel often introduces us to foods we generally don’t eat, which could mean more (or less) fiber, different forms of carbohydrates, and unfamiliar vegetables—all of which can affect the gut.

Third, we sometimes drink less fluid when we travel to avoid trips to the bathroom. While this may offer short-term convenience, it can lead to constipation and discomfort.

Fourth, catching flights, taking trains, renting cars, and sleeping in an unfamiliar bed are all stressors. Travel stress can disrupt the normal functioning of our gut, leading to constipation for some people and diarrhea for others.

What are the most effective preventive strategies for common digestive issues?

Each issue should be approached with different strategies.

• Diarrhea: This is a common problem when traveling. It’s usually caused by a change in the water we drink, but occasionally, it can be attributed to overeating.
  • Drink bottled or spring water rather than the local tap water.
  • Avoid huge meals.
  • Be very cautious about salads and fruits that may have been washed with local tap water. The safest policy is to avoid fresh salads, fruits, and other uncooked foods, especially in less developed countries.
• Constipation: Constipation can be due to a lack of fluids (dehydration). Dehydration also makes stool harder and more difficult to pass.
  • Drink at least 1.5 quarts of fluid every day.
  • If your gut is sensitive to travel stress, schedule a little time to decompress. For example, why not make regular exercise part of your trip?
• Indigestion and nausea: Overeating and alcohol drinking are the most common causes of indigestion and nausea.
  • For myself and my patients, I recommend consuming food and alcohol in moderation.
  • Helicobacter pylori, a food-borne bacterium that can damage the lining of your stomach, can cause gastritis. To lower the risk of an H. pylori infection, make sure your food is adequately cooked. 

How can I manage symptoms of acute or chronic digestive problems while traveling?

Unfortunately, there might be circumstances or conditions that travelers cannot predict or anticipate. In these cases, it’s best to have a plan and include over-the-counter medications in your toiletry kit to help ease symptoms.

• Diarrhea: 
  • Immediately stop drinking the local water and skip two meals in a row to rest the intestine.
  • Drink a balanced electrolyte solution, such as Gatorade, instead of bottled water for the next 24 hours or so.
  • Imodium pills can slow diarrhea and are generally safe to use unless you experience rectal bleeding or severe cramps. Take no more than two per day.
• Constipation: 
  • Drink more fluids.
  • Milk of magnesia or other magnesia derivatives can loosen stool. It’s also usually available in local pharmacies.
• Indigestion and nausea: Pepto-Bismol and famotidine (Pepcid) are effective for indigestion, nausea, and gastritis.

Whatever your issue, it’s very important that you read and follow the dosing directions carefully. 

Are there any serious digestive issues or conditions that should keep you from traveling?

No, there are no serious digestion issues that make travel impossible. That said, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and a history of diverticulitis all require careful medication planning. If you have one of these conditions, you should check in with your doctor before you travel.