Personal hygiene
Poor personal hygiene is one of the leading causes of illness and other discomfort while travelling. There is a great deal you can do to protect yourself.
At the very least, we advise you to:
- wash your hands often and thoroughly
- wash your hands after using the toilet
- take your own toilet roll with you
- do not walk barefoot
- sleep on clean bedding
- dry yourself with a clean towel
- dry the dishes with a clean tea towel
- disinfect wounds and cover them with a sterile dressing
Food hygiene
Eating food contaminated with (intestinal) bacteria or drinking contaminated beverages can give you travellers' diarrhoea and other intestinal infections while travelling. There is a great deal you can do to protect yourself.
At the very least, we advise you to:
- wash your hands thoroughly before cooking
- wash your hands thoroughly before eating
- drink water, fruit juice and the like from factory-sealed bottles
- drink hot beverages
- boil milk every time before use
- only eat packaged ice cream and scooped ice cream from a clean shop
- wash vegetables and fruit in clean water
- peel fruit yourself
- do not eat fruit that has already been (partly) peeled
- bring food to the boil and let it boil for 15 minutes
- do not eat raw or undercooked meat, raw fish or raw shellfish
- make sure food is protected from flies
- refuse anyone with stomach complaints access to the kitchen
- keep leftovers in the refrigerator
- use hot soapy water and clean water for washing up
Water hygiene
Poor (drinking) water supplies often play a major role in contracting illness and other discomfort while travelling. Only in Western Europe and North America can you usually drink water straight from the tap. There is a great deal you can do to protect yourself.
At the very least, we advise you to:
- do not drink tap water
- drink from factory-sealed bottles of water, and use these for hot drinks too
- drink hot beverages
- make ice cubes from boiled water
- brush your teeth with bottled water
- avoid stagnant water
- shower under clean water
- check the quality of any water you swim in
- do not swim near sewage outlets
- do not swallow water while swimming
- use hot soapy water and clean water for washing up
The description above is only a general, concise and simplified overview and is provided for information purposes only. No rights may be derived from it. Personal advice is given solely during a consultation with a specially trained Certified Travel Health Doctor or Travel Health Assistant.