Tips To Not Get Sick From Food While Abroad

Many travelers fear getting sick while on vacation, and there are all sorts of causes for an illness that could really put a damper on your trip. Is someone on my flight contagious? Is the tap water clean? Is the food going to upset my stomach?

These are all common questions we concern ourselves with during our travels, so we've reached out to a few of our Culinary Content Network of bloggers to hear their tips for preventing foodborne illnesses while abroad based on personal experiences. Here's what has worked for them in the past, and it might save you too from spending a day sick in your hotel room:

Kit Graham from The Kittchen

"Be thoughtful about the fruits and vegetables you eat. Cooked vegetables are better than raw. Fruits with a peel or rind, like oranges and melon, are safer than strawberries or tomatoes.

As always, you want hot food to be hot and cold food to be cold. Food that is not served at the proper temperature is dangerous.

Be extremely cautious about eating street food. Asking hotels for recommendations or going on a food tour are pretty good methods of vetting. Checking TripAdvisor is good too — just be sure to read the most recent comments."

Lindsay Stein from  blog-nomnom.com

"Always eat where it's busy and [where] the locals are dining. [Touristy] locations aren't usually worried about reputation and people coming back, but the local shops pride themselves on fresh and quality ingredients that keep their customers coming back repeatedly."

Hannah Rinaldi from eatdrinkandsavemoney.com

"If you are in a country that is known for poor water quality, avoid all fruits that you don't peel yourself. For example, opt for oranges and bananas that you peel instead of eating melons and pineapple. The reason is because if the knives were washed in poorly sanitized water it can spread the germs from the water throughout every piece of fruit it touches."

Anjali Shah from pickyeaterblog.com

"Avoid cold meat platters, cheeses, raw fruits and veggies that [you haven't peeled yourself], and buffet foods. Cooked foods are always a good bet, [but] if you can, go vegetarian since seafood and other meats are more likely to cause digestive problems abroad due to the bacteria they can harbor!"