Rushing to the bathroom with an upset stomach is not how you want to spend your holidays.
You can get sick anywhere, but there is some illness that often happens to people traveling to another country.
Your body is getting used to the weather, food and the habit.
This also can happen to you when you are traveling to Indonesia. So there is always a chance you got sick in the island of thousand God, Bali.
Prevent getting sick in Bali
We already know about the things that should happen when you are going to Bali: beautiful beaches, amazing culture and art, and the authentic famous Bali food.
All those excitement can disappear when you are not well. You can not enjoy the island as much as you want and moreover, it left you with a bad memory yet the island is gorgeous.
Tourists visiting Bali would probably hear of Bali Belly, an unpleasant feeling in your stomach that come with symptoms such as stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach aches, and pains. These are the kinds of things that can derail carefully planned holiday itineraries. Find out what you need to know about how to prevent getting sick in Bali and get the most benefit from your trip.
1. Travel Insurance
Insurance gives a reassurance of safety for your health should anything bad happen abroad. Sometimes having the proper document relieve stress and enable to relax the mind before going to a certain country.
2. Healthy Eating habit
We often consider a holiday to eat whatever we want. Although the fact about Bali food is tasty and even some can be very freshly vegetarian and raw, you need to look into the ingredient more carefully.
Dishes in the developing countries tend to be spicy. Moreover, even if the street food in Bali is very appealing and cheap, you need to take somethings into account.
- Clean, make sure what you are eating is clean from the ingredient to the presentation.
- Hydrate, stay healthy by making sure you are drinking enough water. If you are eating an authentic cuisine that you are not a custom to, make sure you accompanied it by some water and not another mixed drink that you are not familiar with.
- Food combination lets not upset the stomach and eat spicy food all day long. Have your typical breakfast and you can be adventurous during lunch time. Therefore, your body can adjust with the new ingredient without enduring any pain.
- Ask questions, always ask the server first if you have any allergies or if you can’t handle spicy food. It is a common knowledge that besides the locals and Asian tourist, other visitors have different palette and digestion that may result into stomach problems. There are things not to eat and drink in Bali that it is better to ask then sorry.
3. Be more Hygiene
it is no surprise that contaminated food and water can happen due to poor sanitation.
Untreated water can carry pathogens such as bacteria, viruses or protozoans, there is some parasite in Bali that you must be aware of. Poor sanitation practices can also make you sick in Bali. These are things that you must bring around:
- Toilet tissue, bring your own toiletries, not every bathroom on the island have them. So it is better to always have them in your bag.
- Avoid tap water, Bali taps are not drinkable. Best to keep hydrated by drinking from bottled water that is available in many supermarkets, stores, and small stalls.
4. No ice
Try to avoid having any drinks with ice. Ice is often made with tap water and not a boiled one. It can result into stomach problem, this may not happen to the locals where they might develop some immunity from it.
5. Boiled water
If you want to have something different to drink besides water. Make sure that you have your tea, coffee, or juices from bottled or boiled water. There are many famous cafes in Bali that are hygiene and attract many tourists.
6. Dry eating utensil
Many street vendors and restaurant may serve up food and drinks on freshly washed plates and cups. Make sure to use any eating utensil such as plate, spoon, and fork completely dry before using them.
7. Wash vegetables
Indonesia is famous for its exotics fruits. There are many interesting fruits in Bali that are worth to try.
However, tourists need to be cautious about where you get your fruit and vegetables from. It is always better to wash them with bottled or boiled water.
8. Avoid pre-cut fruits
Another thing that visitor need to keep in mid to prevent getting sick in Bali is to eat right and always wash up. Eating fruits is very healthy.
You can even buy peeled and pre-cut fruits that look tempting. However, this pre-cut fruits many contain some preservation chemicals. Buy whole fruits and cut them by yourself to prevent any unwanted issues.
9. Avoid uncook meat
Satay is among the most popular dishes in Indonesia. This meat dish is very popular food even among the locals. You can find Satay in Bali, Padang, Jakarta and almost in every city in Indonesia.
It is a meat in skewer over a charcoal fire, with peanut sauces. This common traditional Indonesia food can make foreign tourist sick because the meat is not well cooked. Make sure to ask the server to the cook the meat well.
10. Eat only in a popular and crowded place
You have many great choices of restaurants to eat out in Bali. You can prevent getting sick in Bali by eating at popular restaurants with a high turnover. This is a common measure that the food will be fresh and not pre-cooked.
11. Food to avoid
There is no dangerous food in Bali. It is more to the choices of where the food is served that visitors need to pay attention. Don’t eat food at room temperature. There is more likely for food that has been sitting in the sun or food from buffets to be not fresh.
The best way to eat from places that are cooking the food in front of you. On the other hand, you also need to avoid places that are close to the road. You don’t want your meal seasoned by pollution.
12. Avoid dairy product
Bali just like other Indonesian city is very hot. Therefore any unpasteurized dairy products can actually make you sick if it is nor properly stores.
Moreover, if you already experiencing an upset stomach it is better to limit any consumption of dairy foods as this can worsen diarrhea.
13. Proper Medication
If you already experiencing several symptoms of getting sick in Bali. Take the necessary medication. If you have diarrhea drink lots of water and oral rehydration drinks. Antibiotics can help to kill a bacterial infection if instructed to do so by your treating doctor. Bring your familiar brand medication that your body familiar with.
Don’t let any illness deter you from having the best time during your travels. While it might be common to get sick in Bali, there are steps you can take to reduce the risk of getting it.
Consider protecting your holiday to Bali with travel insurance, healthy eating choices and hygienic habit. You surely have the best time in Bali.
