In my experience, a lot of stomach trouble on a guys trip starts as a pile-up of heavier drinking than at home, rich unfamiliar food and a week of work stress letting go, and then a real bug picked up from ice, raw fruit or food that sat out too long lands on top. The CDC says bacteria cause most cases of travelers' diarrhea, and a bacterial case usually runs three to seven days untreated, which is the better part of a long weekend with the guys.
A sick day on a group trip costs more than the guy who is sick. Someone stays back, the tee time gets shuffled, and the charter goes out one man short. The food safety habits below are the same ones that keep you healthy at home, and they matter more on the road, especially when you have already paid for all-inclusive resort extras like a tee time or a charter. My wife Heather and I have traveled the Caribbean for more than 20 years, and we have always been careful about food and water. On a Virgin Voyages cruise with a stop in the Dominican Republic, we got caught up in the excitement of the day and never stopped to think about it. The fresh fruit had probably been rinsed in tap water. The beer bottles were chilling in a tub of melted ice. The rice served with our stew had been sitting out in the open. We both got very sick, and plenty of other people did too. There was a lot of discussion about whether it came from the ship or from shore, and nobody could say for sure. What I can say is that the Virgin Voyages medical team was fantastic at taking care of us, and Heather was treated with no fee. Men's Alaska cruise alternative: Canada New England maritime heritage, craft beer, lobstering expeditions and military fortresses. Perfect for sophisticated travelers seeking coastal adventure. Mexican Riviera cruises exploring Mexico's pacific coast: iconic ports from Puerto Vallarta to Cabo San Lucas with authentic Mexican traditions, historic landmarks, and Pacific Coast beauty. Perfect f A 15 day authentic Vietnam tour from Sapa and Halong Bay to the Mekong Delta, ideal for travelers seeking local culture and hidden charms. A 12-day Vietnam tour from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City covering Halong Bay, Hoi An, Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong Delta. Ideal for first-time visitors. Promoted by FlowAds The lesson I took home is that food safety needs constant diligence, at home and on vacation, and 20 years of good habits only work if you keep using them. In my experience, a lot of what guys call food poisoning on a trip is several smaller things landing at once. A common pattern is a first night that runs harder than any night at home, a third trip to the buffet, late street food and a day on a boat with more beer than water. Add the release of a stressful month at work, and your stomach may already be unsettled before anything you ate was contaminated. You can still have the fun. Pace the first night, drink water between rounds, and eat like you would at home for the first day before you start working through the menu. Those are cheap ways to keep a minor upset from turning into a lost day. Why we picked it: a grill you can actually carry to the campsite, the tailgate or the cabin without borrowing a truck. Stainless, no propane tank to wrestle, and hot enough to cook for four guys rather than reheat for one. Promoted by FlowAds The CDC's food and water advice for travelers is specific. Avoid ice unless you are reasonably sure it was made with safe water. Skip salads, uncooked vegetables and raw fruit you did not peel yourself. Choose food that is fully cooked and served hot. Drink from factory-sealed bottles, and wipe the outside of cans and bottles before you drink from them, since they may have been sitting in ice water. Use bottled water to brush your teeth where the tap water is not safe. The old traveler's saying "boil it, cook it, peel it or forget it" covers most of this. Street food raises the risk, according to the CDC, so if the group wants the taco stand, pick the one cooking to order over a busy grill rather than the one with trays sitting out. At the resort, ask the bartender whether the ice is made from purified water before night one, not after. On cruise ships, most gastrointestinal outbreaks with a known cause are norovirus, and it spreads fast in places where a lot of people share the same bars, buffets and railings. The CDC says hand sanitizer does not work well against norovirus. Washing with soap and water before you eat and after the bathroom does far more. A group of guys sharing a villa or a pair of cabins is the same setup on a smaller scale. If one guy gets sick, he keeps to his own bathroom if possible, and everyone else gets serious about soap. The CDC notes the virus can still be in a person's stool for two weeks or more after he feels better, so the hygiene does not stop when he rejoins the group. In my experience, a hangover usually eases through the day with water, food and some shade. Repeated trips to the bathroom, cramps that keep coming back or a fever point to something else. According to the CDC, bacterial and viral cases can start anywhere from a few hours to four days after exposure, so the problem may come from yesterday's lunch rather than last night's bar. If it looks like a bug, the sick guy stays in, rests and keeps drinking fluids, ideally with rehydration salts. Nobody wants to be the guy who throws up on the catamaran, so ask the tour desk about moving his spot to a later day. It is easy to wait too long on a trip. The CDC classes any case as severe if it is incapacitating or wipes out your plans, and it warns against taking loperamide alone when there is fever or blood. Fever, blood in the stool or a case that is keeping you from your plans are all good reasons to talk to a doctor, and so is any worry about dehydration. Antibiotics can shorten a bacterial case by a day or two, but that is a decision for a doctor. If you get sick at sea, the ship's medical team is the first place to go, and earlier is easier than later. Before any international trip, check what your health plan covers outside the United States and whether travel insurance would fill the gap. The habits matter most on the busiest, most exciting days, which are the days you are least likely to think about them. Before the trip, save the number for the ship's medical center or the resort's doctor in your phone, and pick one guy in the group to carry the med kit so it is not buried in someone's checked bag when you need it. This article is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or a travel clinic before an international trip, especially if you have health conditions or take regular medication. Promoted by FlowAdsWhat Do You Call Your "Guys Trips"?
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Skip The Ice, Raw Fruit And Food That Sat Out To Avoid The Real Bug
Wash With Soap Because Hand Sanitizer Does Not Always Work Well Against Norovirus
Tell A Hangover From A Stomach Bug Before Planning The Next Day
See The Ship Or Resort Doctor Early Instead Of Toughing It Out
Keep Up Food Safety Every Day And Save The Medical Number Before You Go
