How To Travel With A Sensitive Stomach

Don’t let a sensitive tummy keep you from seeing and experiencing the world.

Traveling with any kind of illness can be miserable, but a long-term stomach issue can wreck havoc on your well-laid plans. Here are a few tips to make being on the go easier.

Keep plenty of the things you know make you feel better on hand at all times. If you have a go-to pill, tablet or other medication, keep some in your purse or carry-on, and buy them in travel-sized doses. At the first sign of trouble, take a dose.

If you know certain things trigger your sensitive stomach, stay away from them. For some, certain spices, dairy or even stress can be big factors in what your body can or can’t handle. If you’re unsure if a meal contains a certain ingredient that will bother you, don’t be afraid to ask. Learn the local words for your triggers before departing for your destination, so you can easily request them removed from your meal.

If you’re not quite sure what’s triggering your sensitive stomach, but it’s become a reoccurring problem, consider taking a quick trip to the doctor. They can help identify what’s bothering you, and make lifestyle or medication suggestions to help ease your pain.

Before traveling, it’s a good idea for anyone, sensitive stomach or not, to load up on probiotics. You can purchase probiotic tablets at nearly any drugstore or pharmacy, and take them daily to help your intestinal system develop the right immunity and environment to fight off any offending item you may ingest.

It’s also a good idea to stay away from caffeine, a stimulant that can make you not only alert, but also nervously stuck to the bathroom all day.

If all else fails and you’re already in an unfortunate predicament, Flush Toilet Finder is an app that will help you find public restrooms all over the world, with 190,000 stored in its database. The free app even tells you if a restroom offers disabled access, or if it requires a fee or key.