So you’ve bought your ticket, booked your accommodation and you’re on your way to the airport. It’s time! Exotic destinations are the ultimate holiday whether you’re thrill seeking, family holidaying, spoiling yourself on a romantic getaway or just want to lounge by the pool with a cocktail. What’s the one thing that nobody thinks about in their office daydream of the perfect exotic escape?

Explosive diarrhoea. You heard me.

Unless you’ve experienced it first hand, there is no understanding the horrors of picking up a gut bug abroad, especially if you’re chucking your guts up in a hostel toilet, public restroom in rural Asia, or god forbid, on public transport. Yes things got graphic pretty quickly there, but I want to let you in on a secret:

Shelf stable (Saccharomyces boulaardi) SB probiotics.

SB is my number one packing item. I sort out my SB supply before I lash out on fancy new bathers or get my currency changed. SB is a yeast that is life-saving when it comes to preventing travel related diarrhoea. It’s transient, so it only stays in your gut while you’re taking it consistently. Basically it helps protect the gut from nasty microbes that want to adhere to your gut and ruin your holiday. It helps to bulk up a loose stool and reduce inflammation in the gut too. Aim for 500-1000mg per day for prevention. If you still get diarrhoea, take at least 1000mg per day in divided doses. Make sure you buy one that has been designed for travel and doesn’t need to be refridgerated.

Please just wash your hands

Take it from me - a seasoned traveller who has witnessed even the most robust of her friends get struck down with gastro - wash your dang hands. Even if you’re staying in fancy accommodation and eating western style food, wash your hands before every meal. Wash them before touching your mouth or using a pot of lip balm. Don’t let those filthy mitts anywhere near your mouth. For extra protection, wash your hands AND use a hand sanitiser. I don’t promote this in your home country so much, but there are so many foreign microbes out there that have your gut has never encountered so it’s better safe than sorry.

Pack some electrolytes

If you’re spending your annual sweating it out in a humid exotic destination, chances are you could use some extra rehydration. Drinking bottled water is all well and good, but it’s probably had the bejesus purified out of it. Adding an effervercent electrolyte tablet to your drinking water every now and again will keep you hydrated and energetic. Extra important to be using electrolytes if you end up unwell - either with a stomach bug or a cold. I like good old hydrolyte tablets - delicious.

Activated charcoal

Activated charcoal helps bind to nasty stuff in the digestive tract and is a good ‘just in case’ item for if you get sick. Make sure you take it with a big glass or water or two. You should be drinking water almost constantly if you’re unwell in a tropical area. I recommend picking up some capsules with about 1000mg per dose. Capsules over powder anyday - trust me when I say that you don’t want to spill a tub of loose activated charcoal on the carpet of your hotel room…

Handy and healthy but non-essential items

Herbal Tea Bags

Taking a stash of your favourite herbal tea bags can be a nice taste of home while you’re away. I always take a digestive blend for settling the tum after gorging myself on delicious local food. I also make sure I have some more calming blends for chilling out on the plane or before bed. Ask the flight attendant for a mug of boiling water and away you go!

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera gel can be incredibly overpriced in tourist hot spots. I always pack a bottle because my fair skin was just not designed for the tropical sun! I’ve burned my skin enough times to know my limit, but I always keep aloe vera handy. Also keep an eye out for the fresh stuff - it’s free and works better than commercial preparations. Just snap off a blade and peel back the skin to the wet jelly underneath. Slather that bad boy on your skin - it will soothe crispy skin immediately.

My Exotic Travel Packing List:

• SB Probiotics

• Activated Charcoal

• Herbal Tea Bags

• Aloe Vera

• Electrolyte Tablets

• Hand Sanitiser

• Tampons (can be overpriced and hard to find in some locations)

• Non-alcoholic wipes

• Coconut oil

• Natural SPF sunscreen - zinc based

• Immodium (in case things get really yuck)

• Protein / Muesli bars for when hunger strikes mid-flight

Safe travels and see you at the swim-up bar!

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