Australians may be aware of the physical threats or even the financial dangers of travelling to foreign countries, but did you know that over half aren’t aware of the food-related risks?
New research of Australian travellers conducted by Lonergan Research on behalf of Sanofi Pasteur found that a large number of Aussies are travelling recklessly when it comes to their health, with 54 percent of holidaymakers flying to at-risk destinations WITHOUT seeking health advice before their trip – leaving them exposed to potential harm and deadly infections.
What’s worse, half (49 percent) did NOT get vaccinated before their last trip and one in third of those didn’t think vaccinations were required for the country visited.
While industry professionals with years of travel experience know the dos and dont’s of overseas eating and drinking, a large number of Aussies are very unaware.
Nearly three in four say they’ve eaten locally prepared food at a three- to- five-star hotel; 56 percent brushed their teeth with tap water; 47 percent had a drink with ice in it; and one in five said they drank tap water.
Adam Liaw talks to KarryOn about health risks while travelling.
According to Celebrity Chef and frequent traveller, Adam Liaw, it’s surprising to discover so many Australians are travelling without knowing the dangers of what they consume in foreign destinations.
Speaking to KarryOn, he explained that anyone who isn’t aware of the threats and how to avoid them is at risk of having their holiday cut short by something that could have been avoided.
“I always thought I was doing everything right, but then I made a mistake that resulted in my entire family getting sick.”
Adam Liaw, Celebrity Chef
It was at 14 during a tour of the Great Wall of China when the MasterChef finalist first experienced the downside of international eating.
Liaw assumed his half-Chinese heritage should have protected him from any local threats, but instead he ended up crouched by the Great Wall in serious pain.
But it wasn’t until recently that he really started looking into the mistakes he was making overseas.
“I was making the mistake of thinking I would be fine. I’m a healthy, youngish male in the prime of my life, I’m going to be relatively okay.”
Adam Liaw, Celebrity Chef
Here what Liaw found that could help travellers avoid getting sick while on holidays:
1. Eat the RIGHT street food
“If I’m eating on the streets, I’m picking things that have a lower risk of problems for example, rather than raw food or partially cooked food, I’ll go for food that’s cooked on the spot.
“For example, curries are cooked slowly and are often left sitting under the sun for periods of time. You want to avoid those and go for something like a satay which will be grilled right there and then.”
2. Chilli doesn’t kill bacteria
“There are a lot of people that think to kill bacteria they can eat something like chilli. Unfortunately chilli doesn’t kill germs.”
3. Neither does ice
“Another misconception is that ice will kill off any germs in a fancy frozen cocktail, but it doesn’t and neither will the actual alcohol unless it’s a high concentration.
“You don’t have to change your behaviour here, it may be as simple as asking the question – how the ice is made? If it’s made using bottled water than it should be fine.”
4. Anti-bacterial pumps shouldn’t replace a hand wash
“It’s true, anti-bacterial pump packs or gels are not as good as washing your hands. They do kill off some bacteria but it should never replace washing your hands.”
