Common Travel Illnesses: Traveler's Diarrhea, Sunburn, Heat Exhaustion & Bug Bites

Stomach Bugs & Sun

Traveler's diarrhea usually traces to local water and unfamiliar food handling. Drink sealed bottled water (including for teeth-brushing in high-risk regions), favor foods served freshly cooked and hot, skip raw salads washed in tap water, and use alcohol gel before eating and after restrooms. Oral rehydration salts are the single most useful item in a travel kit—fluids with electrolytes beat plain water for recovery.

Sunburn is an inflammatory burn that raises long-term skin-cancer risk with every episode. Use broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher, reapply every two hours and after swimming, wear a hat and sunglasses, and stay in shade through peak UV hours. If you are already burned: cool compresses, generous moisturizer or aloe, ibuprofen for pain, and strict sun avoidance until healing.

Heat Illness & Insect Bites

Heat exhaustion—dizziness, nausea, heavy sweating, headache—progresses to heat stroke (confusion, hot dry skin, fainting), which is a 911 emergency. Prevention: drink water steadily through the day, limit alcohol, rest during the hottest hours, and never exercise in unacclimatized heat. Cool the person rapidly, replace fluids, and escalate care if confusion appears.

• Use EPA-registered repellent (DEET 20–30%, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus) on exposed skin.
• Wear light, loose, long clothing at dusk—peak mosquito hours in many regions.
• Sleep under a permethrin-treated bed net where malaria is present.
• Ask a travel clinician 4–6 weeks early about antimalarials, typhoid, hepatitis A, yellow fever, or rabies vaccines for your itinerary.