Are most holidaymakers ill in India?

[rhiannonplas]

DH and I are starting to look at a big trip to celebrate big birthdays next year (just us, DC are grown up).

We'd love to go to India, but although DH has a cast-iron stomach, I'm prone to food poisoning and was ill when we went to Morocco and Cuba. (I did, however lose quite a bit of weight, so every cloud...)

If you've been to India, did you have Delhi belly even if you followed the advice about only drinking sealed water, mouth shut in shower, not eating cut fruit, eating veggie food (which I would anyway), taking malaria precautions?

Are any areas of India better than others health-wise? (Although I would love to go to the Golden Triangle and Pondicherry).

Thanks for any advice.

I went to India, got Delhi belly on day 1 and then had diarrhoea for years. Turns out that it triggered Crohn’s disease. I had never had D&V before I went to India and I’ve travelled a lot (not anymore )

My husband has been and was fine. He eats only very hot veggie food. Be very careful with the water. I think tap water sold as mineral water was what did it for me.

NHS says shop bought probiotics to shorten illness is not proven. Or at least buy from the bargain shops, don't pay the fluffy bunny premium.

I've been to India loads of times. Mostly the North. I've never been ill once. DD has been 6 times and hasn't ever been ill either. It helps that we're veggie, and we're careful about bottled water and where we eat.

I am also prone to food poisoning.
I got sick each time I ate out in restaurants, until I realized that I had to go Vegetarian for the duration. Which was lovely as Indian vegetarian food is delish.

I honestly think that some people are much more prone to these sorts of things than others. a bit like being bitten by mosquitos. one of my DC has never been bitten even though they never wear any sort of bug spray even in the jungle in Belize. me on the other hand, I can go anywhere and they feast on me. same with upset stomachs.

Its really the reason why I wouldn't go to India. We went to Belize which was stunningly beautiful and I didn't get sick once.

I've been to India three times. Have never been sick being vegetarian helps.

I was there for 4 months in 2012. Had constant diarrhoea and lost 2 stone in weight! Was v careful but it’s v difficult to avoid bacteria, it’s in things you touch, inc banknotes, some of the toilets are filthy, there’s animals living and shitting in the streets ( and sometimes people). It’s a great country but yes you prob will get ill!

We have been several times and only my DH had a short bout of the runs in 1988.

It really depends on where you stay and the precautions you take. Also book with a high quality company who will ensure you are looked after and they will only deal with high class hotels because they don’t want you to be ill.

The first time we went we did it on the cheap and DH was ill for a day. I guess anyone staying for 4 months isn’t staying in the classiest of hotels. This is key. If it is a celebration trip, stay somewhere great in each location. We have stayed at converted palaces (total joy) and there are several top notch hotel groups such as Taj, Leela and Oberoi. Some heritage hotels are wonderful but if they are not used by the likes of Audley Travel, Ultimate Travel and other up market agents, I would check traveller reviews. Some a glorious but some are less so. Be discerning.

You can tell the difference between proper bottled water and knock off water. On our recent tours, our driver handed out the water and it came from plastic packages as you see in the supermarkets here. Again, don’t buy it from cheap street vendors. Ditto food.

In decent restaurants, you really do not have to worry about meat. The food to avoid is seafood. Just don’t risk it. Unpeeled fruit washed in not so fresh water should also be avoided and ditto salads. Always eat cooked food.

India is amazing. Delhi and Rajesthan are very geared up for tourism but miles away from Pondicherry! Goa is ok for beaches but the Caribbean is better!

As for anyone not going because they are worried about Delhi belly - really you do not have to worry these days unless you are doing it on the cheap! There are so many fantastic safe places to stay in India, push the boat out and do it. You won’t regret it.

Just to add, I am quite prone to an upset stomach even here in the UK, and I still haven't ever been sick in India, so it really isn't inevitable. Avoid meat, salad and ice cream, steer clear of dodgy mineral water brands like Bisleri (we like Catch or Himalaya), wash your hands well and you should be fine.

I started regularly taking a prebiotic before my trip to India and then continued taking them during my trip. They were powdered sachets so easy to travel with. I think they were called binumin. I was absolutely fine when others in my party weren't.

You do not need to avoid meat. You really don’t. You will miss out on lovely food if you do. If it’s thoroughly cooked it’s fine. No-one we were with on any recent holiday was ill. Just don’t do a DIY holiday on the cheap and always eat in high quality restaurants recommended by others.

Between us DP and I have probably spent years in India on many trips pre-kids, and always on an absolute shoe-string. DP: sick as a dog on a fairly regular basis despite being vegetarian. Me: never as much as a rumble, eating meat, seafood and street snacks. The difference? Hand washing. DP can't be bothered whereas I have been mildly obsessive. Enjoy your trip, it is an amazing place, and Tamil Nadu is otherworldly.

AdultHumanfemale where did you go tonin Tamilnadu?

I didn't get sick. I only ate food that had been boiled and freshly served. I only ate in restaurants that were very busy with locals - presumably a good sign. I drank coca cola - not healthy but maybe less likely to be tampered with. I sometimes ate in McDonalds as i hoped there was certain standards.

My friend used to work in international student recruitment and travelled extensively through India, Asia, Far and Middle East etc. She always says the worst place for food poisoning is France! (And having spent 10 days of a 14 day French holiday on the loo, I totally agree.)

Eating veggie is a good precaution though and hardly a hardship in India.

Professor, I used to make a 'base' somewhere with good facilities for travellers, such a Chennai, Mamallapuram, Tiruvannamalai, Kodaikanal or Ooty and then hire a motorbike or take local buses to go on excursions to visit or stay in smaller villages or towns. I find the ambience of rural T.N so beautiful, up there with any other travellers' attractions I have seen

AdultHumanFemale - It’s where I come from was just intrigued, good to know that you liked the place.
It is not a typical tourist place but the temples are amazing...people are really friendly and easy going.
My aunt became friendly with couple of tourists recently during their brief 2 hour journey and took them to baby shower she was going to - the girls had flowers in their hair, participated in the ceremony ate dinner and she made sure that they safely reached where they were going!

Oh, Professor , how lovely. I have travelled a lot in India, and I actually think T.N is my favourite part. I am a keen birdwatcher, and love collecting textiles, and have found both in abundance there. And Tiruvannamalai, with Ramana's cave, is special to me.

McDonalds? Standards? In a country that doesn’t eat beef? Not my idea of where to go. On a special occasion holiday, eat where travellers like you eat. Get recommendations from your holiday company. Audley collate them from previous guests so you know others have been fine. Yes to personal hygiene.

Street food can be amazing join a food tour they know the best and safest places to eat. Why would anyone want to eat in fast food restaurants when you have amazing food at such good prices plus you are supporting small business.

We spent two weeks in India (Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Varanasi etc.) without catching anything at all. Only sealed bottled water from reliable source, no salads, freshly cooked (preferably fried in front of our eyes) meat. Bananas in their skins are pretty safe unless deliberately tampered with (unlikely). Peel all other fresh fruit, or avoid completely.

We went and weren't I'll. We were fastidious about germs though. I took straws for when they serve you bottled drinks in cafes. Didn't eat salad. If you buy fruit, only buy what you can wash and peel. No ice or ice cream. Use hand wash gel after touching money (I heard this is the source of bugs but no idea if it's true). We travelled on a very tight budget so stayed in some pretty dodgy places, hence my paranoia. The toilets there are usually squat toilets unless you're in a hotel so again, hand wash gel and try to use toilets you pay to use as they're cleaner.

Yes, we got through a lot of hand wash gel.