Can I Travel If I Have IBD?

Traveling for business or pleasure and visiting with friends and family members far from home can often be stressful for IBD sufferers. When you are feeling well and your IBD is well controlled, you shouldn't feel hindered in your travel. If the disease is active or has been quite unpredictable, you might be best to delay your travel plans if at all possible until things are more stable. There is nothing worse than having to spend most of your time on vacation inside a hotel room because you are experiencing symptoms of IBD.

 

Not only do IBD symptoms make you feel bad, but you will probably feel doubly bad because you are missing out on fun and good times. That is not to say you should not travel out of fear that a flare might occur while you are away; instead, you should try to choose the best time to travel based upon how you are feeling and how your disease has behaved in the past. If you are not sure, you can talk to your doctor about your travel plans.

 

Many people with IBD find that travel, whether due to the change in routine or the change in diet, can cause changes in the way their gastrointestinal tract functions. Diarrhea, cramping, increased gas, and abdominal distension can all occur. Traveling can be quite tiring, especially if it involves long periods in a car, bus, train, or airplane or travel across many time zones. In most cases, the symptoms experienced do not necessarily represent a flare of the disease, but are something that can be experienced by anyone, whether or not they have IBD.

 

 

When you travel, you often eat food that you have not prepared yourself and you may not be sure where the food originated. As a result, there may be a chance that you can pick up "traveler's diarrhea." This is a catch-all term for a variety of different infections caused by viruses and bacteria that may be transmitted by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water.

 

There are certain countries or locations that are well known as being places where people can pick up traveler's diarrhea if they are not careful about what they eat and drink. Most often these are tropical destinations. Although some of the resort areas or hotels have reasonably safe food and water supplies, you should still be careful about drinking unbottled water or drinks with ice or eating salads, unpeeled fruits, and vegetables. In general, anything that is uncooked and that might have been washed with contaminated water is best to avoid. Definitely avoid eating food from street vendors.