Bali belly: how to avoid it, and what to do if it hits

What it is

"Bali belly" is the local name for traveller's diarrhoea: an upset stomach from bacteria your body isn't used to. It usually shows up in the first few days of a trip and, in most cases, is over in two to four days. It is common, it is rarely serious, and it is mostly avoidable. This is practical advice from people who live here, not medical advice — if you are worried, see a doctor.

How to avoid it

• Don't drink the tap water. Use bottled or filtered water to drink, and to brush your teeth if your stomach is sensitive. Many hotels and cafés have refill stations.
• Ice is usually fine in hotels, restaurants and cafés: it comes from factories in the tube shape with a hole in the middle. Be more careful with crushed ice from a street cart.
• Eat food that is cooked fresh and served hot. Busy places with a fast turnover are safer than a buffet that has been sitting out.
• Peel your fruit, or wash it in bottled water.
• Wash your hands before you eat, and carry hand sanitiser for the days out.
• Go easy on day one. A long flight, heat and a first big night out are a common combination.

If it hits

1. Drink, little and often. Dehydration is what makes you feel terrible. Oral rehydration salts — Oralit or similar — are sold at every pharmacy for very little. Dissolve a sachet in bottled water and sip it through the day.
2. Rest. Cancel the long day out, stay near your room and sleep.
3. Eat plain food when you feel ready: plain rice, bananas, toast, clear soup. Skip alcohol, coffee and spicy food for a day or two.
4. Anti-diarrhoea tablets such as loperamide are useful for a travel day, but they don't cure anything. Don't take them if you have a fever or see blood.

Pharmacies

You are never far from an apotek. Chains such as Kimia Farma, Guardian and K24 are in every tourist area, and many small ones stay open late. Pharmacists usually speak some English; show them what you need, or the name of your medicine at home. Probiotics and oral rehydration salts are sold without a prescription.

When to see a doctor

See a doctor, or ask your hotel to call one to your room, if:

• you have a fever above 38 °C, or blood in your stool;
• you can't keep fluids down, or show signs of dehydration — dizziness, a dry mouth, very little urine;
• it hasn't improved after two or three days;
• it is a young child, an older traveller or someone who is pregnant — go sooner.

International clinics in Kuta, Seminyak, Nusa Dua and Ubud see this every day, and many offer hotel visits. Keep your travel insurance details on your phone; most clinics will ask for them.

On a tour day

Feeling unwell on the morning of a tour? Message us on WhatsApp as early as you can — we would rather move the day than have you spend it in the car. Already out and it starts? Tell your driver. He knows where the clean toilets are on every route, can shorten the day and take you straight back to your hotel.