Water Safety While Traveling: Healthy Hydration
Traveling Safety with Water
Water is the quintessential survival necessity of the world. It moves, shifts, forms and supports all known forms of life. As a traveler, knowing water safety while traveling water during an adventure is a vital, life-sustaining skill.
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Water Around the World
Water isn’t the same everywhere. Different parts of the world have different relationships with water, including its availability, purity and accessibility. There are places where water is plentiful and freely flowing. And in other zones, water is severely limited.
When it comes to washing, water safety is fairly straightforward. Most water is clean enough to use for cleansing oneself. In places where water is a concern, simply boil and filter it before using it to clean. Most countries have robust sanitary systems and good plumbing, making showers easy to find almost everywhere. When this is not available, cleaning with a bucket a towel is easily doable and rather meditative.
The majority of this post, however, will discuss potable water or water that can be consumed. There are different rules for different places.
First World Water
First world water is water that can come directly from the tap which can immediately be consumed. This water sometimes has some unhealthy chemicals or minerals in it, so additional filtration is wise. But a sip of tap water in the United States, Canada and most of Europe won’t cause immediate harm. Travelers don’t need to worry too much about water safety in these regions.
Bio-Contaminated Water
Contaminated water is water which has pollutants. Specifically, bacteria which can cause sickness. If your immune system isn’t inoculated against this water, you could potentially be consuming dangerous parasites, bacteria or worse.
Just because locals are capable of consuming this water, doesn’t mean you can. For example, drinking tap water in Mexico or Guatemala can cause severe cramps, stomachaches, vomit and other adverse effects. Even if you’re in a restaurant, do not drink tap water locals put in front of you. Their immune system might be able to consume this without suffering ill effects, but yours likely can’t.
Instead, opt for purified water. This can be bought in large amounts by getting jugs from stores or visiting special decontaminated water sources. If neither of these are available, boiling your water before consumption, or using chlorine tablets can make it safe to drink.
Mineral Contaminants
While boiling water can ensure there are no bad bacteria or parasites in your water, it doesn’t account for minerals or other pollutants. In some areas, trace minerals and non-water soluble pollutants are a factor.
In these areas, total filtration is necessary. This can be done with a filter or by using something like a Lifestraw. Or you can also purchase water from secured sources, such as bottles and jugs.
Plastic Bottled Water
Generally, water from plastic bottles is safe to consume when traveling. However, this tends to cause a lot of additional waste.
Some travelers prefer to buy bulk waters which are kept at their lodgings. For example, it may be easier to buy huge, refillable jugs and fill up your personal, non disposable water bottle frequently.
When using plastic water bottles, make sure not to leave them in direct sunlight. Ultraviolet radiation, which comes from the sun’s direct rays, causes plastic bonds to break down, releasing microplastics in the water you’re consuming. This is part of the reason that plastic bottles tend to do lasting damage when left floating in bodies of water.
Your Personal Water Bottle
Every traveler has a flask or water bottle they use for most of their daily hydration. You don’t have to be fancy here, virtually anything that carries water works fine.
However, if you’re investing in a decent water bottle for all your future trips, select something narrow enough that it fits in your backpack while laying down with a wide mouth to make cleaning easier. Make sure the materials are lightweight and sturdy enough for long-term travel. Having a bottle with some thermal protection allows for other liquids, such as hot beverages or soups to be taken on the road.
I recommend against buying water bottles with in-design filters. These generally need to be replaced after a certain amount of time, and doing so while traveling can be a frustrating and expensive experience. Also avoid roll-up or crushable water bottles. These work fine for some time, but they’re more prone to puncturing and leaking over time.
My preference for a long-term light water bottle is the Hydro Flask Standard Mouth 18 oz. It’s fairly light, packs well, lays flat, insulates well, can take a hit, holds my soups and doesn’t sweat.
I’d recommend against anything bigger than 18 ounces. Water bottles can easily become too bulky for smooth travel if a person isn’t carefully rationing size and weight.
Filter Water Bottles
If you absolutely need a water bottle with a filter included because you’re going into the deep wilderness or a country with few clean water sources for an extended period of time, a Lifestraw Water Filter Bottle is your best bet. It takes care of 99.99% of bacteria, parasites, chemicals, trace minerals, pollutants, chlorine and microplastics. It can filter around 4,000 liters of water without needing a change, making it a good option for extended trips.
Now, do you need to go out and buy a water bottle specialized for travel? Absolutely not. I had two empty Smart Water bottles which lasted me nearly two years. I only upgraded after planning some wilderness treks where I wanted to take my morning stew with me on the trail. For most travelers, a regular plastic water bottle will serve perfectly well.
Chlorine Tablets
If you’re on the trail and don’t have a method for purifying water, never fear. Almost every camping store sells some form of Chlorine Tablets.
Chlorine tablets, or water purification tablets, are small pills which can be dropped into tainted water, making it safe for consumption. However, these tablets don’t work quickly and tend to make water taste slightly flat. There are directions on usage on tablet packages for explicit instructions.
Chlorine tablets do not work on water with parasites. If you think there might be parasites in drinking water, use extra treatments or boil the water.
It’s generally a good idea to have some Chlorine Tablets in a medical kit, even if you’re not traveling into an area where they’re needed.
Using Water For Cooking and Hygiene
If you’re using water for cooking meals and brushing your teeth, make sure it’s safe. Remember, even a small amount of bacteria can make a person ill.
It’s best to have a bit of extra water which has already been treated or boiled. Consider using water from your regular drinking supply, especially when brushing your teeth.
Cooking with water is somewhat safer, since most of it boils away during the cooking process. However, it’s still generally more hygienic to use already-treated water when cooking.
Water Safety in Restaurants
If you’re in Central America, you’ve probably sat down at a restaurant to order some food. You order a meal and some water comes out in a normal drinking glass. You didn’t see the waiter pour the water from the bottle, so there’s a good chance that this is the same tap water the locals drink.
Sadly, you shouldn’t accept this water. It’s very difficult to judge if the water in the area is safe. Unless you’re very confident that tap water is safe in a region, always insist on a bottle of water. Make sure the bottle is opened right in front of you, or handed to you with the seal intact.
In some countries, there is a scam to hand a person a regular bottle of water, but continually refill it with tap water in order to save money. This water is potentially dangerous for foreigners and should never be consumed. If you receive water that has already been opened, or has no seal, request a new bottle or refuse to drink it.
One way around this scam is to order bubbling or carbonated water. Since carbonated water can’t be replicated in restaurants, it’s a good method of ensuring water safety in all countries.
Camping Water
If you are trekking or living in the backwoods, water safety takes on a new meaning. The water you find should always be considered suspect. Ensure you are upstream from any pollutants and always find a moving water source to drink from. This water must be treated in case an animal upstream died in it or an unknown pollutant exists. Avoid water that looks muddied or is frequented by livestock.
The best water to find is water filtered by the earth. If you see a rock or earth overhang that is dripping water, place your bottle under it. This water should still be carefully inspected, but the earth likely filtered out most contaminants.
If you are in a cold climate, it is possible to melt ice for water. Like anything else, this water should be treated. Boiling working best.
All water can be purified by one of four methods.
- Boiling – Heating water until it bubbles kills most dangerous bacteria and parasites
- Filtering – Using a filtration device to get rid of pollutants. A Lifestraw is excellent for this in an emergency.
- Chemical Disinfectants – The use of tablets to kill off pollutants
- UV Treatment – This method uses a battery-powered system to sterilize water, making it safe to drink
Lifestraws
While most places in the world have water readily available, it’s important to have a backup plan. My medical kit carries a single Lifestraw, which is a genius invention capable of purifying water from almost any source. Though I don’t have a need for it frequently, the times where it has been useful are life-saving.
Water Prep
Overall, water safety is a vital part of any journey. It sustains a traveler through every possible environment. In many places, water treatments aren’t necessary. For example, a person visiting the highlands of Costa Rica can expect largely pure water from the cloud forest reservoir. However, as with anything else, do research prior to travel. Do your best to stay safe any hydrated in the world.