Even seasoned travellers can be caught with their guard down: you can leave the hygienic safety of a cruise ship and forget once on shore in an exotic port that an ice-cube in your drink is a no-no or that you should insist on a sealed bottle of water.

Before you leave

• Research your destination. Consult guidebooks and travel websites to find out about the standard of local food and water. You should take special care in areas where the water might not be safe to drink.
• Be prepared. If you're visiting somewhere where the water might not be safe, take water sterilising tablets with you. Antiseptic hand wipes can also be handy if you think hand-washing facilities might not always be available. Re-hydration powders (available from chemists) could help you recover if you do find yourself rushing unexpectedly for the toilet.
• Find out about any vaccinations you might need. Our tips should help you to avoid food poisoning, but you might also need immunising against serious diseases such as typhoid and hepatitis A, which can be transmitted in food and water.
• Take out some health insurance for the duration of your trip. Otherwise, if you get ill or have an accident abroad, it could cost you a small fortune to get treated or flown back to the UK.
• Remember to take sun protection. Sunstroke can cause similar symptoms to food poisoning.

Balancing act

Whichever country you are in and whatever cuisine you're sampling, try to keep your diet balanced, by eating foods from the main food groups:

• Try to eat lots of starchy carbohydrates and make them the main part of each meal. These include bread (such as chapatti, naan and pita), pasta, rice, noodles, potatoes, yams and plantains.
• Eat a variety of fruit and vegetables but choose ones you can wash or peel yourself, and avoid salad unless you can wash it thoroughly with safe water. Fruit and vegetables are good for you however they come - fresh, frozen, dried, tinned or juice.
• Make sure you eat foods containing protein every day, such as meat, fish, eggs, beans and lentils (but always make sure the food is properly cooked and piping hot all the way through).
• Try to eat or drink moderate amounts of dairy products, but avoid unpasteurised milk and try to choose low-fat options when you can.
• Sweet treats? Try to stick to small amounts of fatty foods or sugary foods and drinks, such as cakes, deep-fried foods and desserts.

Vegetarians

In some countries you might find that the local cuisine is mainly vegetarian, but elsewhere you might find it difficult, especially if you can't cook for yourself or rely on microwave meals. Whether you're at home or abroad, vegetarians should try to eat a balanced diet and remember the following things:

• Iron. You can get iron from leafy green vegetables, brown rice, pulses, wholemeal bread, dried fruit and nuts. Foods with lots of vitamin C help the body absorb iron if eaten at the same time, so try having a glass of fruit juice or vegetables with a meal.
• Vitamin B12. Dairy products and eggs contain B12, but if you're vegan you can still get it from fortified breakfast cereals.
• Calcium. There's plenty of calcium in dairy products, but it's also found in green vegetables (such as spinach and okra), almonds, pulses (such as beans, lentils and chickpeas) and dried fruit.
• Protein. If you're travelling in Asia, you'll probably find lots of dishes containing tofu (bean curd), which is a good source of protein. You can also get protein from bean and lentil dishes (such as dhal), nuts, seeds, dairy products and eggs.

Drink up

Staying hydrated is really important and helps to make up the water you lose through sweat. The hotter it is, the more fluids you'll need - aim for at least 1.2 litres (6-8 glasses) a day in climates similar to that of the UK and more as the temperature rises. And remember that drinking alcohol can dehydrate, so try to drink more water if you've overdone it the night before.

If you can't be sure that the local tap water is safe to drink, use boiled, sterilised or bottled water for drinking, washing food or cleaning teeth. Fizzy water is slightly acidic, so bugs are less likely to survive in it, and of course it's not so easy for an enterprising trader to replace with tap water. Always check that water bottles are sealed when you get them.

It's best to avoid ice too, unless you can make it yourself with safe water. This includes ice used to keep food cool as well as ice in drinks. Hot drinks, wine, beer, soft drinks and fruit juice in bottles or cartons should be safe to drink.

If you do get ill

Drink plenty of fluids and take re-hydration powders dissolved in safe water. See a doctor if you or one of your fellow travellers has bloody diarrhoea, fever, becomes confused or if the diarrhoea doesn't settle down within 72 hours.

For information on healthy eating whilst abroad, visit www.food.gov.uk, and for general health advice while abroad, visit www.doh.gov.uk/traveladvice/intro.htm or www.masta.org/staying/index.html

Top tips

1. Research the types of food you'll be eating at your destinations (particularly if you are vegetarian or vegan).

2. Drink water and plenty of it. This is crucial to staying fit, but take precautions if you are in any doubt about local water and keep a good stock of bottled water.

3. Maintain a balanced diet whatever the staple food of the country you're travelling in.

4. Be a restaurant critic on your travels and if a place doesn't look fit to eat in - don't! To avoid contaminated food, don't eat food that has not been freshly cooked - avoid meat in restaurants where they do not have proper refrigeration.

5. If you're cooking for yourself, follow basic food hygiene rules and cook your food all the way through.