INSURANCE

Water is something most of us take for granted until we step on a plane and head out into the world.? Then we suddenly realize that this precious liquid so necessary to sustain life can also cause serious ill health and even worse.

Nothing ruins a good trip like a bout of diarrhoea, nausea, feeling totally exhausted, feverish and in no mood for anything but bed! Water borne illness is one of the leading sources of health problems for travelers, and can have serious immediate consequences and after-effects for months.

Where are you at risk?

High-risk areas include Central America, most of Africa and Asia and the Middle East. Moderate risk areas include Eastern Europe, Russia, South Africa, Argentina, Chile, and the Caribbean.? Even developed countries aren’t necessarily risk-free.?

Basically if you want to be safe, assume the worst and plan accordingly.

Don’t use local tap water without purifying it in some way, even for brushing your teeth or washing fruits and vegetables. And don’t make the mistake of using locally produced ice cubes: Freezing doesn’t kill the germs!

Is bottled water the best option?

Yes and no. It’s easy sure, but it is expensive (worldwide we spend US$100b on bottled water a year!), has serious health issues and huge environmental consequences.

Anyone who has travelled will be well aware of the huge problem or plastic bottles littering the countryside and turning pristine bush and beaches into rubbish tips.

Using just 4 bottles a day, a single traveller is likely to throw away over 50 bottles in just a couple of weeks – not a nice legacy to leave your host country.

The fact is that worldwide, almost 90% of plastic water bottles are not recycled and end up in landfills or worse.? And once they’re out there, they stick around affecting habitats of all kinds and killing an alarming number of fish, dolphins, birds and other wildlife.

Then there’s the huge carbon footprint, the toxicity issues, and various other long term environmental timebombs…

So what are the options?

If you can plan to avoid bottled water in your travels, you’ll be doing everyone a favour. Here are some other options that are all cost effective, healthy & environmentally friendly.

For more information

HydroPal – a water bottle with a carbon filter in the lid, costs $20-40 depending on the level of filtration required. The bottles lasts for years, the filters for hundreds of refills. www.hydropal.com

Plastic bottles

http://www.insidethebottle.org/

http://www.pacinst.org/topics/water_and_sustainability/bottled_water/index.htm

Water quality globally

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/list.aspx

Thanks to Chris Cranshaw, a seasoned traveller with a real passion for drinking good water and looking after the environment for this story.? He’s been working on both issues for 15 years and is proud to have helped tens of thousands of travellers to drink better water already, saving hundreds of thousands of plastic bottles from littering our beautiful planet. Chris is also the founder of Hydropal

What are your thoughts on using purifiers and filters Vs bottled water when you travel?

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