How To Prevent Traveler’s Diarrhea: Travelan Review And Its Alternative

This article has links to products and services we recommend, which we may make a commission from.

When you hear the words Delhi belly, Bali belly, or Montezuma’s revenge, what comes to mind?

For us, the mere mention of these words sends shivers down our spines. 

As culinary explorers, whose job is to explore the local and authentic dishes in each destination we visit, we can’t afford to get sick on the road.

Travelers diarrhea, contrary to what many might say, is avoidable. As such, we take all the necessary precautions we can to avoid spending our time holed up near a toilet sick with food poisoning. 

If you’re concerned about travelers’ diarrhea and eating street food safely on your travels, read on.

Find our full Travelan review along with benefits, drawbacks, and alternative solutions when Travelan is not readily available. 

Authentic Food Quest Page_Break

What is Traveler’s Diarrhea? 

Street Food in Thailand with Travelan to Prevent Travelers Diarrhea by Authentic Food Quest
Thailand has some of the best street food in the world

Traveler’s diarrhea is a common illness caused by consuming food or water infected with bacteria. 

These bacteria attack the intestines releasing diarrhea-causing toxins into the GI tract and bloodstream.

For up to several days, you may suffer from a fever, abdominal cramps, nausea, bloating, vomiting, and profuse diarrhea, often leading to dehydration.

When visiting places where the health and sanitary practices are different from yours at home, exercise caution around the local food and tap water.

RELATED: 12 Tips On How to Eat Street Food Without Getting Sick

Preventing Travelers Diarrhea on Your Food Travels

Ready Meals Travelan Review by Authentic Food Quest
Prevent diarrhea with clean hands and smart travel essentials

The easiest way to prevent traveler’s diarrhea is to keep your hands clean and practice good hygiene, especially around food. 

Before eating and whenever possible wash your hands with soap and water to reduce the spread of germs. 

If soap and water are not available, we use and recommend having hand sanitizer on you.

As food travelers, we travel with our own cutlery and use Grayl water filtration bottles to easily make clean and purified drinking water.

We heard about Travelan from a fellow traveler. And, once we learned that this over-the counter-medication could actually prevent diarrhea before it starts, we were intrigued.

RELATED: 10 Simple Ways To Protect Your Stomach When Traveling

What is Travelan – Travelan Review

Travelan Package USA Prevent Travelers Diarrhea by Authentic Food Quest
Travelan typically comes in a pack of 30 caplets

As food travelers, we are always eager to learn about new resources that can keep us eating safely on the road.

The first thing that caught our attention about Travelan is that it is a natural supplement

When it comes to health and self-care, we always look for alternatives to medication. 

When you are affected by diarrhea, it can completely ruin your travels. Travelan is a preventative method that stops diarrhea before it starts. 

The special antibodies present in Travelan target and neutralizes the diarrhea-causing bacteria and keep you from getting sick. 

This is extremely useful in preventing gastrointestinal infections and abdominal pain before trying delicious local food. 

AUTHENTIC FOOD QUEST TIP: Make your culinary travels worry-free! With the right travel insurance, you’ll enjoy a delicious experience. From medical emergencies, flight cancelations, car rental protection, or tour cancelations, a good travel insurance has got you covered. Check out our travel insurance review for food lovers to get started.

Travelan Ingredients

Travelan Ingredients Travelers Diarrhea Prevention by Authentic Food Quest
Travelan relies on natural ingredients

Travelan doesn’t contain any artificial coloring or flavoring. It is made from naturally-occurring ingredients, making hyperimmune bovine colostrum-enriched pills. 

The active ingredient, cow colostrum, contains proteins known as antibodies that fight bacteria and infection.

Travelan Pills and Tablets

Packing Travelan to Prevent Travelers Diarrhea by Authentic Food Quest
Travelan tablets are easy to pack

Travelan comes in a small packet that contains 30 tablets. It is designed to be taken before each meal with filtered or bottled water. 

You can also take one Travelan pill each time you plan to eat something or somewhere that might be suspected of contamination.

It’s easy to pack in your carry-on luggage or have it on the go in your day backpack or purse.

Travelan Side Effects

Milk Travelers Diarrhea Natural Treatment by Authentic Food Quest
Travelan may trigger a response in those allergic to milk

While Travelan helps prevent gastrointestinal tract issues, it may not be suitable for all users. 

Travelan contains bovine milk proteins, lactose and glucose. The product goes through a specialized formulation and ultrafiltration process, significantly reducing the lactose levels.

While it should not trigger a lactose response, those allergic to milk may not find is suitable.

RELATED: 74 Street Food Quotes To Inspire The Adventurous Eater in You

How Effective is Travelan?

Food Prevent Travelers Diarrhea by Authentic Food Quest
Don’t miss out on tasty street food in Mexico

You might wonder how effective Travelan is. Clinical studies show that specific antibodies in Travelan have 90% protection against E.coli, one of the most common causes of traveler’s diarrhea.

Recent research conducted by the US Department of Defense also shows that Travelan was cross-reactive to all 180 different strains of bacteria tested. 

RELATED: SafetyWing Review: Is It the Best Long-Term Travel Insurance?

Does Travelan Expire?

Like all medications, Travelan does have an expiration date. When packing for your travels, make sure your Travelan has not passed its expiration date.

Using expired Travelan does not guarantee effectiveness in protecting you from traveler’s diarrhea. 

RELATED: Food Travel Near And Far: 10 Tips To Become A Great Food Traveler

Where to Buy Travelan Tablets and Pills

How To Prevent Traveler's Diarrhea: Travelan Review And Its Alternative 1How To Prevent Traveler's Diarrhea: Travelan Review And Its Alternative 2

To get Travelan, you don’t need a prescription. If you are in Australia, you can get Travelan in pharmacies all over the country.

In the United States, you can purchase Travelan on Amazon or at Passport Health.

Travelan Alternative: Colostrum

How To Prevent Traveler's Diarrhea: Travelan Review And Its Alternative 3How To Prevent Traveler's Diarrhea: Travelan Review And Its Alternative 4

A widely available Travelan substitute is Colostrum, easily available from Amazon.

This Travelan equivalent also contains bovine-derived ingredients to help support healthy gastrointestinal function and immune function. 

Colostrum is also often used as a regular supplement to help the body better absorb nutrients. 

Travelan vs Colostrum

Travelan vs Super Colostrum Travelan Review by Authentic Food Quest
They both offer similar protection to prevent traveler’s diarrhea

Wondering which travel supplement to try? Here’s the breakdown of how these products compare:

  • Colostrum and Travelan both have the same active ingredient, bovine colostrum.
  • Both brands are effective in preventing traveler’s diarrhea. 
  • Colostrum is more cost-effective and readily available in America. 


Whether you choose Travelan or Colostrum, you will experience similar levels of protection against traveler’s diarrhea. 

Colostrum, however, may be a better option because of its inexpensive price point.

Authentic Food Quest Page_Break

In Summary

The best part of travel is eating the local food. As food travelers, we encourage you to savor the local specialties at markets or street food stalls.

However, don’t want to take any chances of falling sick on your travels. Prevent traveler’s diarrhea proactively with a natural treatment.

In addition to using a preventative supplement, wash your hands regularly, drink filtered water, and avoid salads and uncooked foods. 

That way, you can savor tasty travel experiences – worry-free!

What are your tips to prevent traveler’s diarrhea? Please tell us in the comments below.

Savor The Adventure!

Love This Travelan Review? Pin It!

Travelers Diarrhea Natural Treatment by Authentic Food Quest

Disclosure: Please note, these tips and Travelan review are from our experience of traveling through food and should not be construed as medical advice. These tips are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with all matters regarding your health.

59 Comments on “How To Prevent Traveler’s Diarrhea: Travelan Review And Its Alternative”

  1. Thanks for the information very informative. I had never heard of Travelan, now I have read up all about it! 🙂

    My partner and I got terrible bouts of Delhi belly while in India and Nepal. We were there for six months and had a great time but food poisoning was a constant worry and definitely put a major downer on parts of the trip. I suffered with stomach problems for a couple of years after coming back from India, which is not uncommon.
    This is why we are reluctant to go back now we have kids even for a short trip, even though I know we would have a great time. If one of the kids came down with what we had then it would be no fun for anyone. Our sensitive western stomaches can get a real shock in some of these places.
    Travelan sounds amazing and I think we could do it now.

    Another very important reason to take Travelan that you may like to highlight in future posts is it decreases the use of antibiotics. Many people take antibiotics for food poisoning and other stomach infections which Travelan protects against.
    This increases the resistance to antibiotics and many bugs are becoming harder and harder to treat. This is extremely worrying and can’t be emphasized enough. Anything that reduces the use of antibiotics(like Travelan) should be encouraged widely.

    My research shows that Travelan is made by an Australian company and the hyper-immune colostrum is from New Zealand cows which is another good reason to pack Travelan. It should be noted that other products are trying to copy Travelan but they are nowhere near as effective. Travelan has a proprietary patented technology which is even effective against Shigella. It sounds like a miracle pill, don’t leave home without it.

    Thank you for sharing and happy travels!

    Reply
    • Thank you Richard for sharing about your experience with Travelan. It’s too bad you didn’t have Travelan with you in India 🙂 Great point taking less antibiotics, that is definitively a huge plus. Yes, Travelan is made by an Australian company and it is very effective. A must for any food traveler. Appreciate you stopping by. Cheers.

      Reply
  2. I wish I could say this never happened but it did. Earlier this year my friend got sick with it and throwing up. Mostly because she put hot sauce from a plastic bag on her food. I got a mild case from eating two huge strawberries.

    Reply
  3. This is such a great article! Thank you for all your information. I am a frequent traveller myself (mostly to Asia) and have been using TRAVELAN for few years now with great success. But the biggest food poisoning with terrible diarrhea and vomiting I got, travelling in Europe last year, in Portugal! I swapped my bags and forgot to repack my small pouch with my meds with Travelan in it! Needless to say I ate my lunch without taking it. I always wondered what caused my food reaction. And NOW I know thanks to your article! I was dining on chicken salad and had 2 glasses of fresh fruit juice. Perfect combination for a terrible health outcome without taking protection. I, for one will never leave home without it!

    Reply
  4. I heard about Travelan from a former coworker of mine! I was considering buying some before our family set off on our around the world trip. But the price was just too high for our family of four! Now we do our best to avoid traveler’s diarrhea by cooking our own food, or making sure the food we buy is piping hot.

    Reply
  5. Traveler’s diarrhea is anybody’s nightmare. If it happens , it kills the joy of traveling.
    Travelan looks a good option to carry for cases like these and more. Always helpful when something is avoidable.

    Reply
  6. Ooh I’ve not heard of this before – anything that helps strengthen my stomach is definitely welcome! I love eating local food and street food, actually the worst food poisoning i had was at a “clean” fast food restaurant so definitely stick with local stuff!!

    Reply
  7. Great tips. I’ve not heard of that medicine but it sounds like a sure thing. Luckily this hasn’t happened to me but I may be going to Peru in 2019 and I hear horrible stories about stomach issues there.

    Reply
    • Safe travels to Peru, Melody. Regardless, of where you visit, food safety is important. Pack Travelan with you for your upcoming trip and for any future trips as well 🙂 Check out our book- Authentic Food Quest Peru as well. Cheers.

      Reply
  8. I unfortunately have a very wimpy stomach. I get sick so often that I travel with antibiotics just in case! It does make me very careful about eating local food, especially street food. Maybe I should try Travelan next time!

    Reply
  9. Being sick ia not good most especially having a diarrhea is the worst part of every travel and it is so nice to read this article that has a lot of information to give on preventing this issue to happen and Travelan looks like a nice partner to bring in every travel that we have.

    Reply
  10. I travel quite a lot in this will become invaluable to me. I am usually extremely careful when I am out of the country on what I drink and eat but sometimes it still hits me.

    Reply
    • You are right and we always think about safety as well when eating street food. What is reassuring is to have Travelan with you, just in case. Sorry to hear about your daughter. Please share this article with her and tell her about Travelan! Thanks, for stopping by.

      Reply
    • That’s great to hear that you have never experienced traveler’s diarrhea. One can catch it anywhwere, even at home. The idea is always to use preventative measures and to pack Travelan, just in case. Thanks, Melissa.

      Reply
  11. Years ago I was in a country where the water wasn’t safe to drink and out of habit and not thinking, I rinsed my mouth with water from the tap after brushing my teeth. There was bottled water right there and I just wasn’t thinking. I had diarrhea for about 3 days. It was a good thing I was there for 3 weeks but still, I missed 3 days of vacation. Next time, I’m taking Travelan with me!

    Reply
  12. I had no idea that this was even a thing, but it makes so much sense with the way you described it. I don’t get out exploring much but have plans to in my future and I hope I can remember everything I just learned here.

    Reply
  13. Really informative post! I had a serious bout of diarrhea when I was in the Philippines and since then I do take precautions when I am traveling. Travelan sounds great. Will definitely pack some before my next trip. Thank you for sharing <3

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Post a Comment

We love to hear from you, so tell us what you think.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked.