It’s important to practice food safety while traveling, even within the United States, as food poisoning can occur anywhere. It is especially important to wash your hands with soap and water before you eat and to keep an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with you for situations when you don’t have access to a sink. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics provides a number of other recommendations for food safety while traveling:
- Be wary of buffets, as the food may not be kept fresh.
- If you buy hot or cold food at an airport or rest stop, be sure to eat it within 2 hours so that bacteria don’t have enough time to multiply.
- Fish, shellfish, meat, and eggs are always unsafe to eat raw, even if you are at a fancy restaurant or hotel.
- Clean off tray tables or picnic tables before placing your food down, and never place your food directly on those surfaces.
- When in doubt, don’t drink well or tap water.