Some research suggests that when you’re travelling, probiotics can support your gut health, with some strains reducing your risk of travellers’ diarrhoea.
If you’re thinking of taking probiotics ahead of a trip, you’ll want to start a few days before setting off. Your gut will need time to adjust.
Travel can have a big impact on digestion and gut health. Changes to your routine and environment, including differences in food and water, can lead to issues like diarrhoea and constipation.
Planning ahead can be key to making your trip gut-friendly. And when your gut is happy, it’s easier to enjoy your time away.
Read on to learn more about probiotic travel protocols, why travelling can affect your gut and what steps you can take while you’re away.
Why travel can affect gut health
Travelling can affect your gut due to the changes in routine and environment. Let’s look at some classic gut issues that can crop up when you’re travelling and why they occur:
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Diarrhoea: Travellers’ diarrhoea is the most common illness associated with travel, potentially affecting 40–60% of travellers. It’s usually defined as three or more loose poos in 24 hours, along with at least one other symptom, such as tummy pain, cramps, or feeling or being sick. Around 80–90% of cases may result from bacterial infection, and poor food and water hygiene can drive this. Travellers’ diarrhoea typically lasts for a few days.
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Constipation: Many aspects of a trip can contribute to constipation. Dehydration, eating less fibre, body clock disruption and the potential stress of pooing around fellow travellers or in shared bathrooms can all play a role in finding it difficult to go.
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Bloating: The stresses of travelling can contribute to bloating, and they can also trigger an irritable bowel syndrome flare-up. And if you’re flying, pressure changes can lead to trapped wind expanding.
Learn more about travel and the gut with Dr Sarah Jarvis.
Can probiotics support your gut health when you’re travelling?
Specific strains of probiotics may help you stave off some gut issues that come with travelling and protect your digestive health.
A probiotic strain is a specific type of bacteria, and some of the benefits of probiotics are strain-specific.
There’s some evidence that certain probiotics could help prevent travellers’ diarrhoea.
One review of studies found that some formulations of probiotics helped reduce the risk of travellers’ diarrhoea by 15%, compared with a placebo – when participants took them before their trips. One of the most effective treatments was a combination of four probiotics.
Another analysis found that some forms of Lactobacilli probiotics appeared to protect against travellers’ diarrhoea in 39% of cases.
These strains of probiotics have shown some potential for preventing travellers’ diarrhoea:
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L. fermentum
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S. cerevisiae
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S. boulardii
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L. bulgaricus
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B. bifidum
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S. thermophilus
Two important things to note when it comes to taking probiotics:
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You need to take them regularly to experience their effects. A one-off dose won’t have much impact.
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Everyone’s gut microbiome is different, so different probiotics affect people in different ways. What works for one person might not work for someone else.
Learn how to tell if your probiotics are working.
What’s a probiotic travel protocol?
A probiotic travel protocol is a plan for how to take probiotics before, during and after a trip. The aim is to prepare your gut for the changes that come with travel, to hopefully reduce your risk of issues.
The potential benefits of probiotics come from routine use, which is why it’s important to start taking them before you set off.
Your gut microbiome is the community of microbes living in your digestive system, and research suggests that having a resilient microbiome before you travel can reduce your trip’s impact on your gut bacteria.
Still, probiotics are just a potential part of a broader travel routine to look after your gut health. You’ll also want to pay attention to what you eat and drink, and how active you are while you’re away. We’ll look at these factors later on.
When to start probiotics before travel
The time it takes for probiotics to begin working varies from person to person and product to product. In general, a few days to 1 week is a solid estimate.
Take this time to practice other gut-friendly strategies and try to turn them into habits. Staying hydrated, exercising regularly and eating plenty of fibre are all good ways to support your microbiome before a trip.
Should you continue probiotics during travel?
Studies on probiotics for travellers’ diarrhoea have looked at continued use, so while you’re away, aim to stick to your probiotic routine as closely as possible.
If you need to keep your probiotics cold, bring them in an insulated bag, and store them in a fridge when you arrive. In a pinch, keep them in a bowl of cold water, and change the water regularly to keep the temperature low.
It’s important to adjust to new time zones as soon as you can, so try to eat and sleep at the local times as soon as possible. This is because your gut works in line with your body clock.
Learn more gut-friendly tips for travel.
How long should you continue after travelling?
Deciding how long to take probiotics depends on the reason you’re taking them.
If you’re taking probiotics for travellers’ diarrhoea or short-term support during your trip, you can stop once you’re home and settled back into your routine.
For other symptoms or wider benefits, continue taking probiotics for 4–12 weeks, and see how you feel. Because probiotics are temporary visitors and don't permanently colonise the gut, any benefits tend to subside once you stop taking them.
If you ate less fibre than usual on your trip, try to increase your intake slowly. Suddenly eating more fibre can surprise your gut and may lead to bloating, gas and stomach cramps.
Example probiotic travel protocol
Here’s a sample protocol for travel with probiotics. Be sure to follow the instructions and recommendations that come with your probiotics.
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5–7 days before your trip: Begin taking your probiotic according to its instructions. Keep hydrated, exercise regularly, aim to get enough sleep and eat a fibre-rich diet.
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On the day of travel: Make sure you have enough packed to last your whole trip. If you’ll be travelling when you’d normally take your dose, have some probiotics easily accessible so you can keep up the schedule.
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At your destination: If your probiotics need to be chilled, place them in a fridge or some cool water. Try to adjust to your new time zone as soon as you can.
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When you get home: You can stop your probiotic routine once you're home, if your goal was short-term support for your gut. Readjust back to your time zone as soon as you can, and reintroduce fibre to your diet gradually, and with plenty of fluids.
Gut-friendly travel habits beyond probiotics
Here’s a list of top tips for keeping your gut happy while you’re travelling, probiotic protocol aside:
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Wash your hands frequently with soap and water: This will significantly reduce your chance of gastrointestinal infections.
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Wear loose, comfy clothing when travelling: If you experience bloating, you’ll feel more at ease with an elasticated waistband.
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Stay hydrated: Drinking plenty of fluids helps keep your gut working properly. Drink bottled water and avoid ice if you’re not sure about the quality of the local water.
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Set your watch to local time: Your gut follows a 24-hour rhythm, so make sure your sleep-wake cycle is aligned with your new time zone once you arrive.
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Mind what you eat: Poor food hygiene is a classic cause of travellers’ diarrhoea. Freshly cooked, steaming hot food is likely to be safest. Steer clear of unpeeled and uncooked vegetables and fruits.
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Exercise is good: If you’re tempted to spend your holiday lying in the sun, don’t forget to move occasionally. Exercise helps keep your gut moving, and it doesn’t need to be strenuous to have an impact. Gentle walks can be enough.
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Keep a routine: Anything your gut’s not used to can throw it off, including meal times, sizes and new ingredients. Stick to what your gut is used to, or try new foods in small amounts to begin with.
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Don’t overdo the booze: Alcohol can be a big part of a trip, but it’s not great for your gut. If you’re having a tipple, balance it out with non-alcoholic drinks.
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Enjoy yourself: Your gut thrives when stress is limited, so if you can relax and have a good time, your gut will, too.
What to do if you get travellers’ diarrhoea
Travellers’ diarrhoea is a common gut problem, and most cases clear up quickly on their own after a few days.
If you get travellers’ diarrhoea, the key things to do are:
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Keep up your fluid levels to avoid dehydration.
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Avoid eating or drinking anything risky until your symptoms have settled.
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Get plenty of rest.
The most important thing is to stay hydrated. You can do this by drinking plenty of fluids, including oral rehydration solutions.
There’s no guarantee that probiotics will prevent you from getting travellers’ diarrhoea. Although evidence suggests some formulations and strains may reduce the risk, everyone’s gut reacts differently to probiotics.
Learn more about looking after your gut when you’re feeling unwell.
When to seek help
Most cases of travellers’ diarrhoea go away on their own after a few days. But consider contacting your GP or a local doctor if you experience any of the following:
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blood or mucus in your poo
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a high fever
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severe tummy pain
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diarrhoea that doesn’t get better after 1 week
Frequently asked questions
Here are some common questions about probiotics and travel:
Can probiotics prevent travellers’ diarrhoea?
Some evidence suggests that certain strains can reduce your risk of travellers’ diarrhoea. These strains include L. acidophilus and S. boulardii. The effects vary from person to person, however.
What if I forget doses while travelling?
Forgetting to take one dose of probiotics shouldn’t be a problem, as the effects take time and multiple doses to build up. You can likely either take the dose when you remember or just wait until your next scheduled dose, but it’s best to check the specific probiotic’s instructions.
Can probiotics help after food poisoning?
There’s some evidence that probiotics can reduce how long food poisoning lasts, but research is still ongoing. Food poisoning normally gets better within 1 week, and the best things to do are to drink lots of fluids and get plenty of rest.
Summary
If you’re travelling and want to take probiotics to support your gut, it’s important to start before your trip. A period of 5–7 days will give them time to have an effect.
Research suggests that certain strains, such as L. acidophilus, could reduce your risk of travellers’ diarrhoea.
It’s important to remember that our guts are unique and will respond to probiotics in different ways. A product that works for one person may not work the same for someone else.
There are plenty of other ways to support your gut when you’re on holiday. Stay hydrated, be mindful of what you eat and drink, and set your clocks to local time to help your gut enjoy your trip as much as you do.
To learn more about other gut health topics, visit Symprove’s Gut Hub.
Sources
Chrono-nutrition: Circadian rhythm and personalized nutrition. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. (2023). Link.
Diarrhoea in adults. (2026). Link.
Exploring the impact of short term travel on gut microbiota and probiotic bacteria mediated stability. Biomedicines. (2024). Link.
Fibre. (2022). Link.
Flying fattens and swimming slims – the secret of the mermaid. Ugeskrift for Læger. (2021). Link.
Food poisoning. (2024). Link.
Gastro-intestinal tract infections: Travellers’ diarrhoea. (2025). Link.
Investigating the influence of probiotics in preventing traveler's diarrhea: Meta-analysis based systematic review. Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease. (2024). Link.
Probiotics and rifaximin for the prevention of travelers’ diarrhea: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). (2022). Link.
Travelers diarrhea. StatPearls. (2023). Link.
Treatment for food poisoning. (2019). Link.
