Anthony Bourdain's Travel Water Rules You Should Never Break

Those who have traveled to some degree in their lifetime, like Anthony Bourdain, are probably aware that there are some general guidelines to follow when choosing what to eat and drink. Things like fresh fruits and vegetables as well as tap water tend to be on the off-limits list for many travelers depending on the region (via Newsweek). However, many people don't think about ice as being a source of tap water, and mistakenly have their bottled water or canned drink served over ice (via Insider). However, Bourdain played by his own rules.

According to Insider, ice cubes made of tap water typically have microbes floating around in them. Those microbes won't have much effect on locals who are used to them, and have some immunity built up against the bugs. However, foreigners can get stomach aches or even food poisoning if they're not careful. 

That said, though Bourdain said he would stick to bottled water, he didn't hyper-focus on the issue. In fact, he said he only missed three days in his 15-year career on the road due to stomach problems, according to Newsweek.

This is Bourdain's take on it

Bourdain tried to avoid tap water, but he told Newsweek, "I'm not that psycho about it." Instead, Bourdain had a nuanced approach to his overall food and water consumption. "I'm careful with raw vegetables in places where I see them washing the plate in the river in India and clearly the river is not good water. Then I'll avoid raw vegetables if I can; that's often a vector." Bourdain added that he was more concerned with the quality and way in which his food was prepared.

There were other things that Bourdain looked for when it came to food and water safety. "If there's no refrigeration in sight and dirt is clearly a problem, the food handling is clearly problematic, then a salad is probably not a good way to go," he continued. 

While tap water and ice are still things you should avoid as a general rule, they're not the biggest culprit to watch out for while traveling. Instead, pay attention to the food you are ordering and eating if you want to take Bourdain's approach and advice. It clearly served him well during the many years he traversed the world round.