A Danish explorer who has set foot in every nation on Earth, including high-risk destinations like North Korea, has issued a stark health warning for British travellers. His caution, however, isn't about dodging conflict zones, but about a far more common peril: what you eat and drink while overseas.
The Globetrotter's Grave Warning on Dining Dangers
Henrik Jeppesen, originally from Denmark, made history by becoming the youngest person to travel to all 193 UN-recognised countries, achieving the feat at just 27 years old. Since his first international trip to Egypt at age 17, he has visited over 2,000 destinations. Yet, his most pressing advice for fellow adventurers centres on culinary caution.
'You don't have to go out and eat every day. Supermarket food can save your life,' Jeppesen told LadBible. He speaks from harrowing experience, having fallen 'extremely sick' from food poisoning on multiple occasions. He believes 'mistakes' with food may have contributed to his subsequent diagnoses of chronic Lyme disease and multiple chemical sensitivity.
A Personal Tale of Illness and Lasting Consequences
One particularly severe incident occurred after he ate a fish curry at a bed and breakfast in the Andaman Islands. He felt 'extremely sick' and was unable to sit up during his flight back to the mainland. After hospital treatment, he thought he had recovered. 'Then sometime later, the extreme discomfort in my body came back, and years later, I was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease,' he recounted.
Jeppesen highlighted a critical issue for Western travellers in Asia, particularly Southeast Asia. Parasites or diseases picked up there are often easily treated locally, but Western medicine can be less equipped to diagnose and manage them. 'I think hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people with some kind of chronic illnesses would get better, if they managed to get rid of parasites,' he claimed.
Beyond Street Food: The Emerging Threat in Tourist Hotspots
While contaminated food from street vendors remains a common cause of illness, an alarming new danger is emerging in backpacker hubs: methanol-tainted alcohol. This was tragically illustrated last year when 28-year-old Londoner Simone White died after consuming a drink containing methanol at a hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos. Five other tourists from Denmark, the US, and Australia also died after drinking at the same venue that night.
Data underscores the scale of the problem. A UK survey of gastrointestinal infections in North East England from 2013-2022 found that of 2,357 travel-associated illnesses, including salmonella, nearly half occurred in just four popular holiday countries: Spain, Turkey, India, and Egypt.
For Brits planning to eat out abroad, experts reinforce the classic mantra for safety: 'Boil it, cook it, peel it, or leave it!' This means opting for piping hot, well-cooked food, peeling fruit yourself, drinking bottled or safe water, and avoiding raw items, buffets, salads, and unpasteurised dairy products.
