Liberty - your ultimate travel companion
Believe it or not, not everyone's idea of a perfect getaway involves backpacks, tents, and sleeping bags. There are many more who prefer a bit of luxury when they go away - actual beds, doors that lock, air conditioning, wheels on their luggage, hot and cold running waiters... But even if you opt for a villa- or hotel-based break, that doesn't mean you can trust the tap water.
Hundreds of popular destinations offer everything you could want from a vacation, except safe drinking water. And if you are travelling to one of those countries, you need to be able to keep yourself and your family safe from traveller's tummy. It doesn't matter how clean and comfortable your room is; it won't be any fun if you need to run to the loo every ten minutes or are curled up in bed with stomach cramps.
Hidden Dangers
Contaminated water that looks perfectly clean can still carry the bacteria, viruses and parasites that turn a long-awaited vacation into days spent near a bathroom. That gap between how water looks and what it actually holds is why so many travellers get caught off guard. What makes water abroad especially risky is that locals have often built up some tolerance to the microbes around them. Visitors haven't. The same glass a resident drinks without a second thought can leave a traveller sick for days.
The trouble is that water contamination is invisible. In many parts of the world, water treatment and sanitation systems can't remove everything, so tap water may carry pathogens, chemicals, and other contaminants without changing taste, colour, or smell.
University Hospitals advises travellers to assume that all water in developing countries is unsafe, and points out that even a luxury hotel may draw from the same water and sewage system as the poorest neighbourhood nearby.
And drinking is only part of the danger. According to the CDC, you can get sick from contaminated water used for cooking, washing food, preparing drinks, making ice or brushing your teeth. Even wading or swimming can be enough.
So, what's the solution
The LifeSaver Liberty is a water bottle with a difference. Not only does the ultrafiltration filter cartridge remove 99.99% of the viruses, bacteria and parasites that make you sick, it can also be used as an inline water purifier to fill bottles, glasses, ice cube trays, bowls and more with safe drinking water. And, with the activated carbon filter removing any questionable tastes or smells, even the fussiest family members will be happy drinking it. And a single cartridge purifies up to 4,000 litres of water, which is more than enough for several vacations.
Alternatively, you can boil all your water before you use it (and a kettle won't work - it needs to boil for a minute), use purifying tablets (that may add a weird taste), or choose a UV purifier (but only if the water isn't cloudy). Or buy bottled water (check the seals carefully), but that adds to plastic waste.
Be prepared
The exposures people forget are the small ones, like a rinsed toothbrush, a few cubes of ice or a splash of tap water on a salad.
And while not everyone will get sick from contaminated water, some people are more vulnerable than others. Infants, young children, pregnant women, older adults and anyone who is immunocompromised face higher risks and should be especially cautious.
Up to 70% of international travellers get caught by the bacteria that cause traveller's tummy, and most of those cases are easily preventable. Do your research before you travel and, if the EPI score in the country you are visiting is 50 or below, you should definitely avoid the local tap water.
If you'd like more information or advice on the best water purification solution for your next trip, please get in touch.
