Think You Won’t Get Sick in Mexico? Think Again: 10 Tips You NEED To Know

1. Don’t drink the water in Mexico

After Is Mexico safe?, the #2 most asked Mexico travel question seems to be, Can you drink the water in Mexico?

For travelers going to a specific place, like Cancun, you might wonder, Can you drink the water in Cancun?

Here’s the answer for all Mexico travelers: No, Don’t drink Mexico tap water.

Don’t drink the water in Cancun, not in Mexico City, not in Tulum, not in Cabo San Lucas, not in Playa del Carmen, and not anywhere else in Mexico

Tap water in Mexico is not safe to drink for anyone — not locals and not visitors.

In short, no one drinks straight tap water in Mexico because it can lead to the so-called Mexican Water Sickness.

To make Mexico water safe to drink, you’d have to boil it or use a filterable water bottle like these Water-To-Go Bottles, which we’ll get to more in Tip #2, but here’s a rundown:

For me, my Water-To-Go Bottle has been the #1 way to avoid getting sick in Mexico.

I have been using the one I own to filter my drinking water since moving to Mexico in 2018. 📸 You’ll even see me with my bottle in the photo below!

As not even Mexico locals drink the tap water, it’s pretty easy to avoid unfiltered water while traveling to Mexico.

Since locals don’t want to get sick just as much as you don’t, there will be no instance when someone will serve or offer tap water.

2. Get a Filterable Water Bottle

Get 15% OFF your entire order with code SOLO15 ▶︎ Shop for your water bottle now!

Now that you know you should avoid tap water to avoid a Mexico stomach bug, just what do you drink?!

The answer is bottled water, which is readily available everywhere.

However, there are two things to consider about bottled water in Mexico:

Not all bottled and filtered water is created equal and of exceptional quality.
Single-use plastics from disposable water bottles are horrible for the environment.

🤔 So, what can you do about Mexico’s drinking water?

Enter the Water-To-Go Bottle, a refillable water bottle with a built in filter — and your secret weapons for how to avoid Mexico sickness during travel.

As refillable bottles, they also ensure you’re practicing responsible, sustainable travel in Mexico by avoiding single-use plastics.

In short, how to avoid getting a parasite in Mexico can come down to something as simple as using a filterable water bottle, or not.

According to the Water-To-Go site, the filters in their straws remove 99.999999% of that out.

Hopefully you now see that if there’s one thing you’ll want to pack for Mexico — for your health and to not waste plastic water bottles — it’s this Water-To-Go Bottle.

As not all filtered water is created equal, you’ll then pour that cup of water into your Water-To-Go Filterable Bottle.

3. Don’t avoid Mexico street food altogether

If you go to Mexico and don’t eat street tacos — You didn’t really go to Mexico!

This country has a serious street food culture, and it would be a shame to miss out on enjoying as much Mexico street food as possible. 

In Tip #4 you’ll learn what to look for in choosing the right street food stand.

For now, just remember that getting food poisoning in Mexico is a bit of the luck (or unluck) of the draw.

Don’t assume that it’s automatically bad or unsafe to eat just because food is cooked on the street and not in a building.

In my years living in Mexico, I’ve seen people who only eat in high-end restaurants and avoid salads get Montezuma’s Revenge, Mexico diarrhea, etc.

I’ve also seen people who exclusively eat street food and 50¢ tacos have the trip of their lives.

The reality is that leaving your home country to visit another is a bit of a risk to your stomach, as you’re not acclimated to what’s in that country’s food and water.

All food and water have bacteria to some extent, but your body knows how to handle the ones you come in contact with often.

Though millions of people visit Mexico each year, only a small fraction get sick there, and most people eat the delicious street food.

The next tip provides tips on which street food stands and taquerias (taco shops) to eat at.

💊 How to Prepare Your Stomach for Mexico

One of the best ways to prepare for Mexico travel is to prep your immune system and strengthen your gut health.

Some common supplements include probiotics, Vitamin C, echinacea, zinc, elderberry, and other immune boosters.

👩‍⚕️ Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor! Please take this as friendly advice, not medical advice.

After a quickGoogle search, you’ll notice these are some of the more universally recommended remedies for staying healthy in Mexico.

4. How to choose the right street food in Mexico

Wondering what to NOT eat in Mexico? Sadly, there are no hard and fast rules.

While you will see other articles telling you that avoiding street food stands and salads is a surefire way of how to avoid food poisoning in Mexico — this simply isn’t factual.

If it were, Mexico wouldn’t be one of the world’s street food capitals, and no one would be eating salads.

As there’s simply no way to know if someone will get sick in Mexico, check out the 5 Tips below to help you pick the best street food in Mexico.

Now, these aren’t an exact science. Rather, they’re a good line of defense to help ensure you’re one of the ones not getting sick in Mexico.

5️⃣ Tips for choosing street food in Mexico

1. Look for long lines: Long lines mean a good reputation for both their food, and their hygiene.

2. Look for taxi cabs: Cab drivers drive around all day, so they can eat anywhere they want — because of this, they also know where all the delicious, inexpensive, hygienic places are.

3. Look for two employees: Make sure there are at least two people working, and that the one cooking the food is not the one handling the money.

4. Look for hand sanitizer: If you don’t see a bottle of hand sanitizer, skip that stand for one that has some.

5. Look at yourself: Remember that your own hands are one of the dirtiest parts of your body, and you’re about to use those to eat!

When possible, wash your hands before eating, and/or use hand sanitizer.

🌮 What foods to avoid in Mexico

If you’re ever in Oaxaca City, don’t skip the famous Doña Vale memelas — as seen on Netflix!

There’s no exact formula on how not to get sick in Mexico, but this is a good saying to keep in mind: Hot food should be hot, and cold food should be cold.

That makes sense, right? Still, let’s break it down a little further for clarity on what to eat in Mexico to avoid getting sick.

When you’re ordering a food that’s supposed to be served hot, ensure it’s hot — not warm.

When in doubt at a street food stand, seek out places where they are cooking and serving on the spot.

If something looks like it’s been sitting around, skip it. You’ll want to use the same rule with cold foods or beverages.

If you’re ordering a smoothie or agua fresca (fresh fruit water), ensure it’s cold — not cool.

While agua frescas are refreshing, you might want to skip them from a street stand under the midday sun, as they might not be super cold.

🚫 For those wanting to know what things to avoid in Mexico, remember the Hot food should be hot, and cold food should be cold rule.

You should always avoid street food, smoothies and juices that look like they’ve been sitting around for a while.

The thinking here is that since raw veggies are usually only run under tap water to clean them in the U.S., and Mexico tap water is not safe — these veggies would now be unsafe since they are cleaned under tap water.

However, in Mexico, produce isn’t just cleaned with water, because you can’t clean anything with not-so-clean water.

Rather, many use a vinegar-water mixture, warm soapy water, and even store-bought produce cleaners to clean fruits, veggies and eggs.

If you’re planning to prepare a lot of your own foods, and eat a lot of fresh veggies and fruits, you’ll want to add this produce wash to your Mexico packing list.

5. Don’t assume Mexico diarrhea is the only sickness

When most travelers think about getting sick in Mexico, they think of pesky stomach bugs and food poisoning Mexico nightmares.

In reality, many Mexico travel horror stories involve all the other types of sickness no one prepared for.

Here are three other things to consider to avoid getting sick in Mexico:

⛰️ Altitude Sickness in Mexico City

Most people don’t know this, but Mexico City is about 1.5-miles above sea level (2.4 km). It’s even higher then Denver Colorado, “The Mile High City.”

🇲🇽 Check out Mexico City Altitude Sickness: How to Prevent & Treat It, for a deep dive into this subject.

If you’re not used to high altitudes, you can easily get altitude sickness. This feels like the flu, and can quickly ruin your Mexico vacation.

Many travelers have great success with an Acupressure Band, or an Anti-Nausea Patch.

However, others need Anti-Altitude Sickness meds, or homeopathic Liquid Chlorophyll drops.

👩‍⚕️ Disclaimer: While I have had Altitude Sickness in Mexico City, as well as Reverse Altitude Sickness after leaving Mexico City (yes, this is a thing too) — please know that I’m no doctor, so take this as a friendly advice.

🥵 Dehydration in Mexico’s Heat

If you didn’t already add this Water-To-Go Bottle to your cart, here’s another reason to purchase one.

These refillable bottles not only help you prevent getting sick in Mexico from the water, they also help keep you hydrated.

This sun hat will also help to keep you cool, both in cities and on the beach.

6. How to see a doctor if you’re sick in Mexico

Unlike in the U.S., visiting the doctor in Mexico is inexpensive and quick.

For those wondering what to do when you get sick in Mexico, the answer is to go see a doctor ASAP!

If you find yourself sick in Mexico, open Google Maps, find one of the big chain pharmacies near you, and go straight there.

These best Mexico farmacias include Farmacia Similares, Farmacia Yza and Farmacia Guadalajara.

Once there, you’ll want to head to their walk-in clinics — which are sometimes called consultorios. Not all farmacias have these clinics, but most do.

Usually within 15 minutes or so, a doctor will see you, assess your symptoms, and since you’re already at a pharmacy, you can get any meds you need right then and there.

The doctor will let you know after the exam if you require further medical assistance. If you have travel insurance for Mexico, you won’t have to worry about the costs.

👩‍⚕️ Mexico Travel Tips: Seeing a Doctor

If your Spanish isn’t great, download the FREE Google Translate app.

With this app, you and the doctor can speak into your phone, and the translation is spoken back to you both.

You should bring anything prescribed that you need and anything you know will be handy where you’re going.

This includes Anti-Altitude Sickness Medsin Mexico City, and Anti-Hangover Meds in party towns like Cancun, Cabo and Tulum.

If you’re brand-specific with over-the-counter medicine, such as you only take Advil, you’ll want to bring your Advil.

While there will be headache and pain medications everywhere, you might not always be able to find Advil (or some other specific brand) while you’re traveling Mexico.

8. Come prepared with these items

💊 Stomach Meds

Beyond your prescriptions, consider bringing bringing antidiarrheal medications and stuff for an upset stomach, like Tums or Pepto.

While you can buy these at most farmacias, it’s more convenient to have them on hand should you at any time not feel well.

🚺 Tampons

In larger cities, tampons are readily available. However, in smaller, rural areas and off the beaten path Mexico destinations, this isn’t always the case.

If you’re partial to a certain brand of tampon, or need a particular size, make sure to pack those.

🚺 menstrual Cup

My travel life (and real-life) improved when I switched to a reusable menstrual cup.

You can safely leave them in for 12-24 hours, so you’re not scrambling to find clean bathrooms while traveling to Mexico to change your tampon or pad.

Beyond that, you’ll never buy tampons or pads again.

♻️ Menstrual cups are also good for the planet, as you’re not creating tampon or pad waste. There’s a learning curve to using them for some, so practice before your trip.

🧴 Hand Sanitizer

This was a suggestion but now feels like a mandatory travel item.

To ensure you’re using it throughout the day, get this hand sanitizer pouch that clips on to the outside of your purse or backpack—so you’re constantly seeing it and constantly using it.

You now have several tips on how NOT to get sick in Mexico, so make good choices and enjoy your trip to the fullest.

Thanks to Tip #6, you now know what to do if you get sick in Mexico — go to the inexpensive walk-in clinic (consultorio).

Ask a passerby or use Google Maps to find the pharmacy nearest to you. Head to one of the ones closest to you, and you’ll get quick and inexpensive medical assistance.

💊 Mexico Travel Tips: Farmacias

Here are some of the biggest Mexico pharmacy chains in the country:

Farmacia Similares
Farmacia Guadalajara
Farmacia del Ahorro
Farmacias San Pablo
Farmacias Benavides
Farmacia Yza

While this may seem like overkill, you really never know when the next opportunity to do so will come, so take advantage of every time the opportunity presents itself.

As you won’t always have access to a sink, pack your Travel Bottle Keychain Holder and hand sanitizer.