The European hotspots where you are most likely to get sick – and it isn’t good news for Brits heading to Spain
TRAVEL experts have revealed the holiday hotspots where you’re most likely to get sick when abroad.
And it’s not good news for Brits going on holiday to Spain.
Spain is a popular destination for UK travellers, being just a few hours by plane.
But according to a study from Forbes Advisor, Benidorm in Spain is Europe‘s travel bug hotspot.
The study combined NHS advice, guidance from the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, and over two million forum posts on Tripadvisor, which contained keywords such as “Salmonella” and “Food Poisoning”, to find out where holidaymakers are likely to fall ill.
Other factors used to rank destinations included whether the tap water is safe to drink, and the number of vaccinations holidaymakers need to enter the country.
In Europe, Benidorm topped the travel bug index list with 4.5 per cent of Tripadvisor forum posts mentioning reports of food poisoning and other illnesses.
Three other hotspots in Spain also made the top ten including Tenerife, Menorca, and Majorca.
Meanwhile, London had more individual reports of sickness and food poisoning than any other European destination included in the study.
Places in Bulgaria, France, Italy, and Greece also made the travel bug list.
Kevin Pratt, travel expert at Forbes Advisor said: “While a tummy bug might not sound like much, if you’ve waited all year for a holiday which you then spend alone in a hotel room feeling awful, it can actually be devastating.
“Prevention is always better than cure, so take all possible steps to avoid a travel bug in the first place.”
If you do catch some kind of sickness bug like norovirus, you should make sure to drink plenty of water, as well as stick to plain foods and rehydration salts.
Kevin added: “But if you are struck down and have to give up on part or all of your holiday, a good travel insurance policy can at least soften the blow.”
Meanwhile, Brits heading to Cape Verde have been issued a new holiday warning by the UK government.
This is because hundreds of tourists have recently been struck down by shigella, a highly contagious vomiting bug.
And here’s the grim reason you should always keep your suitcase inside the hotel bathroom.
