How to find safe drinking water when travelling

Which is the best way to find safe drinking water when travelling?

The best way to purify water while travelling depends on the situation (backpacking, urban travel, developing regions, emergencies). You need a method that’s portable, reliable, and quick. Here’s a breakdown:

Key Options for Travellers

1. Portable Water Filters (e.g., LifeStraw, Sawyer Mini, Grayl)

NOTE: A water FILTER removes bacteria and parasites - NOT viruses

• Best for: Hiking, camping, backpacking.
• Pros: Lightweight, remove bacteria, protozoa, and sediments.
• Cons: Most don’t remove viruses or dissolved chemicals.

2. Portable Water Purifiers (e.g., LifeSaver)

NOTE: A water PURIFIER removes bacteria, parasites AND viruses

• Best for: Hiking, camping, backpacking, overlanding, vanlife, microcampers, and motorhomes
• Pros: Remove 99.99% bacteria, viruses, protozoa and sediment; carbon filter reduces chemicals and heavy metals, and improves taste. Don’t require power, produce safe drinking water immediately
• Cons: Initial cost can be high, but the capabilities and longevity offset this in the long term, with cost per litre very low

3. UV Purifiers (e.g., SteriPEN)

• Best for: International travel, urban or rural areas where water is clear but may contain microbes.
• Pros: Kills bacteria, viruses, protozoa in 1–2 minutes.
• Cons: Requires batteries or charging; ineffective in cloudy water.

4. Chlorine or Iodine Tablets/Drops

• Best for: Emergencies, backup purification.
• Pros: Compact, cheap, kills most pathogens including viruses.
• Cons: Chemical taste; iodine unsuitable for long-term use or people with thyroid issues; less effective against parasitic infections (e.g., Giardia).

5. Boiling

• Best for: Remote areas, camping, survival.
• Pros: Reliable, kills all microbes.
• Cons: Time-consuming, needs fuel or fire, doesn’t remove chemicals or sediment, can only do a small amount at once.

6. Bottled Water

• Best for: Cities or regions with unsafe tap water.
• Pros: Convenient, no equipment needed.
• Cons: Expensive, plastic waste, not always trustworthy (counterfeit bottles exist in some countries), heavy if you're walking/hiking any distance.

Recommendations

• For hikers/campers/overlanders: While the initial expense of a portable water purifier might be daunting, the cost per litre is very low, and the peace of mind you get is priceless. If you're going very far from civilisation, take spare filters and maybe some chlorine/iodine tablets as back up should you lose your purifier.
• For international travel: A portable purifier is cheaper per litre and more environmentally friendly than buying bottled water (which may not be as clean as it should be).
• For emergencies: Always carry chlorine/iodine tablets as backup.

The safest all-around travel setup is:

A good quality portable water purifier with purification tablets as emergency backup if the purifier is lost, stolen or damaged.

If you're not sure which option is best for you, please get in touch.