I (Matt) have been travelling for 10 years now and I’ve been living nomadically for almost 4 years. It’s safe to say I’ve been ill a few times. More than a few times actually. To show that travel isn’t always glamorous, I’m compiling a list of the worst times I’ve been ill abroad.

While these travel stories won’t be for those with light stomachs, they’re not intended to be repulsive for the sake of it. Each story has earned its place on this page for a reason, be it because I bungee jumped with diarrhea (after eating out-of-date bugs); or because I avoided earthquakes and tsunamis only to be violently ill in a hostel with a hole-in-the-floor toilet, rats in the room, and a child who kept breaking in and telling me that her parents were going to kill me.

Most of these stories weren’t funny at the time, but looking back, they are pretty mad. Hopefully you get a kick out of them too.