A reader contacted us with concerns about her 15-year-old daughter’s upcoming school trip to Amsterdam, Austria and the Czech Republic. She wanted to know if it is safe to drink the tap water and to eat foods such as fruit and salads.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website, it’s generally safe to drink the water and eat raw foods in Northern and Western Europe, which includes Amsterdam and Austria. They do recommend, however, sticking to bottled or boiled water in the Czech Republic and to avoid food from street vendors in that country. (As someone who has lived in Austria, I would implore people to not skip the street food in that fastidiously sanitary part of the world; the Kaesekrainer — or cheese dog — kicks the skin off anything Oscar Mayer could muster.)

That said, it’s not uncommon for travelers, particularly children and teens, to have some tummy troubles when they are introduced to new foods. Travelers should bring diarrhea medicine (Pepto-Bismol, Imodium AD) to treat themselves for mild cases.

If you have a travel question, post it here or e-mail it to travel@startribune.com.