Traveler's diarrhea affects about 10 million people a year, and is a digestive tract disorder that causes diarrhea, as the name suggests.  Loose stools and abdominal cramps that are associated with diarrhea are not only uncomfortable and painful, but can cause dehydration that puts a traveler at serious health risk. Fortunately, most cases of traveler's diarrhea does develop into anything serious or life threatening and resolves within a few days.