Avoiding Illness on Vacation

There are any number of things that can put a damper on your vacation. Lost luggage, overcrowding at tourist attractions, crooked cabbies, and bad weather are all common culprits. But illness is perhaps the worst. All of those other issues are inconveniences that can be overcome, but getting sick can be a serious roadblock for all your plans. If you get sick, all the time, money, and preparation you put into your trip will have been for nothing, and there will be nothing to do but hole yourself up in a hotel room and try to get better before the flight home.

Most Common Sources of Viruses on Vacation

Unsurprisingly, the two biggest sources of vacation virus are airplanes and hotel rooms, so it’s important to take extra precautions when flying and when settling into your room.

In a plane, all of the air in the cabin is continuously re-circulated. This means that any germs that the passengers may have brought on board stick around and gradually spread out through the cabin as the flight progresses. That’s why longer flights present the greatest risk of germ exposure; the longer flight gives germs more time to spread, to permeate all the corners of the cabin, and to infect passengers.

I’m not advocating that we all become germophobes when flying, but there are certain things we can do. Most importantly, wash your hands frequently, and keep them away from your eyes, nose, and mouth. Frequent hand-washing can be hard on airplanes, so bring some alcohol-based hand sanitizer in your carry-on, and use it every hour or so. Also, stay hydrated, which means drinking plenty of water and avoiding caffeine and alcohol. These substances contribute to dehydration, which is bad for the immune system.

Viruses can linger for up to 18 hours. This means that if a sick person has recently stayed in your hotel room, there may still be virus in the room when you check in, particularly on faucet handles, remote controls, light switches, telephones, and doorknobs. If the hotel staff doesn’t do a good enough job of cleaning up your room, there’s not much you can do. What you can do is wash your hands frequently. Also, it’s a good idea to leave your room for a few hours immediately after checking in. Leave a window open. Hopefully, by the time you return, the room will be virus free.

Avoiding Other Illnesses

Motion sickness: Motion sickness is a problem for many first-time cruise passengers. For some, it lasts only a couple of hours, while for others it doesn’t go away until they get back on solid ground. Most cruise ships have doctors who can give you motion sickness medication, and you can also use antihistamines or motion sickness disks. Also, some sufferers of motion sickness say that green tea and ginger can be helpful.

E. coli: Traveler’s Diarrhea is no fun, but fortunately it usually passes within a day or two. If you want to avoid it, only eat food that is thoroughly cooked, drink bottled water, and stay away from ice cubes.

Sunburn: If you’ve ever been severely sunburned on vacation, you already know how crippling it can be. The key is prevention: Any time you’re going to be out in the sun, slather on as much sunblock (SPF 30 at least) as you can stand. Repeat application regularly all day long. And if you do get burned, drink plenty of water and use aloe lotion until the pain passes.