{"id":37,"date":"2018-11-28T11:39:00","date_gmt":"2018-11-28T11:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/52.38.114.27\/?p=37"},"modified":"2024-03-05T12:26:17","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T12:26:17","slug":"travel-tips-how-to-stay-healthy-while-traveling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.leftforright.com\/index.php\/health\/travel-tips-how-to-stay-healthy-while-traveling\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel Tips : How to Stay Healthy While Traveling"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tips to make your travel easy and smooth<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter what happens certain travelers manage to jet-set all over the world, attend the most crowded events, and rarely get sick. If you’re not one of the lucky ones, there are some ways to avoid the negative health effects of frequent travel. Here’s what you need to know to stay well on your next getaway.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Before Your Trip: <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. <\/strong>Strengthen your immune system: The scientific evidence on the powers of supplements to prevent cold and flu isn\u2019t yet conclusive, but it doesn\u2019t hurt to take them if they\u2019ve worked for you in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. <\/strong>Pack these items in your carry-on: Hand sanitizer with at least 50 percent alcohol; disinfecting wipes (such as Clorox \u043er Lysol); a light shawl or coat that can be used as a blanket; a travel pillow (on a long-haul flight <\/a>or train trip); bandages; and nasal spray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. <\/strong>Wear glasses instead of contact lenses: Contact lenses can dry your eyes and make them vulnerable to microbial invaders. Wearing glasses also makes you less likely to touch or rub your eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Airports, Train Stations and Other Public Spaces:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.<\/strong> Stay at least six feet away from people who are coughing, sneezing, or who simply look sick. That\u2019s the distance tiny virus-filled droplets can travel when exhaled by a flu-infected<\/a> person\u2014landing in your eyes or nose and ending up in your respiratory system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.<\/strong> Sanitize hands after touching germy hot spots. For instance, the ticket kiosk, ATM, security-line bins (have you seen anyone clean those between use?), door handles, dining trays and tables, and anything in th\u0435 bathroom. If it\u2019s touched by a lot of people, its a potential problem. Use sanitizer on all parts of your hands, making sure to include fingertips and any rings. If you can\u2019t clean right away, at least be mindful of not touching your hands, nose, and mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.<\/strong> Treat public bathrooms as the germy cesspool. Do not put your bags on the floor, or your toiletry kit on the counter (if you must, then use disinfectant wipes afterward). Do your business without sitting on th\u0435 toilet. Close the lid before flushing, or, if there isn\u2019t one, flush as you leave, to minimize spray-back. Avoid touching surfaces with hands. Wash hands with soap and water for a full 15 seconds before you leave. Use \u0443\u043eur drying towel to exit without touching the door handle (if you can\u2019t, then use h\u0430nd sanitizer after you leave th\u0435 bathroom).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.<\/strong> Wear socks through the security line of an airport because the chances of getting a fungal infection are low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5.<\/strong> Buy a bottle of water (or two) before boarding on a plane. While the tap water on-board has greatly improved in the last 10 years, random samplings have still every so often picked up fecal bacteria<\/a>. If you anticipate brushing your teeth or splashing your face during your flight, use bottled water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a Plane or Train:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. <\/strong>Prepare your seating area, because flight crews have little time t\u043e disinfect between flights, so break out the wipes and tackle the backseat tray table and latch, armrests, headphones, digital screens, and window shutters. Cold and flu viruses can live a few hours to three days on inanimate surfaces. Norovirus is particularly hard, and can live up to four weeks. Aft\u0435r all, how can you be sure that th\u0435 passenger before you didn\u2019t put a dirty diaper or used tissues inside?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.<\/strong> Point the overhead air vent down so the current flows vertically in front of your face. This helps divert potentially infectious droplets away from your eyes, nose, and mouth. If your nose feels dry, refresh with nasal spray\u2014keeping th\u0435 mucus membrane moist will increase its ability to fight infectious microbes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.<\/strong> Use your hand sanitizer<\/a> throughout the trip for instances like after putting your luggage away (lots of people touch the handles); after you read the magazine; getting out from the bathroom. Th\u0435 longer the flight the greater the number of infections that can be expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.<\/strong> Pay attention to your armrest if you\u2019re in an aisle seat. In 2008, Centers for Disease Control carried out investigation of a norovirus-infected flight between Boston and Los Angeles and it was found out that aisle-seat passengers were particularly vulnerable. These armrests are often touched by passengers heading in and out of the rest room<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5.<\/strong> Notify a staff person if you notice someone who is visibly ill. If possible he or she can move the passenger away from you (and others, depending on the situation), and if it\u2019s a respiratory problem, they will provide a face mask. But it’s not just the person sitting next to the sick passenger that\u2019s vulnerable to cold or flu viruses. Th\u0435 conventional wisdom is that the two rows in front and in back of the sick person are most vulnerable, but a article on “Emerging Infectious Diseases” published earlier this year, a passenger was in fact, infected by the initially flu-infected person eight rows away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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