10 Tips to Stay Healthy While Traveling

Traveling takes it out of you in more ways than one. Not only are you often sleep deprived from odd plane schedules, lumpy hotel mattresses and a busier-than-average daily schedule but you’re also eating worse and exposed to all kinds of stranger-danger germs. The combo-punch leaves most of our immune systems depleted and more apt to succumb to whatever nasty bug is trolling about. To avoid this inevitable sickly defeat here are ten top ways to ensure you stay healthy, rested and fit during your business or leisure travels.

1. Start strengthening your immune system by taking natural probiotics and a good daily multivitamin before your trip. This simple best practice will help build you up for the onslaught of travel related exposures.
2. Maintain your ‘personal space’ while traveling. This may seem odd but if you can stay at least 6 feet away from anyone who is visibly coughing or sneezing while you’re traveling it will go a long way in preventing the tiny virus-filled air droplets that contain viruses from getting to you.
3. Wear socks in the airport security line. In reality the chances of getting a fungal infection are low—but you may pick up something on your feet, which then gets transmitted onto your hands as you put your shoes back on (and then your face). This is how hand foot and mouth makes the rounds at daycare centers and preschools.
4. Public bathrooms are just as dirty as you think they are – so take these precautions. Don’t sit on the toilet seat and close the lid before flushing. Wash your hands with hot soap and water for a full 15 seconds and do not lay any makeup bags or toiletry kits on the public sink areas – if you had to wipe them with sanitizing wipes after.
5. Buy bottled water to drink on the plane. Some airlines are still serving tap water which every so often picks up fecal bacteria in it – so better be safe, and healthy than sorry.
6. Carry your favorite healthy snacks with you. Don’t rely on what will be available in the airport to get by – one of the fastest ways to deplete your immune system is to succumb to eating non-nutritive fast food.
7. Disinfect your seating area as soon as you get there. Yes get out of the way of other boarding passengers first, but next – break out your sanitizing wipes and go to town. Airplanes only get thoroughly cleaned at the very end of the day so chances are high your seating area is froth with bacteria.
8. Point the overhead air vent away from your face. This helps to divert potentially infectious air droplets from the recirculated air system in the plan away from your eyes, nose and mouth.
9. Keep your nose moist in dry climates. Keeping the mucus membranes moist will crease its ability to fight infectious microbes from getting in.
10. Hunt for the least crowded spot on buses, subways and in airport terminals to sit. It will probably be farther away from where you (and everyone else) needs to be but it’s worth the extra walk to avoid getting sick.

With these top tips you should have a great start at avoiding getting sick and depleted while traveling. Use these tips in good health. Wishing you safe, healthy and happy travels!