When you travel you are already at a higher risk of getting sick. Whether it’s from sitting next to someone on the plane who is already sick, or the surfaces around you have not been cleaned properly from the last flight, I feel everyone needs to read these tips. I travel to the mainland about every 21 days and have been doing so for a little over six months now. I just wanted to share with everyone my top 5 tips for staying as healthy as possible during travel when you have a bad immune system like me!

#1 WEAR A MASK!

 

Wearing a mask when you are traveling is extremely important, especially if you’re immune system is low. It helps with keeping germs from just flying around. I don’t recommend traveling if you are already sick or getting sick.

As a cancer patient, there are a few reasons why I wear a mask, either for my safety or for the safety of others. To further explain this, “for my safety” is to keep myself safe from people who are coughing and sneezing around me. I would be inhaling whatever germs they just put into the air, but with the mask, it creates a safety barrier. There is ALWAYS going to be someone who doesn’t know how to properly cough or sneeze, and there are children who don’t quite understand why they are supposed to cover their mouths. Now to explain, “the safety of others” if I were getting sick or I am sick, wearing a mask will help limit the number of people who might get sick. I would be limiting the spread of airborne infectious particles. Wearing masks also discourage you from touching your face, which can help reduce the risk of contracting a virus.

I will repeat myself again because it is shocking how many people don’t cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze, WEAR A MASK WHETHER IT IS FOR YOUR SAFETY OR FOR THE SAFETY OF OTHERS!

 

#2 WIPE DOWN YOUR ARM RESTS, TABLE, SCREEN, etc…

The very first thing that I do when I find my seat is wipe down any of the surfaces that I can. While the airplanes do get cleaned, it is mostly just to pick up trash and restock items before the next group of people board. I recommend wiping the armrests, foldable table, and the screen where you watch your movies. If I am sitting in a window seat, I even wipe down the wall where my face will probably eventually end up.

Traveling with wipes and hand sanitizers is something I always do, good hygiene means less of a chance of getting sick.

#3 STAY HYDRATED

Drink a lot of water while you are traveling. You can get extremely dehydrated while traveling, especially with longer flights. Even though it can get a bit pricey, I buy myself a decent sized water bottle from a store at the airport. I used to bring my own bottle to fill up, but it got difficult carrying it around when it was empty. If you bring your own water bottle with you make sure it is empty before you go through TSA.

I recommend avoiding alcohols and caffeine while you are traveling too. You want to avoid both caffeine and alcohol because they act as diuretics. Diuretics cause you to urinate more often than usual and could lead to dehydration. From personal experience, when you are dehydrated you can get muscle cramps, dizziness, fatigues, and headaches. It’s not fun.

***DO NOT drink the water that is from the restrooms on the plane, it is not drinking water.

#4 WASH YOUR HANDS

This should be a no brainer, but it’s surprising how many people don’t wash their hands before they eat, after using the restroom, and after coughing and sneezing. Washing your hands is the number one way to prevent the spread of infections. Good hygiene is a must.

#5 GET LOTS OF REST

From personal experience, I feel getting rest is important when traveling. When I travel I am already stressed and anxious from waiting in lines, going through TSA, and worrying about being late. Adding a lack of sleep on top of all of that just makes everything a mess. I’ve learned when I don’t get the proper amount of sleep when traveling I’ll catch a cold. I’ll start to feel gross about halfway through the flight and low and behold when we land, I’ll be coughing or I’ll have a sore throat. When you don’t get the proper amount of sleep your body needs, your immune system starts to weaken. When you sleep your body releases proteins that help your immune system fight colds and when you don’t sleep your body is decreasing the number of protective proteins being produced.

I hope these tips help you guys out when trying to stay as healthy as possible while traveling!