It’s that time of year again: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is putting out the warnings that flu season is about at its peak, and this year’s prevalent strain is turning out to be a doozy, with a good number of hospitalizations and secondary infections. If you’re planning to travel during this time period, you may be nervous, and with good cause: When you’re in crowds of people, as you will be on an airplane or when visiting popular tourist attractions, you are likely to come into contact with people who have respiratory illnesses, including the common cold and influenza. On top of that, this is the time of year for stomach viruses and other maladies to get passed around. What’s a traveler to do? Follow these tips to try to keep viruses at bay:
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Get your flu shot, if you haven’t already. Researchers are saying that this year’s vaccine is a good match for the most prevalent strains of flu out there, so if you haven’t already gotten your shot, then go get that done. Be aware that it takes a good two weeks for it to completely kick in, so if you’re exposed to the flu before two weeks have passed, you still are susceptible. The vaccine is about 70% effective against the strains, so remember that even if you’ve been inoculated, you still need to observe other healthy practices.
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Wash your hands. If you combine this with the aforementioned flu shot, you should be warding off most of the germs that will cause influenza. Wash with running water and soap if possible, or use antibacterial gel if running water is unavailable. Wash after using the bathroom and before eating, as always, and also after going grocery shopping or touching objects that lots of others before you have touched.
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Don’t touch your face. One popular way for viruses to be transmitted is for you to get the germs on your hands, then rub your eyes or nose. Avoid touching your face, and you’ll reduce the chances that you’ll be spreading germs all over yourself.
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Take vitamins. There is some conflicting information on this, but taking doses of vitamins C and D might ward off colds and flus. Vitamin C gives you a temporary immune-system boost, but large doses should not be taken every day. Many of us have low vitamin D levels in the winter anyway, and a deficiency could cause greater susceptibility to various illnesses. Check with your doctor before taking more than the recommended dietary allowance of any vitamins; particularly in the case of fat-soluble vitamins (like vitamin D), overdose is possible and could cause health problems.
- Stay hydrated. Water help to keep the entire body operating at its best. Your body needs water to fight off infection. Have at least 64 ounces of water daily. Green tea is also a good choice as it offers immune boosting antioxidants.
- What to Pack. Make sure and pack items with you. You never know if you will have access to a pharmacy right away. Take a travel size pack of tissues, Airborne or other vitamin C type tablets, Advil, Tylenol or other medicine for fevers and its always a good idea to have hand sanitizers. I always go above and beyond and take a few cough drops, allergy and cold medicine tablets to have on hand. If you are flying in a plane, its also a good idea to have disinfectant wipes with you to wipe down the arm rests, seat trays and buttons before touching them while in flight. Last but not least take a light jacket with a hoodie if possible. Wind breakers are great. You never know when it is going to rain or when an indoor area is kept quite cold so having a jacket on hand can be useful.
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If you’re sick, stay home. This is easier said than done, but do what you can to minimize your chances of spreading your illness to others. When you’re on vacation, the last thing you want to do is spend the week in your hotel bed, missing out on all of the fun. If you do get sick, however, you’ll recover faster (plus it’s the responsible thing to do) if you simply lie low and keep your germs to yourself.
With any luck and by following these suggestions, you will be able to make it through your vacation unscathed by influenza and other coughs, colds, stomach bugs and wintertime maladies.
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