Whether you’re traveling during flu season, during a virus outbreak or any time of year that you could get sick, you might be concerned about getting sick on your vacation. Luckily, there are some things that you can actively do to protect yourself from getting sick when you travel. Here are a few tips to help you stay healthy during your next vacation.
WASH YOUR HANDS
Have you ever seen how many people leave the restrooms at Walt Disney World without washing their hands? There is nothing that is proven to stop the spread of germs and bacteria better than washing your hands. Not running them under water for 5 seconds and calling it a day. Use soap and water and wash them for as long as it takes you to say the ABCs. So please, wash your hands and make sure your little ones are doing the same.
Hand sanitizer is nice, but it’s not enough. If you’re running around the Parks and need hand sanitizer here and there, it’s better than nothing. But it doesn’t take the place of hand washing. And even then, for it to be effective, you should be using enough that it takes 30 seconds to dry, which is more than most people use. You can’t control what other people do, but this is the number one thing you should be doing for yourself to stay healthy when you travel.
STOP TOUCHING EVERYTHING
This is a tough one, because a lot of us have habits of touching our faces, touching the merch at Disney, touching the hand rails as we walk down the stairs. And it’s even tougher if you have curious little kids. It’s not always easy to avoid this, but do your best. Many germs can live on surfaces for at least two hours. Remember that person you saw leave the restroom without washing their hands? Yep, they may have touched that.
It’s especially important to stop touching your face, since a lot of viruses are transmitted through the open surfaces on your face known as your eyes, mouth and nose. Again, this can be a little tough with kids, but you can find creative ways to keep them from touching their faces, make it game, give them something to be “responsible” for or see how long they can keep their hands in their pockets.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
There are a lot of things that can really run down your immune system. Try to keep your immune system in check before, during and after you travel. Stay hydrated, eat well, make sure you get plenty of rest, keep your stress levels low, get out in the sun when you can.
Why is it that we are more susceptible to getting sick when we travel? Well it’s simple really. Being confined in an airplane with strangers, transitioning to a new climate, being around new germs our bodies may not be used to and running ourselves into the ground during our vacation are all things that contribute to increasing the possibility of getting sick when you travel. Follow these tips and keep you, your family, and others healthy and happy.