Although you may love traveling, you can’t deny that several things are running through your mind to make your dream trip as best as possible. Regardless of all the excitement, you may feel stressed, which can compromise your immune system. Not to mention, when traveling, you get in contact with numerous people and surfaces, which makes you more susceptible to illness along with a compromised immune system.
With all this, you want to remain on the safe side and take care of the COVID restrictions that may be in the country you’re traveling to. For example, if you live in London and you’re traveling to another country with COVID restrictions, you can save the stress and buy a Lateral Flow test in Greenwich to confirm your symptoms of COVID instantly.
Nevertheless, we’ll share 5 tips with you in this article, so you can avoid getting sick when you travel. Let’s dive into it!
Tip #1: Visit a Travel Doctor
You can find travel clinics with specially trained healthcare providers in many healthcare facilities. It’s better to visit them before you hop on the plane (or train) with your travel itinerary. It will help them prescribe your required immunizations and medicines that you may need to boost your immune system.
You can also contact your regular physician for this matter. What you can do is pack the medications, if they prescribe any, with you to use when you travel.
Tip #2: Minimize Jet Lag
Jet lag can disrupt your body’s circadian rhythm and adversely affect your immune system. To minimize its effects, you should start off slowly with your itinerary. Such as, keeping the easier activities in the first few days will allow your body to relax.
It’s better to add a “rest” day at the start of the trip, so your body can adjust to the new time zone more effectively. Don’t forget to practice good sleep habits, as you were doing so back home. For example, reduce caffeine by evening and limit screen time before bedtime. (Meta-calculator.com)
Tip #3: Eat Healthy Foods
Of course, you may be delighted to try out the local, unique cuisines of the country you’re traveling to. However, you should do so in moderation and ensure you are a bit vigilant about it, as it can affect your gut health and make you feel sick.
Ensure the street food vendors practice good food hygiene, such as wearing gloves and washing utensils with clean water. If a food item has been sitting all day long, you may want to pass since you don’t want to ingest bacteria.
Tip #4: Be Vigilant on Your Flight
The congested airline cabins can be low on humidity, leading to dryness in the nose and mouth. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids on your flight to stay well-hydrated and better trap incoming germs through enough mucous.
Since you never know if you have a sick seatmate, it’s better to wash your hands frequently or use hand sanitizer to avoid bacteria from entering your system when you touch your face.
Tip #5: Drink Clean and Safe Water Only
In order to avoid waterborne illnesses, you must be certain of the water source before you drink. Make sure you research the water sources of the country you’re visiting. In case of doubt, it’s always safe to drink bottled water.
Furthermore, if you notice that certain raw foods have been cleaned using tainted water, avoid them at all costs. If the water source is questionable in a particular region, avoid their beverages and food.
