8 Tips for Staying Healthy While Traveling
Staying healthy while traveling can be challenging. Health threats like the recent COVID-19 pandemic showed us just how quickly germs and diseases can spread. It doesn’t help that travel is known for being a crowded, congested activity. Busy airport terminals, tiny airplane seats, bustling hotel lobbies and swelling streets all put you in close contact with a lot of people’s germs. However, if travel is in your plans, there are many tips and tricks you can employ to feel more comfortable and stay healthy while traveling.
1. Remember All the Basics
The COVID-19 pandemic taught everyone a lot about how to limit the spread of disease. While COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted around the world, the basic ideas of how to keep yourself and other travelers safe remain true. Wearing a mask, frequently cleaning your hands, and keeping distance from other people are still useful ways to avoid the transmission of disease, whether it is COVID-19 or the common cold.
It is not always possible to maintain distance from others in an airplane. But in the airport itself, it doesn’t hurt to avoid crowding other people in shops, lines, and restrooms. Using hand sanitizer after touching shared surfaces is still a simple way to limit the spread of germs. As an added benefit, when other passengers see you using it, they might be encouraged to use some as well. The same applies to cafes and restaurants just as much as airplanes and airports.
And don’t forget the most fundamental piece of travel advice: iIf you’re feeling unwell, stay home and contact your doctor for advice. Sometimes the most important part of staying healthy while traveling is to delay your trip.
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2. Put Germs in Their Place
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cleaning standards in airports and airplanes have improved. However, several hot spots with germs inevitably remain. Some places to look out for are the check-in area counter, the bins that hold your belongings at airport security and the washroom door handles and surfaces. Sanitize your hands after you move from one section of the airport to another for maximum protection.
You can stay healthy on the airplane by making your space cleaner. Savvy folks who are interested in staying healthy while traveling have been using disinfectant wipes to clean airplane seat buckles, tray tables and touch screens for years. It’s time to follow their lead! If you don’t have disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer applied with napkins is a good second choice. Your caution doesn’t just benefit you. You are leaving things cleaner for the next passenger, which is always a good thing.
Hotels and restaurants have also dramatically increased cleaning efforts. As such, some amenities you’re used to (coffee machines in hotel rooms, condiment caddies in restaurants) might be gone. However, other germy spots remain. Doorknobs and handles, remote controls, plastic key cards, debit machine pin pads and mini-fridge doors are all areas deserving of a little extra attention.
3. Make Healthy Choices at Airports
If there was ever a time to justify stress eating some potato chips and ice cream, it’s being in an airport. There’s something about these crowded, chaotic spaces that make all healthy resolutions fly out the window! However, taking care of your health and wellbeing has never been so important. Whenever possible, opt for non-alcoholic and non-caffeinated drinks. More and more airports now feature water fountains designed to make refilling a personal water bottle an easy task. Herbal tea (hot or iced), fruit-infused sparkling water and flavored almond milk are generally very easy to find. They can help you hydrate and break the monotony of water at the same time.
4. Stay Healthy by Packing Homemade Snacks
The quick convenience of airport food often means you’re consuming things that are high in calories and low in nutrients. If you want to make staying healthy while traveling a priority, you should begin to pack your own snacks. Homemade pasta, quinoa, couscous, and bean salad are filling, nutritious alternatives to airport fast food. Veggie sticks and chopped fruit prepared at home are crunchy, refreshing and infinitely fresher than anything found in the airport. Bringing your own trail mix, granola bars, protein powder or muffins is dramatically cheaper than buying them at the airport. All these snacks would work equally well for road trippers who have the added benefit of bringing along a cooler to minimize unnecessary stops.
5. Breakfast Buffets Are Back — Use Extra Caution
As pandemic restrictions have eased up, most hotels have started offering their breakfast buffets again. However, the self-service style of these buffets with the sharing of utensils can be breeding grounds for germs. Most hotels now keep hand sanitizer available in their lobbies and near the entrances of their dining areas. Remember to wash your hands before and after grabbing food from the breakfast trays. Room service can also be an option if you want to avoid busy breakfast lines.
Most mobile delivery services will bring food orders to your hotel room. Before you order, check with the hotel staff if there are any restrictions. They may also be able to recommend a local delivery service that minimizes fees for small businesses. This is a pro for travelers as many restaurants that are unwilling to sign up with big-name delivery services will make an exception for a local company. A DIY travel picnic kit consisting of some reusable chopsticks, sporks, hand wipes and a collapsible travel bowl can transform any take-out experience and minimize your plastic waste.
6. Get Outside in Fresh Air
Outdoor transmission rates of the common cold, the flu and COVID-19 are a fraction of those for indoor transmission. That makes travel activities like hiking, camping, and birdwatching excellent ways to lessen your chances of getting sick on vacation. But even if you’re not a keen outdoors person, there are still plenty of things you can do in fresh air without having to go into the woods. Public theater performances like Shakespeare In The Park, small group urban cycling tours, open-air farmers markets, and vineyard- based wine tastings are just some of the creative ways travelers are maximizing their time outdoors.
Following the pandemic, things that were once considered expensive and exclusive like private walking tours, canoe trips, helicopter rides, and horseback riding lessons are more affordable and flexible. They allow families to avoid interacting with big groups of strangers while enjoying travel activities that might have been out of reach before.
As always, the fundamental rules still apply. Keep your distance from people who are sick, wear a mask if you’re worried about yourself or others and wash your hands frequently. And if you have a history of seasonal allergies, bring along your medication. A public sneezing fit still tends to draw unwanted attention!
7. Avoid Crowds to Stay Healthy
In travel, it pays to be flexible. When possible, avoid rush hour during the hotel check out and the busiest times at restaurants, cafes, or any other attraction you wish to visit. This strategy helps you minimize social contact and comes with some unexpected perks. Your overall travel experience will be calmer and more enjoyable. Plus, you are easing the strain on small businesses who would much rather have a small, steady stream of customers all day long than several hectic rush hours. Social media is a fantastic tool — simply sending an online message is sufficient to find out what time your favorite store, market, bakery, or museum is most quiet.
8. Plan for Pit Stops
There aren’t always a lot of public toilets on the road less traveled. Whether you’re road-tripping in the family car or just expecting a long day exploring around town, make a pit stop plan.Speak to other travelers, especially parents, about their experiences finding public bathrooms en route to your destination. Double-check the policies of cafes and fast-food restaurants by reaching out on social media. Some only allow people spending money in their businesses to use their restrooms. You can also send an email to the local tourism board. Believe it or not, this is a question they have a lot of experience answering! Your toilet-related questions might seem silly or awkward to you but the tourism board is ready and eager to give you all the advice and information you could possibly need. After all, people staying healthy while traveling and spending their tourist dollars instead of hiding away sick in a hotel benefits them greatly.
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