Ah, lazing around in the warming sun, tiny umbrellas in all of your drinks. You can’t deny it. Vacations are the best. That is, if you can fend off all the germs.
Why Do We Get Sick Right Before Vacations?
The fact is, way too many of us catch a cold right when our vacay starts. And there’s nothing that will ruin a vacation faster than getting sick. But why does it happen so often? There are two major reasons.
For one, you might be pushing your body too hard on the regular, so your prized vacation time might be the first inkling of down time your body has had in weeks. Your immune system is probably weaker from stress and exhaustion, so it can’t fight off bacteria and viruses as easily.
Which brings me to the second reason you are more likely to get sick on vacation–the onslaught of germs. For most of us, vacation means packing up and heading somewhere relaxing. But in order to get to those relaxing places, we must actually do the “getting there” part.
That could mean hopping in and out of any combination of trains, planes, taxis, ferries, or subways. With so many people milling about these public places, day in and day out, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they are oozing with germs.
All you have to do is touch the wrong handrail with an already compromised immune system and you’re done for.
So is it even possible to take a vacation and ensure that you’ll stay healthy? There’s always a small chance you could catch something nasty, but there are plenty of things you can do to greatly reduce your odds of getting sick. Here are six hacks that will keep the sniffles out of your vacay.
1. Prepare your body.
Burning the midnight oil to get all your work done pre-trip will only damn you in the end. Try to get a minimum of seven to eight hours of sleep on the nights preceding your trip.
Also make sure you’re eating plenty of greens, not drinking too much coffee and alcohol, and avoiding sugary processed foods. Keep clean and healthy in preparation for your work-free adventure.
2. Use common sense precautions.
Be mindful of potentially germy surfaces during your travels. While the odds are very much against you if your seat-mate has a virus brewing, most people actually get sick from contact in shared public spaces–touching handles, using bathrooms, things like that.
Most importantly, be very careful to not touch your eyes, mouth, or face in general while en route. Germs on your hands can’t hurt you, but once they find a way inside, they WILL wreck havoc. It wouldn’t hurt to make some homemade, natural, alcohol-free hand sanitizer to cleanse your hands of nasties every so often, either.
3. Stay hydrated while traveling.
It’s easy to get dehydrated while using public transportation. The air is generally re-circulated and stripped of its moisture, and the temperature is either way too hot or way too cold. It can also be tough to find access to water whenever you need it.
My solution? Carry a reusable canteen with you (at least 27 ounces). If you’re taking a plane, chug the water before passing through security. Then, once you’re inside, most airports have reusable bottle fill stations. Fill ‘er up, chug again, and for goodness sakes use the bathroom!
Once you’re on the plane, instead of getting wasteful little plastic cup of water, you can ask the flight attendant to fill up your canteen and sip on that throughout the flight. (Bonus points if you time it all properly and don’t have to use the germ-ridden airplane bathroom!)
When you arrive at your destination, you’ll feel surprisingly energized and ready to hit up the beach!
4. Use natural medicines proactively.
My two favorite immune-boosters are propolis and elderberry. When traveling, I pack my propolis spray in my carry-on and spritz once or twice during the flight. Propolis, the substance bees use as their hive immune system, is a also well-known immune booster for humans.
Seriously, it’s incredible how effective it is. I consider it my secret weapon before any big travel trip.
As for the elderberry, I take it the day before, day of, and day after traveling, either in an extract or, preferably, in a tasty elderberry kombucha.
5. Stretch your body.
Your lymphatic system helps your body get rid of all the waste and gunk, which is why when you get sick your lymph nodes might swell a little. Healthy, well-circulated lymph is hugely important to a healthy immune system, but when you’re sitting in a squished position for an entire day, your lymph can become stagnant.
Before your travels and immediately after, make sure you do some gentle stretches that bring your body through its full range of motion. This will encourage therapeutic lymphatic drainage. Better yet, once you land, head off to a massage (a lymphatic drainage massage if you can find one). After all, you are on vacation.
6. Practice deep breathing and meditation.
Mediation and breathwork have actually been shown to powerfully improve immune function–just ask Wim Hof.
Make it the focus of your travel day to meditate, radiating strength and calmness. Leave yourself plenty of time to make connections so you aren’t stressed. Bring soothing essential oils for when you simply cannot stand to be stuck in a flying sardine can any longer.
Develop some quiet, deep breathwork exercises to keep your flight or fight senses out of the picture. Use mediation and breathwork as your secret weapon to keep all those bacteria and viruses from winning the vacation war.
No matter where you’re going on your next vacation, you deserve to have a great time. Don’t let a little cold get in your way. Be proactive. Be healthy. Take care of yourself.
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