If you’ve ever been sick while traveling, you know how miserable it can make your vacation. Although it’s not easy to feel good while traveling, there are some things you can do to strengthen your immune system and prevent or reduce the impact of getting sick.
Plus, if you get sick while traveling, there are ways to take care of yourself without ruining your trip. Here are eight tips to take care of yourself when you’re not feeling well while traveling:
1. Pack the Right Supplies
If you know your immune system is weak before a trip, make sure to pack extra supplies in case you start feeling sick. While cold and flu season is more challenging for those with weakened immune systems, it’s essential to consider that travel can expose travelers to new germs.
Before going on vacation, stock up on vitamin C, zinc lozenges, and echinacea supplements as a preventative measure. If you feel a cold coming on mid-vacation, remember not to take any new medications without consulting your doctor first.
2. Eat Well During Your Trip
When you’re sick, it’s tempting to order room service for every meal. However, when you’re feeling ill while traveling, healthy food is crucial to preventing a worsening of your symptoms.
If you’re not up to going out to a restaurant, order homemade food from a service provider near you. These services offer healthy meals that can be delivered right to your door.
3. Pack Essential Oils
Essential oils have been proven as a powerful treatment against viruses and other germs that cause colds, flu, and congestion. In addition to being convenient for those who are ill while traveling, essential oils can be taken just about anywhere!
To avoid the risk of infection from shared surfaces, you don’t need to worry about spreading essential oil residue by touching doorknobs or countertops since it’s not water-soluble. When you’re sick while traveling, this means being able to take your immune system booster with you wherever you go.
4. Stay Hydrated
Many people don’t drink enough water when they travel because they’ve heard horror stories about travelers’ diarrhea, but most cases of diarrhea are not caused by drinking contaminated water. You don’t always have to spend your vacation in the bathroom when you’re sick while traveling.
Even if there are no bathrooms in sight, this is a perfect time to practice squatting! If it’s too hard to get down that low, try balancing on one leg with your other foot touching the ground for support. This simple move will help prevent dehydration without making you sicker in the process.
5. Practice Self-care When There Isn’t Any Medicine Around
If you’re feeling sick while traveling, take advantage of downtime when medications aren’t available or appropriate and practice self-care skills instead.
When you feel well enough to walk around, this is an excellent time for self-massage or stretching to manage symptoms. Try the acupressure technique for cold relief if you’re feeling really under the weather.
6. Stay as Clean as Possible
When your immune system is weak, it’s essential to stay as clean as possible during your trip to prevent contracting an illness from someone who has one already. Please wash your hands with soap and water before touching anything.
Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if there are no sinks available. Bring some wipes with you wherever you go to quickly wipe down surfaces that others might be using, like remote controls, airplane armrests, hotel doorknobs, etc.
7. Sleep and Rest as Much as Possible
People generally feel better when they’re sleeping, and that’s especially true if you’re sick while traveling. Most people don’t sleep enough on vacation because of all the new distractions around them, but it’s important to get as much rest as possible when your immune system is weak so that you can fight your illness off more quickly.
If you can’t fall asleep at night, try some essential oils like lavender or chamomile to help soothe symptoms naturally.
8. Stay Connected with Friends and Family
When you’re sick while traveling, not having a support network around you makes it even harder to beat an illness. It’s essential to stay in touch with friends and family members who can make you feel better with their support and encouragement.
This is also a great time to catch up on social media, which can have a similar effect as being in touch with friends by keeping you from feeling isolated from the people who care about you most.
In today’s busy world, many people are unable or unwilling to take a vacation due to work obligations, expenses, etc. However, there is no need for anyone who wants to go out of town for a few days not to do so because illness does not have to factor into vacations.
