How to stay healthy on airplane?
 

Just wondering if any of you seasoned travelers have tips on staying healthy on those long airplane rides?

Just the usual tips - walk and stretch as much as possible to avoid DVT; drink a lot of water to avoid dehydration and jet lag; I use alcohol wipes on my arm rest, tray, seat belt, and all the buttons; only bottled water and no ice in drinks; don't use the pillows and blankets. Take vitamin C or airborned or whatever else makes you happy. That's about all I can think of.

I try to avoid eating the airplane food as well. On a trip to europe it's easy enough, but more challenging on an asian flight (my usual destination).
I never thought about avoiding the pillows and blankets, I assumed they were recovered (pillows) or washed (blankets).

Airborne really works for me. I used to always catch a cold when I flew. Not any more.

Great advice! Do you start taking the airborne before the actual flight-ie 48 hours in advance or the day of travel?

ZiCam.

Airborne is good. There are also similar vitamin drinks at Cosco. Airborne now makes gummy bear versions to have on hand while on the plane too.

But we can only do so much. Think of all the escaltor & people mover handrails, door knobs and faucets that you may have touched in the airport....might go crazy thinking about it. But I do understand it is good to take some precautions to prevent colds.

I start 3-4 days in advance with the Airborne.

I always ask for an aisle seat so I can have a wander round to fend off DVT on a long haul flight. As for dry skin, swollen feet, appetite, germs etc - I think a huge amount of unecessary fuss is made about the effects of flying. Unless you are flight crew or a very frequent business traveller you don't need special moisturisers, vitamins or any of that other guff. Sorry!

Since I came down with a very bad cold and sinusitis on my trip to Europe in 1999, I religiously do all the things that Jolie mentioned; ie, wiping down the armrests, tray, etc with alcohol wipes, avoiding the plane pillows and blankets and drinking plenty of water and/or orange juice in flight.

Once I'm on the ground, I continue to be vigilant about using Purell after traveling in the underground, using handrails, etc.

Since doing all of these things, I have not gotten sick on vacation. Maybe it's just coincidence...

One of the nicest perks I ever got on a plane was an Evian water spray. Do you remember them? Do they still make them?

We were flying business class to Korea (it was a business trip for SO -- we'd never spend that kind of money on our own!) so we got lots of nice treats. Well, you know how dry it gets on a plane. Every hour or so I would just spray that fine mist on my face or my bare feet and it felt wonderful!

It's a good thing you asked this question. If I can find one, I'm going to take it on our flight to France. Or maybe it will be confiscated. Who knows? It's worth a try though.

I think it worthwhile to mention that the people we travel with (spouse, partner, friend,etc.) needs to participate in all of the preventative measures otherwise, they catch the cold and then give it to us through daily interaction.

My husband doesn't believe in taking Airborne, nor in using alcohol wipes, nor hand sanitizers. So....he caught a cold and gave it to me! I seccombed to his constant germs in spite of my great effort to avoid them.

Airborne.
Drink water.
No alcohol.
Drink water.
Get up every hour when you're awake, if possible.
Drink water.
Sleep as much as possible.
Drink water.
Wash hands as frequently as possible.
Drink water.

Ear problems? Take a nasal decongestant before take-off!

I have a friend with COPD who frequently has to travel in winter & she swears by a saline nose spray.

I don't travel as much as in the past but I do take Airborne or Zicam.

'try to avoid eating the airplane food as well'
Same with us ( after a BAD food
poisoning on Air NZ). Have a meal before the flight, bring some munchies.

I do my airborne while I wait to board. But starting a few days in advance can't hurt.

We've had some good suggestions here. I've gotten sick a time or two on a plane but I generally attribute it to running myself down physically before i leave for vacation (making sure everything is good at home, work, etc.)
I will try the airborne on my next trip, and bring my own shawl to use as a blanket. thanks.

First thing, don't get on a plane if starting off unhealthy.

I've never been unhealthy on a plane, nor caught anything, once off! Then again, can't recall ever getting a cold.

But, I do drink water and walk about.

Too much Purell (or other antibodic creams, lotions, soap) can kill you, as you have no protection. You become a breeding ground for others germs.

hdm,

Yes, they still make the Evian spray for your face (helps fight facial dehydration), and they are < 3 oz.

You can pick them up at Sephora. My wife insists on taking one along, as well as being an Airborne fanatic.

Normally, I will take a few extra vitamin c a couple of days before the trip.
I do bring hand sanitizer and use it before i eat and after the bathroom use. I eat very little of the airplane food. I try to drink a lot of water.
That is about it.

I've heard that you should drink at least a cup of water for each hour on the plane, so I do try my best to do that.

I usually try to drink a cup of something that's partially water at least once an hour.

Definitely an aisle seat to easily get up and walk around whenever possible. It feels much less claustrophic to me.

Pack Zicam in case you do feel like you have 'caught' something on the flight. Emergence-C packets are good (similar to Airborne).

Another vote for saline nasal spray and decongestants.

The air inside the plane on a long flight gets very dry. The spray will help keep the nasal passages moist. The decongestant will help counteract changes in air pressure. My doctor said it is important to take the decongestant about an hour before takeoff so it has time to work.

I wear TED surgical hose to help leg circulation on those long flights. People who have any concerns about phlebitis or dvt should at least consider them. The last time I tried to buy some I had to have a prescription. Not sure why one needs a prescription to buy long socks, but without one the associate in the store would not sell them to me.

Airborne really seems to work for me, too. I put some in an almost used up water bottle while waiting to go through security. Then I ask for a cup upon boarding and chug another "dose" mixed from the water purchased after security- while waiting for the plane to take off. Do NOT drink the water on the plane, from their pitchers! I keep the cup and continue to dissolve one Airborne every couple of hours, in the increasingly residue- lined cup! (ick)Along with the frequent hand sanitizing, and not eating or drinking what is offered on board (I take a couple bananas and a big baggie of granola mix or a sandwich made at home),I also swear by a decongestant before boarding and another every four-five hours of the flight process. Also, lubricant eye drops are very helpful. I use the provided pillow and blanket to fashion back rests, but wouldn't use them near my face or even on my clothes! I bring one of those inflatable neck pillows, too and put on the long compression socks I saved from a surgery after the plane takes off. I wear them for as long as I can stand it, then take them off for awhile. Lastly, I have started to pack a heavy-duty nose mask in the bottom of my bag. On my last flight the person next to me had a horrible cold. Ick again. The mask was really uncomfortable and I looked really stupid but....I didn't get sick!

I appreciate the suggestion for the facial misting and am going to try that next time! Healthy travels!

I worked with a guy who did the "round the world" trip 4 times a year, which was to visit all of our offices in the US, Europe and Pacific Rim in 17 days. He told me that he used a cotton swab and put bacitracin around the inside of his nostrils before he boarded every flight and never got a cold. Since I started doing this, I haven't either (knock on wood).

I swear by Emergen-C and just take it 2x a day leading up to the trip and then a day or two once I get there. Seems to help the jetlag too. Airborne does absolutely nothing for me, plus it tastes vile.

I also buy a trial size pack of Clorox wipes and wipe down the tray table, handles, etc. Ever since I saw a guy throw up all over his seat mid-flight and saw what the crew *didn't* do to clean it up, that's become standard practice for me.

Other than that, I just drink as much water as I can buy post-security and sleep as much as I can. Drinking a lot translates to getting up once an hour or so to use the loo, so that doesn't really equate to solid sleep, but I seem to do well on arrival.

Simple answer H20

I think it is a personal thing. I don't take any thing special or do anything special to stay healthy. I drink wine, two to three small bottles, no water, eat what ever food is served, and the only walking is to the toilet. I never have a problem and I am 68 years old. now, having said that I do believe that if you work in a city and are subjected to masses of people daily, you do build up a resistance. If on the other hand you are from a more rural area you just might be more prone to getting sick.

OK...I've flown thousands of miles, have never used anything to prevent a cold and I have never goot one on a plane.

Have I just been lucky or is there something to this?

Always good for a laugh - try http://www.skyhighairlines.com/catalog.pdf "Flying is expensive - Let us cheapen the experience" :-D


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Too funny

Thanks, Rastaguy. And darn it, I was at a mall today where there's a Sephona. Oh well, I'll look in the local massive drugstore.

I don't get sick on planes, but then I rarely get sick anytime, so I guess I'm just your standard hardy traveller. I can also eat just about anything, whereas SO has a much more delicate system than I do (poor baby).

I do get very dry up on those planes though and the misting is a godsend.

I use neosporum inside my nose, have for years and it works great for me. Zicam is also fantastic. Everyone seems to love airborn, maybe I'll try it, thanks.

Evian spray water is wonderful for the flight as well as hot flashes. I keep one in my purse and I love them. If you can't find it in the stores, you can order it on line from Sephora. I keep the larger can in the fridge for a real treat late at night!

There is an urban myth about air in planes being dangerous but it is actually more highly filtered and more changes per hour than that in modern buildings - offices, stores, malls, schools, even hospitals. It is drier, so increasing fluids is a good idea. Risk of picking up an infection is highest via your hands touching something contaminated, so alcohol based gel is a good thing to use; be aware that it must be at least 60% alcohol to be effective (check the label).

sandi - alcohol based hand sanitizers do not lead to resistance; it is a mechanical cleaner and not an antibiotic, so use away. And you are not eliminating your acquired immunity by washing your hands.

Blankets are washed, but not between passengers and not even between flights - they can go as long as 30 days before laundering if not visibly soiled. If you get one sealed in plastic it is probably freshly washed, but otherwise it has seen prior use.

Airborne is having a booming time in the market, but it is more faith than science. Nothing in it should hurt you, though, so if it makes you feel better then go for it. As a respected mentor once told me "the nice thing about the placebo effect is that it IS an effect." Same thing for ZiCam - zinc is important in chemotaxis (the ability of white blood cells to travel to the part of the body where the germ is located) but popping a lozenge as you board is probably not enough time for it to have any effect, and you probably already get enough zinc in your diet. But again, if it makes you feel better - go for it.

hdm - I have called several online suppliers and stores, and they have all specially noted to me that I'd have to select ground shipping for my order, because they cannot even ship the Evian sprays on a plane, so I'd assume you can't bring them into the cabin either...

However everyone keeps saying how much they love using them, and this site:

http://www.french-beauty.us/achat/pr...4&catid=92

says there's "No risk by plane," so I don't know. Personally, I'm going to either take Caudalie's 1 oz Beauty Elixir, or a small empty spray bottle, which I can then fill with water however many times I'd like and mist away!

In my last trip from Italy five years back, I caught an awful cough that promptly started after my trip. I kid you not that it took two lo....ng months to shake off (fortunately, I am as healthy as it gets and usually don't visit the doctor for years except for annual checkups). It got to the point where my PCP suggested taking narcotics based medicine with the only "minor" complication of not being able to drive for a few hours after it! Fortunately, the cough left me right before I was able to convince myself to take his advice.

For stress, lately my six year old works best. In my last trip, after a trip to the restroom and having walked half the plane, he happily announced "I "sink" I am walking in only one shoe". He is so cute that instead of getting upset, I laughed all the way to the back to collect his little shoe! Of course, for the look of admiration he gave as he saw me walk back with it, I would have walked the entire plane many more times.

What does that mean -- "no risk by plane"? Do they mean it won't explode? How can that be anyway? I GOT it on a plane -- it was in the business class loot bag.

I used to get sick everytime we went
on a plane for any length of time. Now
I use a saline gel in my nose and I
bought a personal air purifier' mini-mate ionic, from Magellan's travel catalogue. I keep my hands away from
my face and wash them often. I have
not been sick sense.
The purifier is about 2in long and
hangs around the neck. About $129.00
So far I haven't had any problems going
thru security with it.

Katiemay
I like the way your posts get formatted --- they look like poetry.

hdm - See, this is what I don't understand. People get it on planes, use it on planes, and yet I get told I have to choose ground shipping because they can't transport it on a plane. Ridiculous.