Echinacea -- 3 tablets in morning and 3 tablets at night before bed, continue throughout your trip. Works for me every time. It may be all psychological, but if it works, I certainly don't knock it!

Nyquil at night knocks everything out of me! Otherwise, fluids, rest, vitamins, and maybe an allergy med to help with symptoms.

Wow - thanks for all the good advice. I feel better already, knowing that there are lots of nice people out there who cared enough to offer tips! I'm trying several already! Though I'm not feeling top notch, I'm so excited for the trip that I'm not going to let this get me down! Trip report to come in 3 weeks!!

Right before a trip to paris, i caught a nasty cold from a friend. i spoke with my doctor, and her advice was to NOT take any kind of cold medication. Your body rids itself of the cold by through the fluids produced during coughing, sneezing, runny nose. By taking cold medicine, you'll extend your cold! If you're absolutely miserable, take something at night...at least you'll get a good nights sleep, which is invaluble when it comes to getting over a cold.
She said, SLEEP, vitamin c, hot liquids (tea, soups, hot lemon water). Stay away from spicy stuff because it will irritate your throat. Another recommendation that helps me is to boil ginger root with water, and use that water to make tea. That will really clear you up..temporarily.
This all worked for me..but i had 5 days to lay on the couch is misery..luckily, i felt better by the 3rd day.

Cold-Eez tablets or gum. I bring some on my trips, too, in case I start feeling under the weather overseas. Seems to work, but you need to take them right away - as soon as you feel sick. Calling the doctor is a good idea! If you are sick on the plane, that will suck. Good luck!

I also vote for Zicam. (It's sold over the counter in 2 forms - either a nasal spray or individually wrapped swabs with ointment on the end). The swab form is also great to travel with. On our last trip to London my son got some cold symptoms on our first day there and he used Zicam for a few days and his cold never developed! (Luckily I had packed several swabs in my trusty medicine bag.) I swear by it now.

Vitamin C and Advil together? My coworkers swear by Nyquil but it knocks them out right away. They claim it helps though.

Zicam!works for me.

==Mike

Please tell me what Zicam is. I have never heard of it.

It's a zinc nasal gel, at the very first sign of a cold you use 1 small squeeze( it is semi-liquid ) in each nostril about every 4 hours for a few days. Supposedly the zinc prevents the virus, from replicating.

I thought it was a bunch of baloney..I'm a health care professional...but when I felt a really bad cold coming on last year , I used it just to see. I swear the cold never developed. I was totally won over.

It's worth a try! Thanks.

And if you're like me, I always travel with Beconase, which is a nasal steroidal spray, prescription only. My ears get plugged when I fly even without a cold, but with a cold I am thoroughly miserable on a flight. This type of spray helps keep them open and keeps an infection from brewing (from the fluid that gets trapped). Worth mentioning to your doctor.

Drink hot liquids instead of cold, and in general, drink a lot of water or other fluid.

Whatever you do dont buy cold meds in Italy??we went to Florence 3 yrs ago and my husband bought some cold pills there--he said they were great and got rid of his cold quickly--I got the cold when we got home and took the cold pills and broke out in hives from head to toe and I have never been allergic to anything--I went to Doc at home and she was unable to read the ingrediants but said sometimes they put things in ove the counter meds that we would only have by prescription??

Gotta tell ya - Zicam is a wonder drug! Started it yesterday when feeling really rotten, and today I have barely a sniffle and the sore throat is completely gone! I coupled it with Echinacea tablets several times a day. You people have saved my vacation!! Thank you!!!!

So glad it worked! I'm going to go out and get some (even though I don't have a cold, but to keep just in case). Isn't this board a gem?


Have a great trip!