Travel Cold
 

Hello- it seems like everytime I'm on a long flight, I end up with a terrible cold afterwards. I've really noticed this the last several years and I'm getting tired of being sick on vacation! Is it because of the air in the cabins (I'm pretty healthy normally). Does anyone have a way of combatting this, I'd feel silly wearing a respirator on the plane, but...

Hi John<BR>There are two reasons for this.<BR><BR>One, is yes, the air in the aircraft is recycled and not the best. I always put a alittle bit of Neosporin in each nostril before I fly. This helps.<BR><BR>the second reason is that being in an airport (or 2 or 3) where lots of other people have been recently and many of them ill or carrying something, you have to take precautions like washing your hands alot and keeping dirty hands away from your face. I also carry a small bottle of waterless hand sanitizer.<BR><BR><BR>When I was more careful, i got sick alot less.<BR>Good luck and happy travels.<BR>

Good advice from Sinbad..I carry the waterless hadwash and some antibacterial towelettes, use them to wipe your tray table and anything else you might touch, the cleaners don't always do a good job!<BR><BR>I also find using a saline nasal spray as often as I remember to during the trip helps. The recycled air is drying and dry nasal passages are a good breeding ground for colds and flu. Some people even take a decongestant before boarding , that seems to keep the sinuses open. I've never tried it myself but lots on this board swear it works, okay unless you have HBP

Frequent handwashing, lots of water and AYR(fab stuff) saline nasal gel(with aloe) help me stay healthy(hopefully)!<BR>Judy :-0

I swear by frequent hand washing<BR>(I carry packaged moist towelettes as well as my own hand cream) and I also think that for me taking echinacea before and during my trip helps me a lot. I'm not one for lots of pills or quackery, but I'm converted to using echinacea. At least I know that for me it can't hurt. Following a suggestion I got here, I've also started putting my own pillowcase into my carryon for use on the plane--many times those airplane pillows are previously used.<BR>And keep that used blanket away from your face. And good luck!

Did all of the above and arrived perfectly healthy. However, I think getting lots of sleep and trying to maintain healthy habits about 3 days before travel helps. My husband didn't take my advice on this -- got a bad cold 3 days into our trip and gave it to me. I was so furious. By the time I got home 3 weeks later I had bronchitis and pleurisy!

I'd add to washing hands: don't touch your eyes, nose or ears if you're not sure your hands are not perfectly clean. I'm serious, it's a medical advice. Also if you can take vitamin C (in some people large doses cause diarrea) take 500-1,000 mg a day starting the day before the flight. And echinacea works too, it's an herb, so no harm done.

If you really want to get paranoid, think about the doorpulls in airports; hundreds of dirty hands with strains of micro-organisms from all over the world have been on that piece of hardware before you...

Keep hydrated by drinking lots of water, drink green tea, take extra vitamin c and echinecea and use the anti-bacterial hand wipes...

Please don't use a respirator on the plane. You'll look like a quack - and nobody likes taking long plane trips with quacks. Use the above advice and deal. I know how you feel though. I came home from Florida with my father. Two days later we had horrific stomach viruses - only could've contracted it on the plane. Yuck. Good luck! I'm off to Prague tonight. Hopefully I can avoid a post-flight cold as well!

I also agree about the hand sanitizer. I use Purell with Aloe. I haven't had a cold in over a year. I keep it at my desk and use it 2 or three times a day. I also drink plenty of water, and eat healthy foods.

Thanks for all the advice. Good Stuff to try. Skylar, I guess I won't wear the respirator, but I'd still kind of like too.