Have you ever boarded a flight only to feel a cold brewing a few hours later? You’re not the only one. Planes are breeding grounds for colds, flus and other illnesses, there are just so many germs going around! Luckily though, there are a few things you can do to avoid catching colds and illnesses when flying.
1: Wash Your Hands
Everyone knows to wash their hands, but the reality is that most of us don’t do it as much as we should.
On a plane, anytime you come into contact with other people or surfaces that lots of others have used, wash your hands! It sounds a bit extreme, but this is how germs and bacteria spread.
Wash your hands regularly during the flight, and make sure you use soap! The last thing you want is for any bacteria to be lurking on your hands.
2: Irrigate
If you want to avoid getting sick on your flight, you need your nasal passages free and clear. Irrigating your sinuses, either with a nasal passage clearing spray or a NetiPot, before and especially after your flight, will help flush away germs that you come in contact with.
3: Avoid touching your face
When you think about, you probably touch your face quite a lot throughout the day. Whether you’re scratching an itch or moving hair out of your eyes, it’s something you do fairly often. But if you want to avoid getting sick after a flight, it’s a habit you’ll want to break.
Even if you wash your hands regularly throughout the flight, keep them away from your face! You don’t want to spread any germs to your nose mouth or eyes.
4: Protect Your Hands
This tip might make you look a little weird, but you’ve probably gathered by bow that your hands play a huge role in spreading germs.
To avoid incidentally picking up any bacteria that could cause an illness, use gloves or a napkin, or even your shirtsleeves to open things like toilet doors on planes.
5: Hydrate
Hydration is key to staying healthy whether you’re on a plane or not. If you’re dehydrated this can cause symptoms of its own, and lower your immune system. Staying hydrated can keep you feeling good and healthy, and it can even help you conquer jet lag.
Plus, if you travel regularly, you might have noticed that the atmosphere on planes is pretty drying. The air con always leaves you with a dry mouth and even dry skin, so the chances are you’ll be craving water fairly regularly anyway.
6: Get Some Beauty Sleep
If you’re tired, your body is going to cope too well with fighting off any potential illnesses. Keep your immune system strong by getting plenty of sleep.
This applies to both on the flight, and before and after. You want your body to be at its strongest over your period of travel.
It can be hard to sleep on the plane, but try and get in as much sleep as you can.
7: Wipe Down Your Area
Your seat and your tray table is where you’re going to be sat for at least a few hours, so you want to make sure that your little space is clean.
Think of how many people have used the tray table before you. Sure, the cabin crew probably gave it a wipe down, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. So bring some antibacterial wipes with you anyway.
8: Come Prepared
To avoid sharing germs with the people that flew before you, it doesn’t hurt to bring things like your own pillow. Some airlines also recycle their headphones, so bring your own pair if you can.
9: Keep Your Distance
I know, I know, easier said than done, right? Most of the time, on a flight, you’re squashed right up to person next to you. But try not to get too cosy with the people around you if you can help it.
10: Stay healthy!
Whether you travel a lot or not, staying healthy is always a good thing to do. But if you’re trying to avoid picking up colds and flus on your flights, being healthy is a pretty good way to naturally fight off any potential illnesses.
If you eat a healthy diet, stay hydrated, exercise regularly and just generally make sure your body is always in fighting condition, you’re a lot less likely to pick up illnesses, regardless of whether you’re traveling or not.
I live in the UK, in the country’s most uneventful city, where the most interesting story in the local paper is about banning dressing gowns in supermarkets.
I travel and I write, because surely there are more interesting stories than that to write about and share.