Stay healthy with these travel tips

There’s nothing worse than being sick on vacation – especially if you were fine before you got on the plane! From sneezy seatmates to germy surfaces, here are some important tips to help you protect yourself in-flight:

• Seat pockets, tray tables, pillow and blankets, the airplane bathroom, even the air are all dirtier than you want to know. So pack hand sanitizer – 3 oz. or less – in your carry-on bag to avoid spreading the ick.

• Flying makes you 20% more likely to catch the common cold. Beat the odds by loading up on Vitamin C and B-complex vitamins before, during, and after your flight with oranges, grapefruit, and leafy greens – and add vitamin-boosting drink packets like EmergenC to your water.

• Speaking of water, avoid what comes out of the plane’s water dispenser. Ask for bottled water, or bring your own filtration bottle.

• But don’t just avoid water… Dehydration is one of the biggest health concerns when flying. On the ground, normal humidity is between 20 and 50%, but in flight, it can be as low as 1%, leading to rapid dehydration which often goes unnoticed before it’s too late. To combat it, avoid alcohol, soda, and caffeine in the hours before your flight, drink 8 ounces of water every hour you’re in the air, and choose fruits and veggies over salty snacks.

• Do lots of stretching and walking in the aisle (when the seatbelt sign is off) to keep your circulation flowing. You may feel silly, but it’s better than a blood clot!

A little planning and prevention will go a long way toward ensuring you’re in tip-top shape to take advantage of every precious day of your trip! Got any healthy travel tips we missed? Share them in the comments!