Hack Your Health and Avoid Sickness While Traveling

1. Keep hand sanitizer on you. While there are a lot of high-contact surfaces that contain billions of bacteria, a lot of them are unavoidable when traveling. For example, door knobs, handles and buttons are necessary but touched by hundreds of hands a day. Keep hand sanitizer on you and use frequently when in public spaces. Make sure you use it, especially before touching your face or food.
2. Disinfecting wipes are your friend. Don’t be afraid to pull out a pack of disinfecting wipes on the bus, plane or in the lobby and wipe down the places you or your stuff touches. For example, in a rideshare, you could wipe down the door handles that you will touch.
3. Stay hydrated. Hydration is always important, whether trying to prevent sickness or fight off sickness. Keeping water and electrolyte intake high can help improve oxygen flow, flush out harmful toxins, improve digestion and block contaminants from entering your body through mucus.
4. Get enough sleep. Making sure you are getting adequate sleep can help you prevent illness, reduce stress, improve your mood and help you make better decisions. Most adults need at least seven hours of quality sleep a night to feel well rested and get the maximum benefits of sleep. If you are getting under that, you are more susceptible to viruses and illness and your immune system is weaker.
5. Protect your skin. Your skin is the largest organ your body has. Keeping your skin healthy is just as important as keeping the rest of your body healthy. Avoid the dangers of skin cancer, thinning of the skin and other forms of sun damage by applying sunscreen of at least SPF 30 every day.
6. Bring a mask. Masks can help protect you from illness, even if they do just stop you from touching high-contact surfaces and then touching your face directly after. If you’re going to an area that you know contains a lot of sick people and you are immunocompromised, an extra layer of defense may be a good precaution.
7. Don’t overdo it. While it’s important to take advantage of your time traveling and make sure you experience as much as you can, it is also important to listen to your body. If you don’t feel well and try to power through it, you could end up feeling much worse, contaminating others or having a bad experience. If your body tells you to rest, listen, take a power nap and then try to resume after giving your body a small break.
8. Eat breakfast. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Functioning all day without eating a meal first thing is like driving a car with no gas… unsustainable and dangerous. Stay at a hotel like Extended Stay America and you can eat the free breakfast* when you wake, and you’ll be ready to take on the day.
9. Take your vitamins. Whether you take daily multivitamins or specific supplements to boost your immunity, this is an easy tool to help your body feel its best when on the go. Some common vitamins used to boost immunity are Vitamins C, B6, E and Zinc. Most of these vitamins can be found naturally in the foods you eat, but some people can have deficiencies based on diet and other factors.

While we hope you never experience illness, especially while away from home, it’s important to know what to do when you feel like you’re getting sick. These traveling health hacks can also help you prevent illness and keep those around you healthy.

*Free breakfast available at Extended Stay America Suites and Premier Suites.