Fighting the Holiday Hum-Bugs: Stay-Well Travel Tips

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By Rachel Derry
Staff Writer LIFamilies

Nothing is more exciting and stressful at the same time as traveling and visiting loved ones during the holiday season. One major worry during the holiday season is the ever imminent threats of colds and the flu being passed around by family members and fellow travelers. Nothing is worse than being sick over the holidays and is seems inevitable, especially with all of the havoc and stress, that someone in your family always gets snagged by the holiday humbug. Protect yourself and your loved ones with a little holiday health boost with stay-well travel tips.

Keep your immune systems going strong by making sure to get plenty of sleep a head of time. Once you’re on the move, especially in the airport, you’re bound to be surrounded by germs and bacteria trying to bombard your immune system. By ensuring your body plenty of sleep ahead of time you will give your body time to restore your cortisol levels, boosting your immune system and increasing your chances for a healthy holiday visit. Studies have shown that individuals who get a regular 6 to 8 hours of sleep a night are 3x less likely to contract colds than those with insomnia or short sleeping hours.

Make sure to keep up with your vitamins and immune system boosters. Taking your typical multi-vitamin daily is a great way to keep your system balanced and ensure you have the proper levels of all the recommended nutrients. There are certain vitamins and minerals, however, which have a larger role in supporting your immune system in stressful or germ-infested situations. Vitamin D and vitamin C both support your immune system’s strength and endurance. Zinc also helps your systems endurance, even shortening the length of time a cold lasts. Be sure to keep up a daily vitamin regiment when traveling and preparing for the holidays.

Before you hit the road arm yourself with this year’s flu shot. Too many Americans don’t get a flu shot because they either assume that it’s only for young children and the elderly, or they don’t see the need for a flu shot. A flu shot is the single most effective way to battle contracting the virus, especially when in tight confines, such as plain, trains, and ferries. The shot does take up to two weeks to develop and protect your body, so plan ahead to protect yourself and your family this year.

Make sure to bring your emergency health pack with you wherever you go. Pack a cosmetic bag full of all of your system boosters to help keep you and your family feeling good through your travel and holiday visits. Pack tissues, vitamins, aspirin and ibuprofen. Keep Chap Stick, cough drops, hand sanitizer, and first aid materials just in case. Keep anything and everything that you can fit into the small pack to keep everyone feeling good.

Long Island Travel & Leisure Articles > Fighting the Holiday Hum-Bugs: Stay-Well Travel Tips