Now, more than ever, staying healthy while traveling is an important topic. Our family hasn’t done much traveling since the pandemic hit. Instead, we have opted for adventures closer to home. However, over the years there have been a few trips where the whole family became sick. I now put extra effort into keeping us as healthy as possible whenever we are traveling.
I’m sure we could do more to prevent the inevitable germs that we pick up as we travel, but these are the top five tips we follow when traveling.
5 Tips to Healthy Travel
- Don’t touch your face! This one seems so simple, until you actually attempt it. However, it is an important strategy to keep the germs and whatnot out of your body and help prevent you and your family from getting sick.
- Hydrate. You are in a new place, with a new routine and it’s easy to forget to drink enough. It is really important to stay hydrated. Pack a water bottle for everyone in your family. I like to fill water bottles for everyone, with enough water for the day, in the morning to help us remember to drink enough. These are our favorite water bottles for easy hydration for the whole family! The come in a variety of sizes that are perfect for kids and grown-ups.
- Sleep. You’re someplace new with many opportunities to break your typical schedule. But, try to get enough sleep. Make sure to bring a few items from home that will help your little ones feel cozy and comfortable. We always let the kids pack a few stuffies and a blanket. I even pack my travel pillow. It scrunches up for easy packing. Bringing the sound machine isn’t always practical (although we’ve considered it!). Instead, we have a white noise app that we play at nighttime while traveling. It helps the kids relax, which means more sleep. in our family, more sleep means happier little adventurers.
- Bring disinfectant wipes. These wipes have become easier to find again, but plan ahead so you can make sure to bring them along on your next trip. I get the travel packs and use these to wipe down airplane seats, seat belts, arm rests and tray tables when we are flying. In hotels, I use them to wipe down the remote, light switches and other high use objects (handles on the drawers). Many hotels are limiting the amount of times staff enters a room during a stay, which means limited cleaning. The wipes could be used for normal, light cleaning of the bathrooms and sinks while you are traveling.
- Carry hand sanitizer. Again, plan ahead to make sure you have a stash for the trip, but a little goes a long way. Washing hands is always considered to be the healthiest technique, but using hand sanitizer is a great second choice when out and about.
In addition to the tips listed above, I also pack some medicine (Tylenol, Advil, allergy medicine and Band-Aids!) just in case. Even the best plans don’t always work the way we hope!
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