DH and I got back a couple weeks ago from a 3 week trip to New Zealand and Sydney. We spend 4 days in Auckland, then did an 11-day cruise, then spent 4 days in Sydney before flying home. We had a great time, but by the time were arrived in Sydney we were already experiencing cold symptoms. The worst part was that once we got home, we both had a really hard time fully recovering and suffered though a good 7-10 more days of post-trip sickness (horrible coughing and congestion). Obviously cruise ships are environments that are conducive to spreading germs, and we did go on several 6+ hour bus tours. It’s starting to feel inevitable to us that every long trip will end with a terrible cold. Obviously one option to reduce risk would be to wear a mask everywhere and wash hands constantly. But what other advice do people have for how to stay well on a trip? Our main experience is with getting upper respiratory viruses, not gastrointestinal problems.
We do wear masks indoors in crowded spaces except when dining or drinking (like when we are traveling and on tour buses). We don’t seem to get ill when traveling. To us, it’s worthwhile wearing a well-fitting protective mask like the SaveWo (I know odd name but highly ranked by Aaron Collins, self-proclaimed mask nerd who tested hundreds of masks during covid). We also use Enovid now called NoWonder (nitric oxide nasal spray), which has been shown to kill viruses in your nose.
I also bring along a small pharmacy, just in case I get sick. So far, I only had to use it once, when my medical equipment was malfunctioning. My medical kit contains all the things my lung doc wants me to have—prednisone, antivirals, antibiotics, plus over the counter NSAIDs. It has worked well for me.
One time years ago I was traveling to Australia, had a short meeting there, then was going on to Asia (probably Thailand). My doctor had given me a prescription for an antibiotic (possibly Cipro?) in case I got traveler’s diarrhea.
On the flight from the US (probably LAX) to Sydney I was sitting next to someone who was coughing horribly. She said that she had been intending to fly the previous day, but was too sick to fly. Her doctor has diagnosed her as having some sort of bacterial lung infection, and had put her on antibiotics. She said that 24 hours of antibiotics had seemed to help her a lot, but she was still clearly quite sick. As soon as the seat belt sign went off I got up and got one of the antibiotics that my doctor had prescribed me. They were “every 12 hour” pills so I took another 12 hours later.
My wife was not happy that I had used the antibiotics this way. As soon as I saw my doctor (who had prescribed the medication) I explained to him what had happened. He thought for a few seconds and said “You did the right thing”.
More commonly I try to get plenty of sleep in long trips. On long business trips I used to sometimes fly in a day earlier than most people to have a bit more time to rest and get used to the time zone.
Another option is to be well vaccinated. For example the same doctor on other occasions recommended that I get the Hepatitis A and B vaccines due to my frequent trips to Asia. I got them at different times, although I do not recall whether this was intentional or if it just worked out that way. I have also tried to keep up with flu vaccines.
And I did also travel with a small pharmacy.
And sometimes you just get sick when traveling.
I also bring a pharmacy bc even if your destination has everything available, do you want to run to the store if you’re ill?
I read a tip about taking pepto bismol daily to prevent stomach and intestinal upsets. Seems to work for me. My husband accepted a cup of chai from a fellow train traveler in India and he told me after the fact that he was ill for weeks. (I had Cipro which probably would have dealt with it quickly.)
The usual recommendations are to not eat any fruit you don’t peel yourself, eat only cooked veggies, and don’t drink the water or use ice (lesser developed countries).
I gotten the sickest after domestic trips. For several years, I had a type of cough variant asthma, and visiting other locations would have me hacking for weeks until I burst the capillaries in my eyes. Finally I discovered montelukast which was a miracle, although I’ve read they’ve discovered something problematic about it. But my allergies seemed to have calmed amazingly in recent years in addition to my lactose intolerance. Weird.
I think I’d wear a mask now that I’m older even though I hated them during covid. I’ve found a heavy duty kind that doesn’t fog my glasses since then.
My doctor generally has me carry both doxycycline & a z-pak for my antibiotics. I generally only take them when I have signs of infection, but if I was sitting next to someone who was obviously very ill with a bacterial infection, I might start the course immediately as you did. I always keep in touch with my doc and let me know when I’m starting to get a flare up that needs medical care and what I plan to do that we had agreed to and he has always approved. We’ve been working together for over a decade.
I bring more medicine when traveling internationally because it’s more hassle figuring out how to get things on another country.
I’ve not had the experience of getting sick when traveling. We no longer mask unless someone next to us is hacking or looking obviously sick. (So we do carry masks with us just in case). We are zealots though about hand washing and carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer with us everywhere.
We still carry masks, but haven’t needed them in a while. Though you never do know. We also use the enovid/no wonder nasal spray and head for the most part being very lucky.
The times I’ve gotten sick on trips when nobody else in our clan did, seemed to be the times I spent a lot more time in public restrooms than they did. So I try to not use them unless I absolutely have to. It has seemed to help.
My family also says I’m like a dog when it comes to people coughing. I can hear them a mile away and make sure I stay far far away.
I also carry the whole pharmacy with me. I bring masks just in case I felt the need, but I haven’t used them in a long while. I would if I was stuck in a plane or on a bus with someone obviously sick right next to me.
I am not a regular traveler but when I’m home and either am around someone sick or start to feel ANY inkling of a potential cold coming on I take Immune Support for a few days. I get mine at Costco an it lasts forever. But here is a smaller package. Not just vitamin C but a variety of immune boosting nutrients.
I haven’t had a cold since before Covid (knock on wood). I also have never had Covid to my knowledge (also knock on wood!)
We also travelled to New Zealand and Australia. And we also did a cruise as part of this. The person next to me on our flight home was hacking like crazy. Luckily I didn’t get sick.
We spent a lot of time outdoors. Even in the evenings, we could go outdoors. Also, it never felt crowded on our cruise ship so maybe that helped too.
We did not carry any extra antibiotics or whatever with us.
I think the key is to avoid large indoor crowds as much as possible. (And yes, I know that isn’t possible on the 17 hour plane ride to Auckland).
We used to always get sick on vacation, probably a combination of exposure to many people and doing too much and getting exhausted. Since COVID, we still mask when indoors, only eat outside or in our room/cabin, and wash our hands frequently. We have quickly lifted our masks on long international flights to take a drink or bite of food, but we do not remove the masks. We also bring Lysol to clean our room or cabin when we check in.
Fwiw, years ago, my doctor told me that yravel exposes us to a new pool of germs, just like kids starting school. That suggests the handwashing and masks could help, especially in crowded places and planes. And it also suggests a certain inevitably.
I do a risk reduction approach. I don’t love wearing masks, but I haven’t flown without one since 2020, and I always wear a KN95 or N95 from the moment I get in the cab/Lyft to go to the airport, until I’m out of the airport at my destination.
I will take off my mask for a couple of minutes (only during mid flight) to eat and drink.
I also wipe down everything I’d touch on the airplane with some disinfecting wipes before I sit down, and I’m a dedicated hand washer everywhere I go.
I don’t mask at my destination, but at the same time I don’t love crowds so I generally gravitate towards activities in more open areas with more ventilation than not.
Knock wood this has worked for me for the last 5 years.
For folks with smaller faces (I’m a 5’2” adult woman), these masks can make all the difference in comfort:
We still mask on flights and it has worked well. Cruises seem the most problematic, as our odds haven’t been good. The worst was norovirus. Our last bus tour was awful. One woman was sick when she started the trip and it slowly spread. I got it on the third day, so spent the next week masked on the bus. People were constantly having to tell her to put on her mask.
We definitely feel it was the cruise and not the flight to Auckland that did us in, based on the timing of when we started showing symptoms (almost 2 weeks into the trip). I’m kicking myself for not wearing masks on our 2 long bus tour excursions, although I suppose it could also just as easily have been the elevators, theatre, fitness center, etc. When we were younger it seemed like we’d get a cold and then get over it, but these days we’re both finding it harder to bounce back.
Historically I have gotten sick while traveling, fairly often. I pick up respiratory viruses easily, and always have. However, two weeks before a whole passel of family was to visit a few years ago, I got a covid vaccine. Two separate parties arrived and ended up being Covid positive. The good news-they could socialize with each other. Despite a significant exposure, I didn’t get Covid. So I am timing my Covid shots to pre trip so my Covid immunity is at the highest level when flying, or meeting folks who have flown in, especialy from international flights.
On flights or in crowded conditions, I always try to mask, but when traveling internationally a few months back, I kept forgetting to put it back on after meals. But got stuck next to someone with a drippy nose on a flight, and put that mask back on asap. Despite that, the mask you will wear the most is what matters, so I wear a quality 3 layer mask that is comfortable rather than N95. This brand kept me safe while caring for Covid patients in the early part of the pandemic, before we got N95s, so I have some faith in the efficacy. I also try to be the nerd with hand gel available at all times, and use it before eating on planes.
I travel with Covid tests, Pepto bismol and pseudaphed, among other things. The last two are not OTC in some countries. This fall am going on a cruise and the prevalence of noro virus has me quite concerned. Hand washing on cruises is essential, as hand gel doesn’t work on Noro. I also use the herb echinacea as a tablet or tea, and find it helps in the early part of an illness.
I buy my masks from this distributor in the US. They come in different sizes, for different sizes faces, including kids. I can’t tolerate N95 masks but these work for me.
https://www.family-masks.com/a/hello@family-masks.com
I also try to get a covid booster 2 weeks before significant international travel.
You can get a sample pack to try different styles & sizes before you buy in quantity if desired.
Here’s an article about how to stay healthy on the plane.
I started buying my masks from Lutema during the pandemic because their adult small size fits me perfectly. And I like the colors! I always keep one in my purse. We did do some masking for the flights on our New Zealand/Sydney trip (no cruise) but otherwise not too often. We each seemed to pick up a small cold on the land portion but both of us were fine before we got home.
Same - I might be one of the few who does not get sick when traveling - I’m also really mindful of using hand sanitizer if I can’t get to soap and water for hand washing.