Healthy Travel Tips for Air Travel

By Pat Barry

Plan ahead for a healthier, happier trip this summer!

Carry all medications to last your entire trip in your carry-on. Hopefully not, but there always is a chance of lost luggage.

photo courtesy of http://www.thatvintagegirl.com/

Ask your doctor if the dosage or time you take your medicine should change with any time change of your destination. Eating and sleeping times change with the time change so the time you take your medicine might as well.

The air in planes is so dry and it is advisable to drink non-alcoholic, decaffeinated beverages and a lot of water to avoid becoming dehydrated!

You can avoid jet lag if you take some precautions, starting before you leave on your trip!

• Get plenty of sleep before you leave.
• Don’t drink a lot of alcoholic beverages the night before or on your trip.
• Eat well balanced meals during your trip.
• Don’t forget to schedule in your normal exercise routine! You need exercise daily, even if you are on a trip.
• Get used to the new time zone by going along with the local meals and bedtime schedules.
• Melatonin is said to help with jet lag but this is not a proven aid. Tell your doctor if you would like to use melatonin or any other herbal medicines to help with jet lag.

If you get pain in your ears on take off or landing, think ahead and you may be able to minimize it.Try taking a decongestant medicine before you get on the plane. You can also swallow often and chew gum during the flight. You may have often been sitting next to that crying baby on a flight….this may have been due to this pain in the ear and they can’t verbalize it any other way. The best way for a baby’s ears to release that ear pressure is by sucking on a bottle or a pacifier during the flight.

Get up and stretch!!Even healthy people can get blood clots in their legs especially on long trips. Try to walk every now and then during your flight. It helps to drink water and stretch your calf muscles at times during the flight as well.

Be organized about your carry-on baggage by buying travel kits of the toiletries and skin and hair products you use at home. For one thing, they take up less room than regular size bottles of these products but it also may prevent you from having to pay the fee for bringing extra bags.