Travel tips: Staying healthy in airports and planes

Travel tips: Staying healthy in airports and on planes

There are many things you can do to improve your chances of traveling without getting sick.  Here are a few things you can do to protect yourself from germs and other health issues while traveling.

Pro-tip: ALWAYS have hand-sanitizer with you. Airports and airplanes are notoriously germ-ridden as they are rarely cleaned well.

Healthy check-in, TSA processing, and waiting

An airport is a very dirty place.  Studies have shown the dirtiest things, i.e., the things everyone touches, rarely get cleaned. These are of course the things you touch: check-in kiosks, water fountain buttons, armrests, etc.  So, if you can, check-in online. If you can’t, then make sure to clean your hands after using the check-in kiosk.

Bring an empty water bottle to refill after security.  This saves you money and can help keep hydrated while on the plane.

When going through security, know that the bins are rarely cleaned. Wear socks so you don’t expose your feet to a floor that is rarely cleaned. The floor has had thousands of people walking across it.

I tend to get jackets with zippered pockets. This allows me to put my phone, passport, wallet, etc in my pockets and zip them. This way I don’t worry about them falling out as I go through TSA. Also, the cleanliness of the bins is irrelevant.

At the gate, clean the armrests where you sit, and the table if you plan to use it.

If you have time take a walk and stretch before getting on a long flight.

Healthy flight

Make sure to clean the armrests at your seat, the seat belt (particularly the latch). The tray table in front of you should be washed top and bottom, and don’t forget the latch. If there is a personal entertainment system in the seat in front of you that you plan to use, wipe that as well. Also the remote, if any.

If you want to use the seat pocket, I recommend putting anything in a bag or wrapping it in a napkin or piece of paper first. That way you can throw that away when you are done, and not worry about any tissues, food wrappers, and worse in the pocket.

Planes are very dry: Drink water to stay hydrated, use a moisturizer on your hands and use lip balm.

… and noisy:  If possible, particularly on long flights, keep your eyes shut to keep them from getting very dry. This is easily done by listening to a book or a podcast rather than watching a movie. I highly recommend these noise-canceling headphones.  They are not expensive and charge via USB. Additionally, the batteries last for at least a dozen hours in my experience.  You can click on the picture for more info.

Keep your circulation going. If you can, get up and walk around a bit, do some stretches.  Another good thing to do is to wear compression socks. When you are on a long flight, whatever your age, compression socks are great for keeping your circulation going. I can’t stand the ones that cover my toes, so I buy these: Open Toe Compression Socks. This is a wonderful set, so I gave 4 pairs away, that way I have a clean pair going and coming back even if I don’t have time to do the wash.

If you are going to sleep on a plane – check this out.