Tips for Staying Healthy While Traveling

Whether for business or pleasure, more and more of us will be traveling internationally this summer. But, with so many things to see and do when you get to your destination, the basics of health and safety are often neglected. Dr. Omur Cinar Elci, former Chair of St. George’s University Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, shares his Top 10 Tips on how to increase your chances of staying healthy when traveling:

• Check the vaccines and medicines list and visit your doctor (ideally, 4-6 weeks) before your trip to get vaccines or medicines you may need
• Strengthen your immune system before you even get on a plane by exercising and taking your vitamins
• Get 7-9 hours of sleep the night before you fly
• Pack healthy snacks for the plane (nuts, veggies, and fruits), but make sure to not bring them into another country
• Stay hydrated – drink plenty of water, water, water
• Skip the alcohol and caffeine
• Keep your hands and your things out of the seat back pocket to avoid germs (how many people have read that magazine)
• Wash your hands and carry a travel size antibacterial sanitizer
• Use sunscreen an insect repellent
• When you come home, if you are not feeling well, or notice any abnormal changes in your body, go see a doctor immediately and tell them you have recently been out of the country (many times an illness will take a few days to appear)

Staying healthy is important – especially for us solopreneurs out there that handle most of the day-to-day matters in our businesses. Don’t let a vacation turn into a nightmare that pulls you away from work longer than you intended. I’ll be getting on more planes than I’d like this summer (I hate flying), and I’m doing my part to make sure I stay healthy for all the adventures ahead – both at home and away.

Dr. Elci has more than 20 years of public health, epidemiology, and occupational health field experience and over 15 years of research and teaching experience including funding from National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Center for Disease Control (CDC).

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