Now that most of the world has opened back up, more people are ready to travel again — and let’s be real, we all deserve a vacation! But you probably also want to avoid getting sick, not just with COVID-19, but also with the good ol’ fashioned cough or common cold. It’s not fun being stuck under the covers while your family enjoys holiday activities ?
However, there are a few simple steps you can take to stay healthy on your journey. There’s no surefire way to avoid getting sick, but a good prevention strategy begins before you leave town! So to help you out, we’ve rounded up a list of hygiene tips to help prevent you from getting sick during your travels (and are just good to practice in general too!).
1. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water
This is the number one recommendation from most health experts. Washing your hands helps get rid of germs we touch on contaminated surfaces and prevents them from being spread to other places. Wash your hands before handling food or eating, after going to the washroom, or when your hands become dirty or come in contact with respiratory secretions after coughing or sneezing.
#HHWT Tip: It’s also good practice to wash your hands as soon as you enter your home, your hotel room or other places where you spend a significant amount of time. It minimises the risk of touching surfaces within it with contaminated hands.
2. Pack essentials such as cough medicine, pain relievers, and insect repellent
Although no one leaves for vacation expecting to get sick, it can happen. Always bring a first aid kit, including items that can help if you or your kids start feeling unwell like antidiarrheal medicines, sore throat remedy Ubat Batuk Cap Ibu dan Anak perfect to relieve coughs, reduces phlegm and reduces heatiness as it contains honey and over 10 herbs to soothe the throat. It’s a must-have when travelling), insect repellent Tiger Balm Mosquito Repellent (protect from insect bite), sunscreen Biore UV Sunscreen (prevent sunburn, skin cancer and premature ageing), and your regular prescription medicines — will also help you feel your best. There is nothing worse than getting sick in a foreign country and having to run around in foreign pharmacies looking for painkillers.
P.S. Ubat Batuk Cap Ibu dan Anak is the perfect remedy to relieve dry throats during your trip especially after a long flight or when facing drastic weather changes in different countries! You can consider bringing a Kandi Herba Cap Ibu dan Anak instead. Enjoy your journey as you always have it to soothe your throat and freshen your breath no matter where you are.
3. Bring hand sanitiser and disinfection wipes with you
Note: This photo was taken before the pandemic and we recommend wearing a face mask during your flight
This is helpful when there is no sink and water when you travel! We recommend using it on the plane and you can wipe down your tray table, armrests and entertainment screen when you board your plane. This is extremely useful especially when you travel with kids (we all know how messy they can get!). Bring along a plastic bag so you can easily dispose of the wipes you use and not re-touch them accidentally (nor stuff them down the front pocket!).
4. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
Germs can enter your body through your eyes, nose and mouth, hence it’s super important to avoid touching them with unwashed hands! Avoiding touching your face, in general, can reduce the overall risk of getting infected. It might be harder for kids as they tend to put everything in their mouths, so having a baby-friendly hand sanitiser is um, very handy (pardon the pun).
5. Practice good hygiene when coughing or sneezing
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and dispose of the tissue into the rubbish immediately, followed by washing your hands (or rubbing your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitiser). This will help prevent the spreading of germs through the droplets you emit when you sneeze or a cough that can get on surfaces or be inhaled by others. If you can’t get a tissue in time before sneezing (we’ve all been there!), the WHO also advises coughing or sneezing into your flexed elbow. It’s best to teach your kids the proper way to sneeze too!
6. Stay hydrated
Especially on long-haul flights! You might want to drink less to avoid going to the toilet, but staying hydrated is essential if you want to avoid getting sick. Drinking enough water can help prevent dehydration, which can make you feel tired and dizzy. If you want to add flavour to your water, try adding a splash of Ubat Batuk Cap Ibu dan Anak (Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa)! It’ll help you to stay hydrated during your travels.
#HHWT Tip: We recommend bringing a reusable water bottle that you can refill after the security checkpoint. Kids are allowed to bring their water bottles during the security checkpoint and they can be more than 100ml!
7. Get enough sleep before (and during) your trip
One reason people get sick on vacation is that they run ragged in the week before they leave. (You know, with a miles-long to-do list or just generalised fretting about getting away.) The resulting stress can affect your immune system, which makes it harder for your body to fight off any nasty pathogens you might encounter. Kids are easier to get sick too, so be sure to get them at least 8 hours of sleep every night and even when you’re travelling!
8. Bring your own prayer mat and prayer garments
Photo byRumman Amin onUnsplash
If you’re stopping at a mosque or public prayer room to perform your prayers while you’re out exploring, having your own prayer garments and prayer mat can help safeguard you against coming into contact with surfaces that may be contaminated. There are many travel-friendly options that are compact and light that you can pack along for this purpose.
9. Wear a face mask
It may not be compulsory to wear a face mask on airplanes now, but wearing a mask has been proven to reduce the risk of catching an illness. Besides doing our part in keeping other passengers safe, it's also important to wear a face mask to protect yourself from being infected by germs and viruses.
Now that you know all the tips and tricks to avoid getting sick when travelling, we hope that you’ll have a safe journey! Prevention is the best way to avoid getting sick while travelling, so better to be prepared and safe than sorry, right? Now, let’s keep travelling safely!
This article is brought to you by Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa.