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The Travel Bug: How To Cope With Travel Sickness

Posted: Monday, June 15, 2009

by Sam Serio
Morning Light Jewelry

For those of us that get sick when abroad, it is just typical! You have all year round to be sick and then the one week that you are away from your mundane and boring life you can guarantee that the bugs will bite! There are plenty of common ailments that can strike whilst you are elsewhere, and perhaps travel sickness is the first you have to contend with. Travel sickness can weaken the body and leave you more susceptible to illness. However, because you only get one chance to go away, it is essential that you cope with travel sickness as and when it happens rather than waiting.

Believe it or not, travel sickness actually happens to between 60% and 80% of the world's population at one time or another. Fortunately for those individuals that fly, it happens to most people whilst travelling in a car, but that is not to say that travel sickness does not apply on a plane! It does. If you start to feel dizzy or sick whilst flying then you are almost certainly experiencing travel sickness. There are things that you can do to prepare yourself in an attempt to avoid travel sickness in advance though:

Avoid eating heavy, greasy, salty and spicy foods before you go. These will just serve to saturate and unsettle the stomach and thus may well make you experience travel sickness.
Avoid drinking the night before flying to ensure that you are in good health when you take off! Getting the drunk the night before may be a great way to see you off, but not if it makes you ill on the plane!
Take some time to relax because anxiety can cause travel sickness as well. Your nerves can quite easily cause breathing problems, which could then lead to vomiting so make sure that you take your time and breathe!
When you are flying and feel as though travel sickness is going to take hold then do not read or look downwards in any way because this will serve to disorientate you. However, you should keep moving so take a walk up the aisle every now and again.
Drink plenty of water. This will keep travel sickness at bay somewhat because you are replacing the fluid that you are sweating and perhaps vomiting out. Water will also avoid unsettling your stomach, but carbonated drinks and acidic drinks like juices will upset the balance.

If you do happen to experience travel sickness or other illness when abroad, natural cures such as peppermint and ginger root can help you to fight nausea and calm your stomach. There are also some anti-sickness pills that may prove to be effective that you can purchase from a pharmacy or health centre. However, you should always drink plenty of water to re-hydrate your body and visit a doctor if symptoms do not abate for upwards of 24 hours.

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