Vote for Your Health

If you’ve scored cheap tickets for a flight somewhere you’ve always dreamed of visiting, you certainly don’t want to end up sick when you get there. Plane travel is stressful, even if you’re going somewhere you love. Here are 4 tips for keeping yourself healthy when you have to fly.

1. Hydrate. Drink water or a drink with electrolytes (like Gatorade) during the flight. Airplane air is very dry, and you can lose a lot of water without ever working up a sweat. Avoid drinks with caffeine and alcohol, because these tend to dry you out even more. When nasal and throat passages dry out, you’re more prone to respiratory infections.

2. Move around when you can. Particularly on long flights, you should get up and walk down the aisle a time or two or at least shift positions and do whatever stretching you can in your seat. Sitting stationary for long periods increases your risk of blood clots in the legs, even if you’re relatively young, so move about when you can.

3. Carry disinfecting sanitary wipes. You can get them individually wrapped. Yes, crews clean planes regularly, but planes have many surfaces that people touch, and frankly, you don’t know where their hands have been. It’s very easy to pick up a respiratory or gastric virus from armrests, tray tables, and other hard surfaces on the plane. Wipe them down as soon as you find your seat to minimize chances of catching a virus.

4. Bring non work-related distractions. Whether it’s a tablet computer, handheld game device, Sudoku puzzles, or a good old-fashioned book, give yourself something to pass the time. The less bored you are, the less likely you are to become stressed and decide that a few cocktails are a good idea. Even Paris is not nearly as enjoyable when you’re hungover.