Staying germfree during travel

I'm both an experienced Incarge F/A and EMS. Sounds like you are on the right track! Add to that regular wandwashing using the new handwashing guidelines. Antibac wipes can be effective. Sanitizer is good.

I've actually seen Passengers with both N5 masks and Surgical gloves. This is totally unnecessary unless you are contageous. And hardly anyone is that considerate!

Just take the precautions you would in your usual everyday travels. Continue to maintain a healthier lifestyle with a variety of nutritious foods and regular exercise...Don't touch your face or mouth if you can help it. That's often how viruses enter the body...

I know some people will recommend taking special suppliments recommended for taking at the time of travel. I do not. I've never met a Crew member who feels the need to, either. (It would get pretty expensive to pop those pills for every flight...)

(Cont'd...)

Statisticly, Crew do not miss work due to viruses any more frequently than anyone else working elsewhere...So this is not a good excuse to explain frequent absenteeism due to a Cold or Flu.

The bottomline is, you can get sick anywhere...

I'm sure a quick search in the search Box (upper right hand corner) will provide many POV's on this subject.

Safe Skies,

F/A

I think most of us don't want to risk being ill during our vacations. The usual precautions of handwashing and sanitizer will usually be enough. However, my choice of always eating yoghurt when I travel seems, according to a previous poster, to be part of the reason I never have been sick while travelling, and I travel a lot.

Because my vacation time is so important to me, I do a few extra things, like I make sure that I have green tea powder with me as well as other powders for immunity, etc. These are added to a bottle of water and can be found at any grocery store by the Crystal Light/Kool-Aid. Outside of that, I eat what looks good and just have fun! And I can relax because I have taken some simple precautions.

Wherever I am I try to eat some local natural yoghurt as soon as possible. This contains a culture of local bacteria and helps my body build an imunity to local airborn infections.

The same goes for local honey, which I use as a first stage defence against other local infections.

On mainland Europe a small glass of local wine can help build immunity ( NEVER drink British wine - it's only correct use is to unblock lavatories, which it does very well ).

I never eat any fruit that doesn't have a protective peel ( so apples are out but oranges are in ).

In Europe and North America I'll gladly eat meat but in Africa and Asia I'm vegetarian.

Airline food is cooked, chilled and reheated onboard. In some countries it is prepared in factory processes that fall below the standards a lot of us are used to. IMHO Badly or incorrectly heated airline food on old aircraft is responsible for more illness than confined aircraft space.

Whenever I travel, I enjoy myself and have fun. I don't worry about getting sick as I think only lunatics (and a few people who are in serious danger if they get even a minor illness) worry about such things.

What are you going to do - cook the food yourself in case it was not cooked properly? Sanitize the utensils in case they were touched? Turn down that gelato because it might not have been kept at the perfect temperature? Not touch anything in case it might have a germ? Not get close to people in case they breathe on you? Not stay in a hotel in case something was not totally cleaned right? Not touch even the packaging protecting the items as someone with dirty hands might have touched it?

At what point does it become stupid?

Yes -- you don't realize how much you appreciate good old American toilets, until you travel abroad...

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I will definitely try the yogurt one. To John who posted a reply, I just wanted to say that I am NOT a lunatic. I am just looking for ways to enjoy my vacation to the fullest (especially since it is so expensive). I would hate to get sick if there was something I could have done to avoid it.

I also carry purell/wash hands frequently. I usually don't carry vitamins with me but that's a good idea too.

In addition rest, exercise and drinking plenty of water are the best ways to keep from getting sick.

Make sure you are leaving time for adequate rest before, during and after your trip. People lose sleep preparing for their trip which starts them off at higher risk.

Exercise is important before the trip. Walk regularly in the weeks and months before a trip to get yourself prepared for the physical stress.

The best thing anyone can do is drink plenty of water. It keeps your body and mind in better condition. It's easy to lose track and become dehydrated so plan a bottle of water with every meal in addition to what you would normally drink and keep a bottle of water handy to sip throughout the day.

Finally a good attitude keeps you healthier. Smile and laugh often.