Many people have their little secret ways to avoid the flu. Travelers are no different. Here are some that many travelers use, while some may seem obvious. It might be a good practice just to follow some of them even when we are not traveling.
1. Get lots of sleep. Seems rather obvious to me, but some people…..
2. Take your vitamins and other supplements. I strongly recommend probiotics.
3. Eat your fruit, veggies, and oysters. The zinc in the oysters seem to be helpful in keeping the flu virus at bay. And a raw diet is preferable to a cooked diet.
4. Treat your gut. As I said above, probiotics, twice daily before leaving on your trip. A full 80% of your immunity and resistance comes from your digestive tract.
5. Pack a kit. Always bring hand sanitizer, tissue, eye drops, nasal spray (saline), and lip balm. And wash your hands every chance you get!
6. Drink water. The formula for flying is an 8 ounce glass for each hour of flight. That means I will be in the toilet every hour as well!!!
7. Exercise. Get moving, about every half hour. Just don’t over do it, since high intensity workouts actually increase your chances of illness.
8. Seat exercise. Move your legs and feet around when seated. Do leg lifts, move your feet in circles, stretch those Achilles on the way to the toilet.
9. Don’t get close to strangers. Just assume they are all sick this time of year. I don’t care how good looking he or she is!
10. Get your flu shot! Enough said.
If you live with somebody who gets the flu, I would strongly recommend getting a prescription for Tamiflu if you have a big trip coming up. And buy lots of fruit and vegetables.