Keep Yourself Healthy While You're On Vacation

Keep Yourself Healthy on Vacation: A Practical Guide for Travelers With Chronic Illness

Getting sick on vacation is miserable for anyone. But when you live with a chronic illness or have a weakened immune system, getting sick can be more than an inconvenience. A bug that someone else shakes off in a few days can potentially hit you harder, last longer, or interfere with the condition you're already managing.

That's why I think about staying healthy before I ever leave home.

I don't say that because I think we should be afraid of traveling. Quite the opposite. I've learned that taking a few extra precautions gives me more confidence to go. I can't control who coughed in the airport before I got there, who touched the rental-car steering wheel, or whether the person next to me on the plane is coming down with something.

But there are things I can control.

And that's what this article is about.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO STERILIZE THE WORLD

When I first started thinking seriously about staying healthy while traveling, I concentrated heavily on germs on airplane seats, rental cars and hotel-room surfaces. Those things still deserve some attention, but there's a much bigger picture.

Some illnesses spread through contaminated hands and surfaces. Others spread through respiratory droplets or tiny particles in the air. Food and water can expose us to entirely different illnesses. And when you have a weakened immune system, some infections can become more serious or last longer than they would for another traveler.

So no, I'm not going to tell you to disinfect every square inch of your vacation.

I am going to tell you to concentrate on the things that can actually reduce your risk.

START PROTECTING YOURSELF BEFORE THE TRIP

For me, staying healthy on vacation starts before I pack my suitcase.

If you have a chronic illness, especially if your condition or treatment affects your immune system, talk with your healthcare provider about your trip. For international travel, it can be particularly important to have that conversation well before departure.

That doesn't mean you need medical permission every time you take a weekend trip. It means that your health deserves to be part of your travel planning.

Depending on where you're going and your particular medical situation, you may need to talk about vaccines, medications, infection risks at your destination, or whether you need to take additional precautions. Some vaccines may not be appropriate for people with certain types of immune suppression, and others may not produce the same immune response. That's a conversation for your healthcare provider—not something to figure out from a travel blog or social media.

This is also when I make sure I have enough medication for the trip plus extra in case something delays me.

A cancelled flight is irritating.

A cancelled flight when your medication runs out tomorrow is an entirely different problem.

PACK A SMALL STAY-HEALTHY KIT

You don't need another enormous bag.

I like keeping a small health kit where I can actually reach it instead of burying everything at the bottom of my luggage.

Depending on your health and destination, yours might include hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol, a few disinfecting wipes, a high-quality mask or respirator, tissues, your regular medications, a few appropriate over-the-counter medicines, and anything else your healthcare provider recommends.

The important thing isn't carrying everything you could possibly need.

It's carrying what you are actually likely to need.

AIRPORTS AND AIRPLANES: THINK BEYOND THE TRAY TABLE

Yes, I still wipe down my space on an airplane.

I'm not embarrassed about it either.

I'll wipe the tray table and other frequently touched nonporous surfaces around my seat when I feel it's warranted. And I wash or sanitize my hands, particularly before eating and after using the restroom.

But wiping down a tray table isn't a force field.

Respiratory illnesses can spread through the air as well as through close contact. A well-fitting, high-quality mask or respirator can add another layer of protection, particularly for someone at higher risk of becoming seriously ill.

That matters to those of us whose immune systems may not behave like everyone else's.

There are times when I take extra precautions because of my own medical treatment. That isn't me being paranoid. It's me understanding my body and deciding what level of protection makes sense for me.

You get to do the same.

If wearing a mask in a packed airport makes sense for your health, wear it. If you want to sanitize your hands before eating, do it. You don't owe the stranger sitting across the aisle an explanation.

And if navigating the airport itself takes more out of your body than it should, don't automatically assume assistance isn't meant for you. I learned that lesson myself, which is why I wrote about why I finally realized airport assistance was for someone like me, too. My article, I can walk--So I never thought airport assistance was for me: Travel help you may not know you can ask for will help you get around the airport more easily, saving your energy.

WHO CARES WHAT ANYONE THINKS?

This is one thing I believe wholeheartedly.

Someone might think you're overly cautious.

So what?

They aren't the person who has to deal with the consequences if you become sick.

I've offered the person sitting beside me a wipe, too. Sometimes they take it. Sometimes they don't.

Then we both go on with our lives.

Protecting your health doesn't have to become a performance or an argument.

HANDWASHING IS STILL ONE OF THE SIMPLEST THINGS YOU CAN DO

This advice isn't glamorous, but it remains important.

Wash your hands with soap and water, particularly after using the restroom and before eating. When soap and water aren't available, use a hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.

And try to be conscious of touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

I don't obsess over this. I simply try to build handwashing into the natural transitions of my travel day: restroom, wash my hands; getting ready to eat, clean my hands; just handled a bunch of high-touch public surfaces, wash or sanitize.

Small habits are much easier to maintain than trying to live inside an invisible bubble.

Want more realistic travel advice for people whose bodies, budgets and lives don't always cooperate? Join the Single, Sick & Broke Traveler community for practical tips, checklists and encouragement to help you get there your way.

RENTAL CARS: GIVE THE HIGH-TOUCH AREAS A QUICK CLEANING

I don't think you need to disinfect your rental car from bumper to bumper.

Concentrate on what you're going to touch repeatedly: the steering wheel, door handles, gear shift, seat-belt buckle, controls and other frequently handled surfaces.

Then move on.

That's an important change from how I used to think about this. The goal isn't to make the rental car sterile. You're simply reducing some of the grime and germs on the things your hands will repeatedly touch.

And once I've done it, I don't spend the rest of my vacation thinking about it.

HOTEL ROOMS: CLEAN WHAT MATTERS, THEN RELAX

Hotel rooms used to be another place where I concentrated heavily on everything that might be dirty.

These days I'd rather be strategic.

I'll pay attention to frequently touched surfaces, particularly in the bathroom, and wash my hands normally. If something is visibly dirty, I'll deal with it or ask the hotel to do so.

But I don't want the first hour of every vacation to become a deep-cleaning session.

There's a difference between taking sensible precautions and spending your vacation trying to eliminate every germ in a hotel room.

And I want to enjoy my vacation.

YES, I STILL CHECK FOR BED BUGS

This isn't really an immune-system issue, but it's one travel precaution I don't want to leave out.

Before completely unpacking, check the bed and surrounding area for signs of bed bugs. I use my phone flashlight and look around the mattress seams, headboard and nearby furniture.

If you find evidence that concerns you, photograph it and contact hotel management before settling into the room.

And don't automatically put your luggage on the bed while you're inspecting.

Bed bugs aren't the same issue as catching a respiratory or gastrointestinal infection, but they're certainly not a souvenir I want to bring home.

FOOD AND WATER DESERVE MUCH MORE ATTENTION THAN WE GIVE THEM

This was missing from my original approach to staying healthy while traveling, and it's too important to ignore.

For someone with a weakened immune system, foodborne and waterborne infections can potentially be more severe or last longer.

This doesn't mean you can't enjoy local food. Food is one of the best parts of traveling.

It means paying attention.

Food that's supposed to be hot should be served hot, and cold food should actually be cold. Be particularly cautious about raw or undercooked meat, seafood and eggs, unpasteurized products and other higher-risk foods—especially if you are immunocompromised.

Water safety also depends on where you're traveling. In places where the water supply may not be reliably treated, even water used for ice or brushing your teeth may require consideration.

You don't have to be frightened of trying something new.

You just want your memories of that wonderful little restaurant to be about the meal—not the three days you spent afterward in the bathroom.

CROWDS ARE SOMETIMES THE BIGGER ISSUE

Airports, shuttle buses, trains, packed museums, convention centers and boarding lines put a lot of people into relatively small spaces.

If you have a higher risk of becoming seriously ill, this is another place where you can make your own decisions about additional protection.

A better-fitting respirator such as an N95 or KN95 can provide more protection to the wearer than a looser-fitting mask.

You don't necessarily have to use the same precautions throughout your entire vacation, either.

Maybe you mask in the airport and on crowded public transportation but not while you're walking through a park.

Maybe your healthcare provider recommends something different for you.

The point is to make these decisions based on your health, not on what everyone around you is doing.

DON'T FORGET THE BUGS THAT ACTUALLY BITE

Depending on where you're traveling, the bugs you need to worry about may not be the invisible kind.

Mosquitoes, ticks and other insects can transmit disease, and the risks vary enormously by destination. That's another reason destination-specific health research belongs on our pre-trip checklist.

Bug repellent, appropriate clothing and any destination-specific medical recommendations may be just as important as the disinfecting wipes in your carry-on.

HAVE A PLAN FOR GETTING SICK ANYWAY

You can do everything reasonably right and still get sick.

That's important to say because I never want someone reading this article to think, I got sick, so I must have done something wrong.

No precaution eliminates risk completely.

Before you leave, especially for an international trip, know where you could receive medical care if you needed it. Understand what your regular health insurance covers away from home and what your travel insurance covers.

This is also where my Plan A, Plan B and Plan C approach becomes so important. When your energy or health is unpredictable, building alternatives and rest into your itinerary before you need them can keep one difficult day from destroying the entire trip. That's something I talk about more in How to Plan a Trip When Your Energy Is Unpredictable.

If you wake up feeling terrible, the goal isn't to force yourself through the itinerary because you paid for the trip.

The goal is to take care of yourself so one bad day doesn't become five.

And if something more serious happens, that's when having travel insurance—and knowing how to use it—can matter. I've put together more practical information in When Your Vacation Goes Sideways—Using Travel Insurance When Things Go Wrong.

THE TRIP THAT REMINDED ME WHY I DO THIS

I learned this lesson again on an impromptu trip to Poland with my nephew.

Everything about that trip felt rushed and jumbled. I didn't follow some of the normal routines I use when I travel, and I was around teenage boys—which, as anyone who has spent much time around teenagers knows, can be its own adventure.

Then I got sick.

Really sick.

I ended up with a nasty flu-like illness, and it took me about three months before I felt healthy again.

Can I prove exactly where I picked it up or that skipping one of my normal precautions caused it? No. I can't.

That's important.

But the experience reminded me why I take these precautions in the first place. When I become sick, there's a possibility that my body isn't going to bounce back as quickly as someone else's.

That's enough reason for me to be careful.

Not scared.

Careful.

YOU CAN'T CONTROL EVERYTHING—SO CONTROL WHAT YOU CAN

I don't travel because I believe nothing bad will happen.

I travel knowing that something might happen and preparing myself well enough that fear doesn't get to make the decision for me.

Wash your hands. Pack your medication. Bring the mask if you need it. Think about food and water. Take sensible precautions in airplanes, rental cars and hotel rooms. Know where you could get medical help.

And then?

Go enjoy your vacation.

Because staying healthy is important—but so is actually living the life you're trying so hard to protect.

You don't have to travel like everyone else to travel well.

If chronic illness, money, traveling solo or life's other complications have made you wonder whether travel is still possible for you, you're in the right place. Join the Tribe for realistic advice, practical tools and a community built around one idea:

Get there your way.

Medical disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Your medical condition, medications and immune status can change which precautions, vaccines and treatments are appropriate for you. Talk with your healthcare provider or a qualified travel-health professional about your individual needs before traveling.

The Single, Sick & Broke Traveler

Travel stories for the brave and budget-conscious.

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