It's not just your imagination. I travel often for tradeshows, so 4-3 days of frantic activity, late nights, skipped meals, seeing a lot of people etc, used to be the case that half the time I came back with something.

It improves with time it seems (perhaps your immune system has built up more resistance). But hand washing does make a significant difference. I keep a small bottle of hand sanitiser with me, and one for the staff (hate to think we gave a customer something).

I'am not a real frequent flyer, but in one word what changed everything for me : moisturizing!
I always travel with hand cream, eyedrops and a nasal spray found at walgreens that should be included in everyflight amenity kit!

I realized that eye and nose dryness brought disconfort after 3 or 4 hours of flight, moisturizing helps me to sleep in good conditions.

Mrs bluemoon takes Echinacea post flight to ward off any germs she may have picked up. She also travels with an assortment of OTC medicines to take on the first inkling of any problem.

From experience I would say don't wear contact lenses on long haul flights. Twice I've had a torn lens on removal, the last thing you need after a long flight is to spend time in front of a mirror trying to fish something out of your eye.

If it makes you feel better then take it but there is no evidence that Echinacea does anything.

Vitamin C can reduce the duration of cold symptoms.

Anecdotes are not data, but on a personal basis I have found I need to take at least 5 grams of Vitamin C when a cold is just starting for there to be any effect. If you have any kidney problems including high blood pressure then you should not do this.

Totally agree with this, I can even get jetlag like symptoms on 3 hour flights if the air is dry enough. I have noticed a huge improvement when flying A380s and Dreamliners though.

In fact I'm convinced that jetlag and hangovers are quite closely related (not just because of the amount of champagne I like to drink in the air :p ) - both are altered states brought about by dehydration.

I take an air travel nasal spray with me whenever I fly longhaul (purchased in Boots), as this is where I usually feel the most discomfort.

I also exercise a lot whilst not travelling and take 10g of omega oil every night. Every morning I drink a generic Berocca, which tastes good if nothing else.

I also spray First Defence up my nose at the first inkling of that dry feeling you get at the beginning of a cold. It feels like you're snorting bleach but seems to do the trick.

Finally, I wash my hands all the time and am one of these people that uses the welcome towels on airlines as a wipe for the remote, table surfaces etc.

When I had a 24/7 travelling job, I never avoided alcohol as I liked it. I drank more then than I do now. But I did 2 things.
1. Clean hands, time and time again.
2. Drink Water, and more than I was comfortable with. Just have another glass/bottle of water.
Kept me well enough.

Scotch.

Lots and lots of Scotch.

I do the total opposite to most: smash the gin / red wine so I'm can comatose sleep; I'm convinced alcohol can be a blessing to kill off certain bacteria.

However, do also stock up on water. Buy a litre before boarding from a shop, make sure you drink it all twice. I'll pee a lot on a flight, but it's flushing everything through.

Use moisturising lip balm and don't be afraid to moisturise your face and hands during a flight, even if people are watching. It's best to not turn into a cracked-up beast after all.

Oh yeah, and this. Wet wipes and frequent hand washes. Standard procedure during any event, whether home or away, and when on a flight.

There are lots of good tips already but here are my thoughts:

Alcohol - it does actually suppress your immune system so what other people have said about avoiding is true, if not much fun!

The majority of viruses and bacteria are spread through touching surfaces so what everybody says about handwashing and santitisng gels is true, as is wiping all the surfaces round your seat on the plane when you get on. Try not to touch things such as handrails and door handles where lots of people have touched it. Wash your hands as frequently as you can.

Tea tree is anti bacterial and anti viral so I carry Tea Tree lotion to rub into my hands as the anti bac gels are drying.

Echinacea does boost your immune system so is a great supplment to take as are Vitamin C and zinc

I carry a new product which is called Coldzyme. You can get it in Boots in T5 normally as well as most branches. It is similar to First Defence but it is a throat spray so much more pleasant to use. It doesn't really sting or taste of much and both times I used it my cold stopped within 24 hours. You can also use it as a defense if you have been in contact with someone with a cold.

A saline nasal spray can also relieve symptoms with a dry atmosphere. You can buy the childs version in Boots much cheaper than the adult even though they are the same thing!

If you have to fly when you are slightly blocked up (not adviseable as you can burst an eardrum) then buy some ear planes earplugs. They help when you start descending so you dont have terrible ear pain and blocked ears.

Handwashing and limiting physical contact with other people (ie handshaking) are easy enough to achieve and probably give the best "value" in terms of effort vs payoff. When you're doing a lot of travel you're likely to be more tired with early or late flights, ground transport, time zone changes etc - so being careful about sleeping is also important. When you're abroad you will also be exposed to bugs that you've not previously encountered hence are more likely to become symptomatic when infected. (It's similar to when children first go to nursery.... alarmingly similar!!)

Take it easy and hope you feel better soon :)

(I should declare I'm a physician, but not a specialist in travel medicine or infectious diseases...)

Avoid alcohol.

Pre-emptive strepsils at the first sign of a sore throat.

Pre-emptive lemsip (I'm a fan of the blackcurrant flavour) at the first sign of a stuffy nose.

Lucozade during the day if you're feeling run down/dehydrated (but not last thing at night it'll keep you up).

SLEEP.

This is a really helpful thread, thanks!

Does anyone have suggestions for tackling airborne germs? I seem to suffer from air-conditioning lurgies, and not just on planes, but also in hotels.

Often when I'm in tropical climates I have to cool the room prior to going to bed, then switch off the A/C and hope the temperature stays acceptable. If I don't turn it off I'll almost certainly get a cold/fever. Unfortunately on planes there's not a lot I can do about the A/C. It's strange because in offices I don't tend to have any issues with air-conditioning.

Great advice on this forum for avoiding sickness in the crowded, dry air of the cabin and the mess of airports. What I add to this is I always take many small bottles of hand sanitiser with me as i have a habit of touching my face a lot = ) Other than that washing hands before eating, getting enough rest and not getting stressed out while staying as far as reasonably possible from other people is the best solution!

Oh and wash all your clothes when you get home from a trip the second after you arrive as my clothes always tend to smell horrible or feel very dirty after wearing them all day long in an airport/plane. Can't imagine how many germs they would have on them.

DO NOT jump on to your bed or anywhere else in the house/hotel with your airport clothes on, they must have crazy amounts of germs on them! Change clothes straight away upon coming home/hotel! A nice shower/bath would be in order as well!

Yes stay away from alcohol, especially spirits! I do enjoy a wine with my food, helps me sleep even! A LOT of water for sure and funnily enough AVOID coffee/caffeine in general as it dehydrates you as does sugary drinks!

So 1 or 2 tomato juices on the plane, fine! But don't mix it with 10 cokes, have some water instead after you'd had your lunch/dinner wine.

Fervex is just a bog standard (from an ingredient perspective) cold/flu remedy. Any off the shelf item here in the UK this is administered in a similar fashion (I assume Fervex is powder?) would have the same effect.