I hope the mods will humour me for posting this in the BAEC forum, but as one of the most active in terms of frequent flyers, I thought it'd be the best place... But do feel free to move.

I became a 'proper' frequent flyer in September and fly approx four times per week.

Since doing so I've never had so much illness... Currently nursing my second bout of a bad temperature in a couple of months and had to cancel all engagements this week...

So, I was wondering if any more experienced frequent flyers have any health tips -- do you abstain from alcohol, take supplements, try and implement some sort of regular sleep pattern (often impossible)?

Any tips would be very very much appreciated as I feel increasingly run-down by it...

Thank you

Hmmm. It's hard but there are a few tips I would share.

- Try and get on destination time as soon as you board, but don't stop yourself from sleeping if you really need it.
- Don't drink alcohol before/during/after a flight.
- Drink as much water as you can.
- Wash your hands before boarding and after deplaning.
- Take disinfectant wipes during the flight and keep your hands clean.

Over time I seem to have built up an immunity to aircraft-borne bugs but sometimes you just cant avoid it.

To avoid ear problems, if you must fly when you're suffering from nasal congestion whether from a cold/infection or allergies and even if it's just a minor sniffle, take a mild decongestant or something similar to avoid pain, ear infections, and sinus infections.

i believe in this "if your body wants something, you probably is in need of that thing". Listen to your body- if it doesnt feel like drinking, dont drink just because you always drink in the evening. try have a balanced diet - fresh vegetable juice is good - not the sugary drink you find in Y-class breaky trays. drink loads of water. think of having soup if you're not feeling very well. If you need to sleep, sleep.
Oh, and if you have flights at extreme hours, dress a little warmer to your liking. Chances are that you are at lower immune levels.

We'll give it a short airing here since you asked nicely and didn't insist... We'll move it once the forum gets into the busy time but at the moment it's quiet so it can stay for a bit.

1) ABSTAINING FROM ALCOHOL - I do abstain, at least for the day before the flight, on the day of the flight, and the day after the flight. In my case for vanity reasons of avoiding horrifically dry skin which I find gets worse if I had anything alcoholic. If I feel tired or run down, I avoid it for longer. My husband who used to fly a lot (although not any more) does exactly the same. He still catches everything going, however.

2) SUPPLEMENTS - not really. I try to eat more fruit and veg but it doesn't necessarily mean it's doing me any good in terms of avoiding catching things. My husband who used to fly a lot (although not any more) does exactly the same. He still catches everything going, however.

3) KEEP AWAY FROM OTHER PEOPLE. Now this is what I found to be most effective way of avoiding catching a cold etc. In other words, don't fly Y where you have a higher chance of being closer to other people who might be coughing/sneezing etc. and you have no escape. At least in F you are further away from others But seriously, keep away from people who seem ill as much as you possibly can.

4) SLEEP - what sleep?! The less of it I can get away with the better But grab it whenever you can. I sleep in all sorts of places including my office chair (usually not the office floor - that's what I used to do when I was younger but I need more comfort now). When you have mastered the art of napping whenever and where-ever including being rather upright on BA short haul well before take-off, then you've got it cracked But see what your body wants to do. Avoid resorting to drugs if possible but if you must, do so under appropriate medical supervision. Try not to use alcohol for sleep adjustments - it usually renders your sleep quality poorer. Alcohol is to be enjoyed, not for use for medicinal purposes!

5) QUEUE AVOIDANCE - as much as you can, for reason 3) but also because it wastes your time and not always good for your mental health if you are feeling like you're wasting your life away stuck in a queue.

6) 'HEAVY' FOOD AVOIDANCE - it's easy to overeat when you're bored stuck in an aluminium tube but eating light, tasty food usually works better overall (including for avoidance of having to spend more money on clothes because they no longer fit) and helps you to sleep better than stodgy, rich food.

7) HAND WASHING - even if you can't see dirt because BA happens to have cleaned the plane really well, germs are still there. Make sure you wash your hands frequently and avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth if you have touched much at all. Paranoid? Yes maybe, but it's usually a good idea to keep good personal hygiene. Remember to wash your hands before eating. If you are trapped in a window seat and you want to avoid disturbing your neighbour, carry sanitising gel.

Here's my tips:
First on long flights reset your body clock before you leave - when I fly to the UK from the US I always take the late afternoond (5PM or later) flights and wake up at 4AM so I can sleep and be adjusted upon landing

Then on the trip I use EmergenC (or other hi vitamin powders/pills) I do 2 a day on work trips where I know I'm going to be out late drinking/eating and needing to get up early for work.

I know this might be hard to source in the UK (I've brought many a bottle to my UK co-workers since amazon.co.uk doesnt seem to carry it) but LyteShow is a god send (https://www.amazon.com/LyteShow-Elec...dp/B00EISFBYA/) and the travel flask makes it easy to transport; do one cap full with a bottle of water before bed and one in the AM - its like a magic eraser for 10 G&Ts.

Then Water, water and water drink lots before bed, on the plane and in the morning.

Lastly, it takes a bit but you kinda just get used to it - the human body is a nifty organism that adapts so initially it will suck but eventually you adapt (hopefully)

Get a flu shot

I take a small vitamin C and zinc supplement. Medics in the family say I am wasting my money.....as I am fit as a fiddle and they are coughing and snuffling their way through yet another of their frequent colds or whatever.

Take sanitizing wipes and clean all surfaces around your seat. Seat and other controls, IFE screens and remotes, CW footstool handle, armrests, tray table and IFE release buttons, tray tables - anything that you are going to touch.

Clean hands with sanitizing gel or hand sanitizing wipes.

Keep your hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth.

Stop shaking anyone's hand, and wash your own hands frequently.

What you did there, I see it.

Sleep (naps when possible)
No alcohol
Hydrate with warm liquids (water and tea regularly)
Hand sanitizer
Vitamin D
Watch diet carefully and don't just consume foods because they are put in front of you
Yogurt
Regular moderate exercise

I'm not sure how old you are, but interestingly, I was a very frequent traveler in my late 20's (LHR to HKG was a frequent route) and early 30s. Surprisingly, as I've gotten older, although the body definitely experiences the issues of aging, for some reason travel, particularly long haul trips, which I have to do in Y, is tolerated better.

The hand washing has made the biggest difference for me. I used to get sick after approx 1 in 4 flights, now hardly at all. i have some hand sanitizer but try not to touch food at all with my bare hands unless at home
It's amazing how often in public you see people munch sandwiches with their bare hands and other food as well. Yesterday in the SAS lounge i saw somebody pick up a slice of cheese with their bare hands and fold it up and eat it (just the cheese, no bread).

On a similar topic I avoid food in shops/hotels/lounges that people can have touched. People often ignore the tongs provided (eg biscuits in the big glass jar) and plunge in with bare hands. This varies by country. Visit Lidl in the uk and half the customers take the bread rolls and pastries with their bare hands. Customers in Germany and Finland are using the tongs.

I am teetotal and have been all my life, don't smoke or take narcotics, though I'll take the lower ranking NSAIDs fairly freely, in low doses. I won't take sleeping aids either, but I glug back plenty of coffee to get me going in the morning. I get probably my fair short of sore throats and other minor infections that comes from close proximity, but I've not had a day off work for sickness in 36 years of employment. Every few years I do have this strange habit of going down with flu 3 days into my holidays but I'm sure that's a coincidence.

I'm not that fastidious about washing hands (I know I should, I live on a working farm) but I'm always reminded that Howard Hughes, despite his paranoia in this area, still managed to die of an opportunistic infection when flying on a private jet.

The two things I do try to insist on is exercise of some description - I'm still playing rugby - and sleep. I'll tolerate one 5 hour session of poor sleep, but then I'll always ensure I have 7 hours of proper sleep the next night. I try to avoid naps.

Personally I think a key aspect is your mood: being depressed or unhappy can soon lead to getting run down, and a weakened immune system. Though we don't do God on Flyertalk, I think I've given enough clues over the years here that I'm religious. I've got an "up" and optimistic mindset, and I'm sure that helps.

Someone mentioned above yoghurt. I'd fly the flag for taking probiotics. Your gut is incrediably important in the proper functioning of your immune system and significant changes in what you eat whilst travelling can upset your gut flora. I used to get sick frequently when travelling and a combination of frequent proper hand washing and probiotics have basically cut that down by 90+%.

Go to France and buy a couple boxes of Fervex.



It is a miracle cure. No idea why and I don't want to know.

Are you doing short haul? I do 2-4 flights most weeks around UK/Europe, each flight being an hour or 90mins or so. There is lots of hanging about at airports/lounges, that doubles the travel time. As the only option is usually domestic economy seating and little if any time change much of the advice above may not apply.

I treat it as the bus to work as it is just public transport. Unfortunately I recognise your problem symptoms. It is worse when I have done more flights (weeks with 4-6 flights), I invariably feel ill then. I put it down to exposure to airborne bugs etc / close confinement with varied and constantly changing people. More flights rapidly increase your odds of contact with a bug.

I seldom drink alcohol as I usually pick up a hire car on landing, and am careful with public feeding areas. Regularly wash hands etc. I still get ill.

When I stay at home and seldom see or deal with other people I rarely get ill.

If you find a magic cure, do come back and let me know.