What do you take to stay flu free when traveling?
 

I am glad I'm traveling today because of the bad weather but unfortunately I'm not traveling because I've been under the weather. I hate being sick - especially when I'm traveling. What do you take to keep the flu away?

Do my best to build up a decent immune system. Stay healthy, eat well, and avoid antibiotics and antibacterial products unless I have a bacterial infection (which is extremely rare).

A flu shot. Best 25 bucks I spend every year.

And if I feel a cold coming on, 500mg of Vitamin C twice a day in a chewable tab.

I'm curious as to how avoiding antibiotics and antibacterial products does anything to prevent contracting a virus. :confused:

Mike

Overuse of antibacterials can affect this for a number of reasons: the effect of antibiotics on commensal flora, the weakening of innate immunity as a whole. Not to mention a lowered defence against minor bacterial infections that may leave you susceptible to infection by other means.

I wash my hands frequently, and I don't touch my face if I've been, say, strap hanging on one of those shuttles between terminals or handling money, or otherwise been in contact with a lot of other people's germs. Although soap and water are best, I carry a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer for instances when it's not convenient to wash before meals (such as before meal service in Y), although I prefer not to overuse it for the reasons mentioned above.

I also take vitamins and minerals, especially C and zinc, and get plenty of sleep if at all possible. If there's no particular social obligation in the evening, I'll just go to bed early with a good book.

At the first sign of a scratchy throat or runny nose (that isn't allergy-caused), I pop extra zinc and go to an Asian restaurant for some spicy soup. Usually, the symptoms either disappear or develop into only a mild form of whatever bug is going around.

I haven't had a knockdown drag-out totally incapacitating case of the flu since December 1999 (which I remember well, because I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day unable to do anything but listen to classical music on the radio as I drifted in and out of sleep.)

I'm sure compulsively using hand sanitizer wouldn't hurt.

I don't do anything. I suspect the andrenaline or whatnot from traveling keeps the germs at bay. I can only once remember being severely ill on a trip from the flu, and it was in 1997. Everybody had that one. Can't remember numbers any more but I think 40,000 people died? Most of them older though. Not travelers.

OK, I googled it just now and learned that there were 50 million cases of flu and about 47,000 deaths per year from the flu in the United States each year in the 1990s. I just remember 1997 because I was really sick from that one. 40,000 deaths wouldn't be any unusual number apparently. Well, we've all got to go sometime, I guess.

My partner and I both got a horrible but thankfully short flu-ish things on a recent trip to Sweden. There is nothing worse than being sick like that somewhere that is so cold, unless it is being sick on the plane itself. I felt horrible on that flight and just slept the whole time with a blanket over my head. It was all just a big blur. It wasn't really the kind where you sneeze or cough or otherwise terrorize the people around you luckily and I tried to keep the blanket over my head to keep it dark and keep my germs to myself.

I take whatever they are handing out free in the AC. It was airborne for awhile and now I'm onto Zicam.

Good immune system and drink lots of water.

I find that megadoses of vitamin C, taken along with a strong anti-viral/antibiotic helps a lot, so I drink many screwdrivers. ;)

I try to get lots of vitamin C and good food while at home to stay healthy in general. Plus the annual flu shot.

One the road - I take a daily Airbourne, drink lots of OJ and water, frequent hand washing.

I got a flu shot. It was free at work. I haven't gotten the flu in many years, mostly as a result, I believe, from the shots. ^

I travel a lot interntionally so I have a kit I carry along for emergencies. It inclues two rounds of Tamiflu, two rounds of cipro, two rounds of Zithromax, dental items, pain-killers, etc.

I do the flu shots, comply with all recommended innoculations by NIH for the areas I will be visiting, try to avoid stupid items like questionable water at distination, ice cubes, street food, etc.

I have established US travel physican emergency numbers that are available 24/7 but which I have never had the occasion to use.

Of course I follow common sense procedures like getting as much sleep as possible, extra Vit. C (? on help it provides but Linus Pauling promoted it so who am I to ignore his advice), healthy foods, etc.

After 20 years of long haul flights never had a major problem. Lucky me!!!