Nothing kills a vacation faster than getting sick. You’ve waited months, perhaps years, for this trip and sure enough, you arrive at your destination, and all those alien germs you’ve never been exposed to before decide to play pig-pile on you and you catch the flu. Or you pick up the dreaded airplane cold. Whatever the reason, whatever the timing, the last thing any of us wants is for our vacations to be ruined by sickness. And let’s face it, colds and flus are the least of our worries. What if you suffer heat stroke or food poisoning? Being seriously ill makes us vulnerable, and even more so when we’re alone in a strange place. Okay, I’m going to stop there, because I’m sure I’m scaring you.

RELAX. BREATHE. Serious illnesses on the road rarely happen, and when they do, it’s usually because we didn’t take care of ourselves properly. I’m a big believer in “an ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure.” Nobody can control all eventualities, but there are things you can do to boost your immune system, protect your body, and increase your chances of staying healthy on the road. Let’s look at a few:

1. If you should come down with a cold or the flu right before your trip, please consider canceling. Not only will your own enjoyment of your vacation be diminished but frankly, nobody on your airplane wants to catch what you’ve got. (I say this with love.) Seriously, if your vacation dates are flexible and what you’ve already booked and paid for is refundable, definitely consider rescheduling once you feel better. Here are some ways to avoid taking it on the financial chin if you do have to cancel/reschedule: 10 tips to clip travel cancellation fees from Bankrate.com.
2. For those times when canceling is not practical or financially feasible, please take precautions to minimize symptoms for yourself AND try to keep from spreading germs by covering your mouth when you cough and sneeze and wash your hands often with Purell. I know you feel terrible, but it’s not all about you.
3. If you are traveling to a foreign country, check ahead of time to see if you need vaccinations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a website where you can look up health-related information for your destination. Do be sure to check it out.
4. If you have prescription medications (even if you only need them occasionally), get them filled to bring with you just in case. Carry on you at all times a medic alert bracelet or health information card so health care providers know about any pre-existing medical conditions you have, medications you may be taking, and your blood type if you are unable to tell them yourself.
5. Bring first aid supplies with you: Band-aids, moleskin for blisters, an antibiotic ointment, over-the-counter allergy medication, anti-diarrheal medicine, etc. While you might be able to buy these things where you’re going, they might be very expensive there and if you start feeling poorly in the middle of the night, it’s good to have things on hand instead of having to wait until stores are open.
6. Wear comfortable shoes (to avoid the aforementioned blisters, as well as turned ankles and back pain).
7. Don’t forget bug spray and sunblock. It’s hard to have fun on vacation when you’re in misery because your body is covered in itchy bug bites or is burned to a crisp.
8. If you have a tendency to get stomach-related illnesses (indigestion, heartburn, IBS, etc.) try digestive enzymes or hydrochloric acid (from your health food store).
9. Get plenty of rest during the weeks leading up to your trip AND during your trip. When we’re overtired, our immune systems aren’t operating at peak efficiency, and we become vulnerable to illness. Unless you’re one of those lucky souls who could sleep through a nuclear detonation, bring ear plugs with you to block out any unwelcome noises in your hotel (neighbors, traffic, etc.) to increase your chances of getting a good night’s sleep.
10. Drink lots of water before and during your trip. This is especially important if you are flying (airplanes dehydrate us), if you’re going to a hot climate, and/or if you indulge in lots of alcohol during your trip. Aside from the fact that most headaches are caused by dehydration, you do not want to suffer severe dehydration or heat stroke, and certainly not when you’re alone. That happened to me once, and it was one of the scariest experiences of my life. Don’t take the chance. Now I always carry a cold bottle of water on me everywhere I go.
11. Bring hand sanitizer and/or antibacterial wipes with you. In addition to keeping your hands clean, be sure to use the wipes to wipe down surfaces in your hotel room (including light switches, remote control, alarm clock, and the telephone receiver, which are touched by many, many people and rarely cleaned). Also do not touch your face! If your hands touch a germy surface and then you touch your face, you’ve just transferred those germs to a place where they can take hold and make you sick.
12. Based on recent news reports, I don’t trust the drinking glasses in hotel rooms any more. I recommend you bring your own plastic cups or bring a travel mug with you (and wash it yourself!).
13. Be cautious when eating at buffets. Lots of hands are touching the serving spoons and tongs and not all of those hands will be clean. After you’ve loaded up your plate and before you eat, be sure to sanitize your own hands.
14. When traveling to other countries, research how safe the water is. I knew not to drink tap water in Mexico, but what I didn’t consider was brushing my teeth in it, or the fact that they might use tap water to make the ice that was in my drinks. I got a violent case of food poisoning or stomach bug when staying at an all-inclusive resort on the Mexican Riviera. It might have been the water, it might have been something I ate in one of the many buffets I tried, I’ll never know; but I was miserably ill and it ruined the last three days of my vacation.
15. Do your homework ahead of time so you know what your options are should you have a medical emergency on the road. Find out where the nearest hospitals and clinics are, in case you need to go there. Bring your health insurance card.
16. And my #1 piece of advice: Boost your immune system before you leave and while you’re traveling by eating healthy and/or supplementing. Try to eat a salad a day (raw vegetables are better than cooked) and get some fruit every day–unless you’re in a country where they don’t recommend you eat the fruits and vegetables. I supplement at home and on the road. Why? A 2007 NHANES survey showed that almost 1/3 of us are not getting enough vitamin C in our diets, almost 50% of us are not getting enough vitamin A, more than 50% are deficient in magnesium, 93% are deficient in vitamin E and roughly 95% are not getting enough potassium or fiber in our diets. If we can’t even get the nutrition we need when we’re at home, how do we expect to do it when we’re on the road? If you’re going to supplement, I recommend Market America’s Isotonix line. They’re isotonic, meaning they have the same (liquid) pressure as your body’s fluids (blood, sweat, tears) and do not need to be broken down by stomach acids the way tablets do. They absorb rapidly through the small intestinal wall and into the bloodstream going to work in as little as 5 minutes. They come in powder form (you mix with water), so they’re lightweight and portable. Based on the above information, I’d say most people should be taking a multivitamin every day and everyone should be getting antioxidants (through diet or supplementation), which are essential to boost our immune systems and fight off disease. My favorite is OPC-3, a combination of grape seed extract, red wine extract, bilberry extract, and Pycnogenol. If you enjoy drinking when you’re on vacation, you definitely need to replenish your B vitamins, because alcohol depletes them. (Bs are also mood boosters, so if you think you might get a little depressed and lonely because you’re traveling alone, you definitely want to make sure you’ve got enough B vitamins in your system.) As an “insurance policy” for those days when I don’t eat the required 5 cups of fruits and vegetables, I take Complete Greens, which has the nutritional equivalent of 8 salads a day.