TTTT: How Not To Ruin Your Trip

~It's time for a TTTT (Tried and True Travel Tip)~

Full Confession:  Regina K is a germophobe.  It's not a bad thing and no, I don't need therapy.  But, I DO have a bit of an obsession with staying healthy while traveling.  Laugh at me if you will, but I laugh at people who laugh at me when they come home with an "airplane cold."

Nothing sends a chill down my spine faster than the insides of two places - airplanes and tubes. I see what you people do.  Humans can be disgusting and our fingers are useful tools.  That's all I'm going to say about that.  

The tube trains and the inside of airplanes look like giant petri dishes to me.  I will do everything I can to NOT use my hands to hold on to any pole in the train.  I will wrap my elbow around the pole or, in the winter, leave my gloves on.  I like a surface I can lean against.  I'm not young enough to Tube Surf where you just stand freely and sway.  But, I wish I was and it's excellent for your core.  But, if I am forced to touch a pole or hand-hold with my bare hands, I am digging for the hand sanitizer as I leave the station.

When we get on an airplane, we wipe all our surfaces.  They are rarely cleaned properly and so you are sharing the germs of perhaps dozens of people before you.  We wipe the tray table, arm rest, seat belt buckles and entertainment screens.  We have gotten judgy looks before but they can be judgy all the way to their local clinic when they get sick.  It is NOT the air circulating in the airplane that makes you sick, it's the surfaces that are rarely cleaned.  

And, if I remember, I wipe down the TV remote and door handles in the hotel when we arrive.  Those are also rarely cleaned properly.  Don't get me started on hotel bedspreads...... there isn't enough time.  Let's just say, we try to stay where they put on fresh bedding between every guest......  

In the early days, I took Purell and Wet Ones wipes.  Then I realized that those only killed bacteria.  It's not the bacteria that takes you down while travelling, it's the virus' and they require a different kind of death formula.  

So, I went hunting for the perfect virus killers.  Here's what I found.

You want Clorox wipes, not Wet Ones.  You can get the Clorox wipes in a small travel pack at Target or on Amazon.  Make sure to press the seal closed after every use or they will quickly dry out.  I think Lysol also makes wipes.  You want to actually SEE on the package the claim that it kills viruses.  

As for sanitizer, most of what you buy at the local drug store is just alcohol and claims to kill 99.9% of bacteria.  Great!  But what about the cold virus, norovirus, the flu, etc?  None of those are caused by bacteria.  I found some very nice virus killing machines on Amazon.  They are not harsh and they don't smell.  

ProtecTEAv is my favorite.  It's pricey but so is missing 2 weeks of work after your vacation.  However, the bottles actually last quite a while.  A little goes a long way.  


CleanSmart is another that I have.  It is like spraying water on your hands.  There is almost no scent and no skin irritation. You can also use it to clean your phone screen.  

There are others at Amazon - be sure to search for Hand Sanitizers that kill viruses.  You probably won't find them in a local drug store.   

And, if you are travelling in areas where the food and water are iffy, you might want to start taking a really good Probiotic a few weeks before you go.  We went on a Segway tour of Paris with 4 young adults from New York who got into some bad seafood in Marseilles the day before.  None of them were sure they were going to be able to go for 2 hours straight on the Segways without a stop.  They were all still slightly green from their ordeal the night before.  It was surprising because France isn't where I'd worry about food.  

Stay healthy and travel well.  Nothing ruins a trip faster than a miserable illness.  You paid a lot of money to be where you are, don't spend your expensive time in a bathroom or in bed.  

Oh, and PLEASE don't get on an airplane all oiled up with whatever essential oil is supposed to ward off sickness.  I got on one last month and it smelled like an Italian restaurant because someone had slathered themselves in Oregano or Basil oil.  Be kind to those around you and keep your smells to yourself.