3 Tips on How to Stay Healthy on Long Plane Rides (and Overcome Jet Lag)

In the ideal world, you'd jump off of the tarmac into a cab, get whisked to your beach-side resort, and lounge at the pool with a margarita in one hand and a good summer book in the other. In the real world, you get off the plane only to find that sitting in the airplane's stale cabin air has given you a bad case of sniffles. To make it even worse, you're jet lagged and tired; all you want to do is go to bed!

But don't give up hope. With the proven tips and helpful suggestions in this article, you can beat sickness on vacation. Get off the plane feeling refreshed and ready for your vacation! All it takes are some healthy preventative measures.

Healthy Traveling Tip #1: Bring disinfecting wipes. Seriously, plane surfaces are filled with germs. You don't even want to think about how many people have touched the airplane seat's armrests, let alone what has been on the tray table in front of you. Ew! Bring a pack of disinfectant wipes to wipe down everything around you. Bring your own blanket, too. All it takes is one unwashed blanket to destroy any hopes of a fun, healthy vacation.

When I board a plane, I wipe everything down before I even get settled. Sure, you might get some odd looks, but it's for your own good! I also bring a pocket-sized bottle of waterless hand sanitizer (small enough to not be an issue when you're passing through airport security). I wash my hands with it whenever I go to the restroom, before I eat, or before I dig through my bag looking for my book or iPod.

Healthy Traveling Tip #2: Drink a lot of water. Despite recent reports that water's usefulness has been hyped, staying hydrated can keep your skin from drying out in the stale, airplane cabin's air. It also keeps your body running at its prime to keep off the flu that the guy three rows ahead of you has. And when the food comes by? Call ahead and order the vegetarian option, which is usually healthier than the regular airplane fare. Even better, bring your own meal and a vitamin C tablet.

Stay healthy and beat jet lag while traveling via air plane with the healthy, helpful tips in this article!

Credit: rupp.de

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