Healthy Travels

The holiday season is here! Many people take these last few weeks of the calendar year to go see their families and friends over the holidays. Since many people live far from their loved ones, long-distance travel is very common during this time. Traveling can require a number of responsibilities regarding your family’s health and wellness, so we have a few tips to be sure your family travels safely:

1.     Pack light! The fewer bags you are carrying, the more control over yourself and your family you have while rushing through the crowded airport to make your flight. Minimal luggage is always beneficial to travel, but in regards to your health and safety, the more things you have in your hands, the more prone to injury you will be, especially in a stressful, high volume area such as a busy airport.

2.     Keep a head count! Everyone has seen Home Alone 2. We know things can get hectic as your family prepares for an adventure to spend the holidays with relatives. If you have a big family, implement a buddy system that requires your kids to check each other in with you or your spouse on a regular basis during travel. This help your children keep each other accountable for each other while also taking a little stress off your hands.

3.     Wash your hands! It may seem like a pretty simple task, but our family doctors want to stress the importance of keeping up good hygiene habits during this time of year. As you travel, you may experience significant temperature drops that can affect your immune system, which can leave your body very exposed to germs and sicknesses. This will not only occur to you and your family, but to everyone else traveling over the holidays as well, which exponentially increases your chances of getting sick. In order to prevent all of this, wash your hands while in public areas. Try to stay germ free while you are exposed to large numbers of other travelers!

If you are traveling this holiday season, travel healthy!