Every time I travel on a plane I end up with a cold. We flew to the South Island and back over the weekend and I am now in bed with a cold.

I am not exagerating - it happens every time. I talked with a friend and she said it happens to her too.

I have a holiday in Norfolk Island coming up next month and don't want to get sick.

Any tips or advice please.

You need to boost your immune system. Try cutting back on sugar and wheat, take some Vitamin D supplements, maybe cut back on alcohol if you drink it.

I'm sure I've read that the reason why people get sick after flying is due to the dehydration of the mucous membranes from the air con. So perhaps try to stay really well hydrated, and take a little facial water mister (beware of size) and use that frequently.

We haven't travelled overseas for some years now, but we were told to smear Vaseline inside of each nostril to help keep the nostrils moist and we did do this. Also we bought from the Chemist a course of tablets taken each day for the 3 days leading up to our flight to help protect against the germs/viruses floating around in the plane's air con system. We did the same before the long flight home as well. We had no problems at all with illness after flying - I don't know whether it was the tablets and use of the Vaseline or not, but I give credit to both!
Regards,
Dawn.
PS Putting a coating of Vaseline sounds GROSS to say the least and it's probably not for the discerning. However, I'm prepared to do anything if I think it will help ease health fears when flying!!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/17/2015 12:34AM by Dawn.

I am lucky, myself and my family very rarely get a cold after flying (touchwood!!!) but my sister or someone in her family ALWAYS gets sick after flying, either while on holiday or when they get home. And a friend of mine who travels frequently often gets a cold upon return as well. Maybe some people are more prone to catching bugs than others or maybe we are just lucky.

Ali W, try drinking plenty of of water before and during your flight to keep hydrated and use a sanitising lotion on your hands before eating to kill any bugs your hands have picked up. Good luck and have a good trip!

Dawn. I wonder what the tablets were that the Chemist gave you?

Since posting this I have trawled the internet and found so many sites that discuss the problem. Obviously I am not alone in this and there has been some really good advice to follow. Previous to that I had thought I was just unlucky, and like having a baby, I soon forgot about the "pain" with the happy memories of the trip, but 2 years ago in Europe the first week was very difficult with me so sick but needing to soldier on.

Before going to Norfolk Island I am going to take Vitamin C, echinaeca, a nasal spray, stock up on sanitiser and hand wipes. Every time I need to touch something, like the toilet door handle I will do it with a hand wipe draped over my fingers! I will also sip water thoughout the flight.

This virus I have at the moment has really knocked me sideways and after 3 days i finally felt like eating tonight. Just don't want this again!

A few years ago I read an article in the Australian Womans Weekly and it recommended Vicks First Defence nasal spray which to my surprise I found in the supermarket. I sprayed my nose for a few days before embarking on a long haul flight and during the flight and arrived in good condition, and same for the return journey. Years ago when I was cabin crew a lot of Japanese passengers wore masks inflight. I don't care what the airline says I am sure the air is recirculated thus spreading germs. I told my English friends about the nasal spray and on a trip out to New Zealand they applied it to their young children but not themselves. On arrival in NZ they both went down with flu and the children were fine. Enjoy your trip. Annie

Ali, sorry I can't remember now what it was we bought - it was so long ago. It was on our local Chemist's counter in display form at the time. I've had a hunt on Google but cannot find anything like what we took. I did read somewhere that someone recommended taking multi-vitamin tablets 3 days before a flight to protect your immune system.

However, you may be interested in these links which I came across
[www.travelproducts.co.nz]
[www.travelproducts.co.nz]
[www.travelproducts.co.nz]
from this website [www.travelclinic.co.nz]
Regards,
Dawn.

Interesting you should comment on Vicks First Defence, Annie H, it's just been discontinued in NZ according to this site:
[www.strandarcadepharmacy.co.nz]

No reason seems to have been given for the withdrawal so suspecting 'trade highjacking', I checked several other NZ Chemist websites plus Countdown and in every case it tells me either it is unavailable or not in stock. However, there seem to be several other products that do the same job so I'm going to research a bit more as I'm one of those who is affected by long-distance plane trips. I always end up having to purchase cold & flu remedies a day or two after I've landed, so when I leave for Morocco in September, I want to be prepared and see if it makes a difference.

The worst episode I ever had I put down to not only the long flight but the fact that when I arrived in Moscow, the birch trees were sending out their pollen and the gutters of the streets looked like they were filled with snow, but it was the pollen. It was even floating around in the train from the airport to the city, and I could feel it getting down my throat.

Yay...I went to Norfolk Island and back - and thanks to all the tips I got - I didin't get a cold, and neither did my husband!

I took echinacea for 2 weeks before, I used the nasal spray, I wiped all the surfaces in the plane near me with wipes, I used sanitiser whenever I felt I needed to. I left everything in the seat pocket alone and generally just tried to sit there quietly.

Such a relief. Was talking to a friend last night who is just back from a trip to the USA and she mentioned she had a cold for a good part of her holiday! Poor girl - I know how she felt.

Now I'm off to Melbourne soon - and I am prepared!!