The "Illness-Free Plane Travel Tips" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Talking with my wife about the swine flu outbreak that occurred in 2010.  During the spring of that year we traveled to our favorite vacation spot, St. Martin.  But, before we traveled to the island, we decided to prepare ourselves for the airplane ride just in case someone on the plane might have had a case of the flu.  We both got a flu shot, a prescription from our family doctor for the Tamaflu and Carol baked a batch of Flu-fighter cookies.  The cookies included ginger which has an antiviral compound, cranberries which have antioxidants, oats which are rich in selenium that helps your body fend off free radicals, walnuts which have zinc that prevent viruses from reproducing in your body and yogurt which boosts your ability to absorb helpful vitamins and minerals.  

Choose a window seat and stay put whenever possible.

And our final precaution before we boarded the plane was to buy masks to wear over our nose and mouth while on the plane if we happened to suspect that someone on the plane might have had the flu.  We searched every drug store and pharmacy in the Lancaster area, but couldn't find any masks.  A day or two later I went to our local Walmart to get our Tamaflu prescription and happened to be walking through the hardware department when I saw them.  

Do you know whom might have touched these before you?

Two masks meant to be worn when sanding something or removing insulation.  BINGO!  Well, we felt rather funny wearing them, so we kept them in her pocketbook while on the plane...just in case.  We luckily didn't need them, but we felt our precautions were what might have saved us.  During the years that we have been traveling overseas or to the Caribbean, we have found ways that we feel have kept us from getting sick from illnesses that might strike us while on the airplane.  

Do they ever clean these trays?

Some of the tips we picked up on different websites, while others we have developed ourselves.  I will share some with you so as to keep you from getting any illness that can be caught while flying to your destination.  First, pick a window seat if at all possible, and stay put.  Seems that people in window seats come into contact with fewer passengers because they leave their seats less often than those sitting near, or on, the aisle.  Plus, anyone who may have been in the restroom might touch your seat as they pass by to steady themselves and who knows what they touched last when leaving the restroom.

And, how many germs are in this place?

Carol, if not seated by the window, will sit in the center seat...and she stays put.  I can't remember more than one time that she had to leave her seat and that was to walk a few yards back and forth due to just having surgery before we traveled and her doctor told her to walk to avoid any blood clots.  Then there is the issue of reading the magazines in the bin in front of you.  Has someone who just left the plane touched the magazine and had the flu?  Or had they used the rest room and not washed his hands before grabbing the magazine to read it?  And what about the tray in front of you.  Do they ever wash them?  At times we get on a plane that had just landed half an hour before and there's no way they cleaned those trays.  A couple of other tips for you that may help you from getting sick.  

Carol and I feel safe when flying with these!

One is called the "Two-row-rule."  This rule tells you not to sit within two rows of an infected passenger if possible.  Another is the "Projectile rule."  The main transmission vehicle for viral infections such as the flu are the droplets of saliva and mucous that an infected passenger might eject.  These droplets are usually at least five micrometers in diameter, therefore rarely travel far before landing.  If those droplets happen to be from someone who has just passed you in the aisle...another reason to sit by the window!  Make sure you have a small bottle of hand santizer and use it often.  I do remember getting ill one time over all my years of travel.  I then proceeded to give it to my wife and before long we were both at an island doctor.  Not fun to be sick while on vacation.  And, no matter how careful you are to avoid sickness, a bit of luck is still required!  That and a mask from the hardware department and, a couple of Carol's Flu-fighter cookies.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.