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Holiday Travel Health Tips

For many, the holidays mean traveling to visit family and friends. Whether you are traveling across town or across the world, keeping safe throughout your travels is important. Below are five tips to help ensure that you reach your destination in one piece and in good health.

1. Don’t drive while you are tired. Every year, people driving long distances fall asleep at the wheel and cause harm to both themselves and others. If you become tired while driving, either trade places with another driver or pull over to take a nap. Turning the music up, drinking caffeine, and pulling over for a short walk are all short term fixes, but they do not cure tiredness.

2. Drive Slowly in Adverse Conditions. In addition to holidays, winter also brings about lots of adverse weather conditions, including rain, snow, ice, and fog. Always adjust your speed to the conditions and pull over if the weather gets too bad. In bad weather, leave more space between your car and the car in front of you to avoid sliding on ice.

3. Go easy on the alcohol. When flying, the pressurized cabin, combined with the high altitude, causes alcohol to affect you more than it would on the ground. Also, alcohol worsens the dehydration that you experience while flying. On the ground, alcohol increases the effects of jet lag.

4. Drink lots of water. Drinking enough water helps to keep you in optimum health at all times, but it is especially important while traveling. When flying, the dry air in the cabin increases dehydration. Drink plenty of water while onboard and when you reach your destination. Drinking water is also important when driving. Symptoms of dehydration do not appear until it is too late, so drink even when you do not feel thirsty.

5. Take frequent walks on long trips. People, especially older individuals, sometimes have issues with blood clots when they sit for long periods of time. On long flights, be sure to get up and walk around the cabin every couple hours. Make the walk longer than just to the lavatory and back. Walk around the entire cabin for a few minutes. You can also do some leg exercises from your chair that can keep your blood moving. While driving, take a few extra minutes to walk around whenever you stop at a restaurant or rest stop.

A great water bottle to help you stay hydrated.


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