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submitted 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) by moseschrute@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

Almost every time I fly somewhere, I get sick, and it kinda ruins every vacation ever. I’m not sure if it’s the germs on the airplane (causation), or the time zone difference affecting my sleep (correlation). Maybe a combination of both? Last trip, it hit me about 3 days in.

I wouldn’t say my drinking/sleeping habits are that different on vacation compared to my regular life. Is this a common thing people experience, or time to see a doctor?

I desperately wanna enjoy a vacation sickness free and then return to work refreshed instead of sick.

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[-] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 1 points 3 days ago

My father is a sports pilot. As a child I flew very often with him. I puked almost all the time but I still loved hit. Every plane at his club is marked by my vomit.

Only one time I already felt sick when we arrived at the airfield. He still took me up in a sailplane. In order to stay up in a sailplane you have to constantly fly in circles above fields with warm air. Round and round and round. We were up for 4 hours. I didn't puke once. By the time we were back down again I wasn't sick anymore.

[-] nottelling@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

I'm 4 illnesses out of my last 5 flights. Flu twice, despite getting vaxed. The last one was a sinus infection so bad I'm afraid to fly again.

Previous doctor was just like "was your hands more", so he's fired. New doctor has a plan where I take supplements and some asthma steroids before travel and wear a mask through the flight.

[-] moseschrute@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

Good luck! Hope your next trip is sickness free!

[-] monovergent@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 days ago

I don't, but there's always someone else in my family who's getting sick whenever we fly together. I've worn masks to the airport ever since the pandemic. Also tend to fall asleep shortly after takeoff, so I'm well-rested upon arrival.

[-] makeshiftreaper@lemmy.world 9 points 6 days ago

Getting sick when traveling is absolutely more common, you're exposed to foods, diseases, weather, and people that you aren't used to. However if it's happening reliably and specifically after flying as opposed to other forms of travel that does sound like it could be a specific problem. It could be an inner-ear thing since airplane compression can fuck with that

It's not a perfect solution but sometimes when I fly I wear a mask to reduce the odds of getting sick, though it's pretty rare I get sick from travel myself, and I travel internationally annually

[-] moseschrute@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

I think I will wear a mask next time to see if that helps. I wasn’t sure if it is the plane, or that when I fly I happen to be traveling to further, more different places (e.g. bigger time difference, more different weather, food, etc).

[-] extremeboredom@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago

I usually buff up on immune system supplements a few days before travel, because the same used to happen to me.

[-] moseschrute@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

I was considering that! I don’t really take anything regularly, but any supplement recommendations for the week prior?

Did that alone solve it, or is that just part of the solution?

[-] DagwoodIII@piefed.social 4 points 4 days ago

A doctor recommended zinc for general immunity.

[-] extremeboredom@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago

Just some "immunity" multivitamin and herbal products I've found. They're probably all pretty similar to each other. But also a big focus on staying hydrated, eating good quality food, and getting good sleep. I found if I'm intentional about all these things around a week before travel, I get better results.

[-] TheCelticPirate@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

I do the same thing. I use Airborne chewables.

[-] cmbabul@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

At this point I seem to get sick once a month from having to go into the damned office

this post was submitted on 18 Apr 2026
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