HEALTHY FAMILY
How To Keep Your
Family Healthy
While Traveling
Expert advice from doctors, including how
they keep their own families safe on the go
BY HEATHER M. ROSS
W Know the Risks
Both Roy and Plotnick say the most
important place for families to start when
preparing for travel is with the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC), where they can
find an up-to-date guide for travel concerns
and what vaccinations are recommended
online before traveling to their destination.

Plotnick recommends all new vaccines be
applied at least one month before travel so
that they will have time to take full effect.

Avoid Common Travel Pitfalls
Once you know whether or not it’s safe to
travel, you can make preparations to ensure
you are aware of—and can avoid—these
common travel pitfalls.

Jetlag Jetlag happens when our bodies are out of
sync with the time zone we’re going to, Roy
says. This usually happens when traveling
to a time zone with a difference of two or
more hours from the one you’re used to. Roy
says jetlag can leave people feeling tired and
discombobulated—and children are just as
susceptible to jetlag as adults.

To avoid jetlag, Roy advises getting plenty
of rest before travel, staying well hydrated
before and after your traveling, avoiding
alcoholic beverages on the plane and get-
ting plenty of sunlight once you reach your
destination. 24 Washington FAMILY MAY 2023
Infectious Illnesses
Getting sick is always a concern in a fam-
ily. It seems like once one kid catches a cold,
it’s just a matter of time before it spreads to
the rest of the house. On vacation, the risk
of catching a bug increases because of the
stress travel places on our immune systems
and because of the increase of high-traffic
areas little hands just can’t stay away from.

As a mother of three herself, Plotnick
understands the struggle to keep everyone
on board with disease prevention. She rec-
ommends explaining the process, especially
when traveling with very young children.

Everyone should remember to wash their
hands frequently, especially after touch-
ing high-contact surfaces like railings, door
handles and light switches. In addition to
handwashing, it can be a good idea to bring
along disinfectant wipes to sanitize hotel
spaces, hand sanitizer for dining out and
masks for close quarters.

Johns Hopkins Medicine recommends on
its website that people use antibacterial hand
wipes or alcohol-based hand cleaners that
contain 60% alcohol or more.

Food Safety
Nobody books a ticket just to see the
inside of a bathroom stall. Taking care of
your digestive health can be the differ-
ence between a relaxing day at the beach
and a frantic search for the next restroom.

RIDOFRANZ / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS
ith summer break on the horizon, families will no doubt be thinking about
planning their vacations. But how can they make sure everyone gets there and
back in one piece?
We asked Dr. Joydip Roy, chief medical officer of UnitedHealthcare of the Mid-Atlantic
(covering Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia) and Dr. Rachel Plotnick,
a pediatrician of 17 years at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center Pediatric Group, for tips
on staying healthy in the air, over the sea and on the road.




SUITCASE: BIBIGON/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS;
MEDICINE: IMAGEPIXEL/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
HEALTHY FAMILY
When you’re on the go, it can be
easy to let nutritional standards
slide in favor of quick and easy
foods, but Plotnick warns par-
ents to make sure they and their
children are getting at least one
to two meals per day that are
nutritious and high in fi ber.

Parents should also make sure
everyone in the family is staying
hydrated. Being dehydrated can
cause children to feel irritable, in
addition to being a potentially
serious health concern, accord-
ing to hopkinsmedicine.org.

One trick to staying hydrated
is to let everyone pick out
their own refi llable water
bottle before the trip and remind
everyone to fi ll theirs up before
leaving the house or hotel in the
morning. (This works best if the
parents are doing it, too!)
Food allergies add an addi-
tional layer of risk for many
families. Allergens can be more
challenging to avoid if there is
a language barrier. Some aller-
gens are more prevalent in
diff erent parts of the world, and
there is always a risk involved
when trying foods you’ve never
had before. Be prepared by
having any allergy medication
your family uses with you and
fi nding out ahead of time where
the nearest emergency care is.

Restaurants in some states are
allowed to keep epinephrine on
site for use in emergencies.

Your Travel Health Kit
Before you go, be sure to
check local laws for the state
or country you are visiting to
make sure any prescription
medications you need to bring
aren’t restricted or illegal. Roy
also recommends bringing
enough of your prescriptions
to account for any travel delays.

All prescriptions should be
clearly labeled and stored
in childproof containers for
safety. This also applies to eyeglasses
and contacts. Every member of
the family using contact lenses
or prescription glasses should
have a spare pair in case some-
thing happens to the pair they’re
using while away.

Other things to pack include
general pain relievers like
acetaminophen, ibuprofen or
aspirin; Band-Aids; sunscreen;
sunburn relief; tweezers; ant-
acids; medication for motion
sickness and insect repellant.

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