12 Ways to Stay Healthy on Your Next Flight

With the number of times I’ve flown and the number of precautions I’ve taken over the years to stay healthy on flights, I thought I’d share some of my tried and true tips so you can stay healthy on your next airplane flight.

Keep in mind I am not a doctor, but these have been great ways that have helped me stay healthy!

Note: Because we are still in a pandemic, I recommend purchasing travel insurance for larger flight purchases just in case you need to make a quick change. Also, please remember to take extra precautions while flying during this time!

Stay healthy on your next flight!

1. Drink water

This is quite possibly one of the most important things to do in order to stay healthy on your next flight! The water will help flush away any toxins, help you stay hydrated and make you feel better in general. If you can, bring a large water bottle like this to the airport, fill it up at one of the self fill stations and drink as much of that on the plane as you can. Yes, you may have to go to the bathroom quite a bit, but it’ll be worth it.

2. Pack sanitizing wipes

This may sound extreme, but it’s not if you’re worried about getting sick! Pack them with you on your carry-on and use them before you touch anything near your seat. There are a lot of travel size versions like this that you can easily pack. Be sure to wipe down your tray table, seat belt/buckle, armrests, pocket and entertainment center. Experts say the tray table and the seat pocket are the dirtiest part of the plane so wiping those down is key.

3. Bring hand sanitizer

One great way to stay healthy on a flight is to keep hand sanitizer with you. Since you may also have to use the bathroom a bit (since hopefully you’re drinking water), washing your hands as much as you can is also great, but having hand sanitizer handy is a good alternative. This and this are great for travel.

4. Bring DoTerra OnGuard beadlets

I’m not in sales for Doterra, I just love the Doterra OnGuard beadlets! I took them on my trip around the world and rarely ever got sick. I still use them whenever I’m feeling something coming on and definitely recommend popping some when you get on the plane. You can get them here.

5. Get rest before your flight

Make sure you get a good night’s sleep before your flight. Not feeling rested can make you feel worse while flying and can lower your immune system for your flight.

6. Drink herbal tea or Emergen-C instead of alcohol

The point here is to avoid the drinks that might make you dehydrated. Try staying away from sodas, alcoholic drinks and anything with caffeine. Instead, I recommend sticking to water or herbal tea. Another great idea is packing an Emergen-C packet and mixing it with water when the flight attendants come around. Sometimes the airlines don’t have herbal tea, so I recommend packing one with you and asking for hot water.

7. Bring your own healthy food and snacks

The reason I say bring your own healthy snacks is that a lot of times airline food isn’t very healthy. If you can pack some fruit, nuts, crackers (in case you get nauseous), protein bars, or even some veggies and hummus, you’ll most likely feel better. Typically eating things you would normally eat at home will make you feel better than eating random airplane food.

8. Try your best to not touch the front seat pocket/entertainment

This may be a little extreme, especially if you’re not flying far, but if you’re really trying hard to be healthy, I recommend not touching the front seat pocket, entertainment center, or armrests. Of course, you can wipe these down with disinfectant wipes and then touch them. You can also bring your own in-flight entertainment if you really want to avoid touching them. Many people use the seat pocket as a garbage can and people typically sneeze right on the entertainment center so it can be riddled with germs. Yuck!

COVID-19 flight safety tips

9. Avoid touching your face

Most of you probably already know this, but try and avoid touching your face during air travel in case you have germs on your hands. Refer to tip #10 to see what you can put on your face to make yourself feel better and then maybe you’ll avoid touching it.

10. Bring chapstick, face lotion or a face mask

Moisturizing your face area will make you feel so much better on your flight. It may not be the best way to necessarily keep you healthy, but it definitely will make you feel better. I always bring a nourishing lip mask (this is so good) and face lotion (love this brand for travel) or the jet lag mask (I love mine) and on long haul flights I’ll bring a hydrating face mask like one of these. If you get dry sinuses, bringing a nasal spray can also help!

11. Wear a mask

Most airlines enforce wearing a mask, but if you want to stay the safest you can while in a pandemic, be sure to wear either an N95 mask or one with full coverage.

12. Choose your seat wisely

Some medical professionals have said that a window seat on a plane can be a safer and better choice for not catching an illness on a flight. They also have said the middle and aisle seats have a higher probability of catching something as people walk by more often.

Bonus: Wear something comfy

This is a minor one, but wearing something you feel comfortable in can make your trip that much more enjoyable and maintain your body temperature. Make sure you wear something breathable and pack layers so you can maintain a consistent body temp when the airplane temperatures go up and down.

12 Ways to Stay Healthy on Your Next Flight

I hope these tips help you stay healthy on your next flight! Please let me know if you have other tips to stay healthy on your next flight in the comments.

Just remember, you’ll have a better chance of staying healthy on yur next flight if you follow these 12 steps: