Health aids for travel

Travel sickness refers to motion sickness experienced during car, air, or sea travel. All three result from the same issue: the confusion caused to your balance system by a moving vehicle, leading to symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.  

The brain receives signals from the eyes, muscles, joints, and inner ear. In a moving vehicle that you aren't controlling, these signals can conflict, causing confusion and triggering nausea and vomiting.   

There are three types of travel sickness: 

• Car sickness: Common during long car journeys. 
• Air sickness: Caused by air pressure changes, turbulence, or during take-off and landing. 
• Sea sickness: The constant motion on the waves can lead to nausea, particularly when the wind picks up. 

Symptoms typically begin with dizziness, yawning, or headaches, followed by nausea and possibly vomiting. Sweating is also common.  

Preventive measures include: 

• Sitting in the front seat or driving if possible. 
• Eating light meals before your trip and maintaining a meal routine during long journeys. 
• Avoiding alcohol and opting for ginger tea or ginger powder for relief. 
• Choosing seats in stable areas (front of a car, central part of a plane, or quarter deck of a boat). 
• Avoiding reading or using screens while in motion; instead, focus on the horizon. 
• Ensuring proper ventilation. 

When traveling to malaria-prone areas, you're usually advised to take malaria pills. Although side effects can occur, they are preferable to the risk of contracting malaria, a serious disease caused by mosquito-borne parasites.  

Malaria medication may cause tinnitus, dizziness, headaches, skin rash, or other symptoms. More severe side effects like vomiting or diarrhea can occur but are less common.  

Complete the prescribed course, and if you experience vomiting or diarrhea within an hour of taking your pill, consult your doctor. Stay hydrated, especially if experiencing vomiting or diarrhea. 

Often caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites, traveller’s diarrhea can be triggered by: 

• Contaminated food, such as raw or undercooked meat, unwashed produce, or dairy products. 
• Unsafe water or poor hygiene. 
• Contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. 

Traveller's diarrhea usually presents with frequent, watery stools, abdominal cramps, nausea, and sometimes fever, typically within the first few days of travel.  

Stay hydrated and be cautious with food and water: 

• Avoid raw or unpasteurized foods. 
• Drink only bottled water or beverages made with boiled water. 
• Wash hands regularly. 

Medication

If symptoms include fever or blood in the stool, see a doctor as antibiotics may be needed. Persistent diarrhea for more than a week post-travel warrants medical attention.  

Alternative treatments

Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) can help replace lost fluids. Avoid alcohol and caffeine. If diarrhea persists for more than five days, consider taking loperamide to reduce symptoms. If this doesn’t help within 48 hours, stop use and consult a doctor.  

Gezondheidsnet (2016), 8 questions on travel sickness, consulted on 22 April 2019, at https://www.gezondheidsnet.nl/vakantie/8-vragen-over-reisziekte 

Dutch Care Institute (z.j.) travel sickness, consulted on 23 April 2019, at https://www.farmacotherapeutischkompas.nl/bladeren/indicatieteksten/reisziekte 

Dutch Care Institute (z.j.), consulted on 23 April 2019, at https://www.farmacotherapeutischkompas.nl/bladeren/groepsteksten/malariamiddelen 

Thuisvaccinatie.nl (s.j.) Malaria pills, consulted on 23 April 2019, at https://www.thuisvaccinatie.nl/malariapillen 

Dutch Care Institute (s.j.) acute diarrhoea, consulted on 23 April 2019, at https://www.farmacotherapeutischkompas.nl/bladeren/indicatieteksten/acute_diarree 

Dr. P. Fockens and Drs. W van Donselaar (2018), Traveller's diarrhoea, consulted on 24 April 2019, at https://www.dokterdokter.nl/aandoening/reizigersdiarree/item1827