Worried about sticky conveyor belts? Feeling icky for breathing recycled air in the plane? We get it; traveling can bring personal obstacles, especially if you’re hygiene-conscious. Don’t fret; use this list of nine travel hygiene tips to keep yourself fresh and clean. Enjoy a lovely holiday wherever you are, either at the five-star hotel or trekking at Yosemite National Park.
Let’s begin with the list. You can use this as a simple reminder while traveling.
Keep Your Hands Clean
It’s important to keep your hands clean and germ-free. Doctors, health practitioners, and health advisors often stress washing hands regularly with soap. This is because hands are major carriers of many bacteria and viruses. How is that possible? They enter into our bodies when we eat or touch our mouths without properly washing hands.
If there’s no availability of a hand wash or soap, for example, on a flight, your next best bet is to sanitize your hands with an alcohol-based sanitizer. This way, you can minimize the spread of germs and viruses.
Bonus tip #1: Carry a hand sanitizer everywhere with you.
Avoid Touching Unclean Common Touchpoints
Mostly germs and bacteria spread via common touchpoints. Common touchpoints can be gross because they are not clean regularly. So, it’s best to avoid unclean common touchpoints as much as possible.
Some unclean common touchpoints are handrails, conveyor belts, ATM elevator buttons, door handles, water coolers, washroom sinks, and vending machines. These are the points where most people touch irrespective of the conditions of their hands.
As a result, germs spread, and it is necessary to avoid these points. If you touch these common touchpoints, make sure to quickly wash your hands with soap or use a hand sanitizer.
Bonus tip #2: Carry anti-bacterial wet wipes everywhere with you.
No Clean Water or Soap Available
Let’s say you’re traveling on the road, and there’s no clean water or soap available. Don’t panic. Get yourself a pack of body wipes for yourself. It will remove body odor and take care of your basic hygiene until you find the nearest clean water. There are also no-rinse shampoo and body wash products, which you can use.
Bonus tip #3: Body wipes are entirely different from anti-bacterial wet wipes, so it’s best to get both when you’re traveling.
Brush Your Teeth
Fresh breath is necessary when it comes to hygiene. No one wants a smelly breath while traveling. So here’s the next traveling hygiene: brush your teeth. Unclean mouth carries a foul smell. If you don’t brush your teeth regularly, there will be a buildup of bacteria leading to a bad smell. Therefore, it’s important to brush your teeth regularly.
Carry a travel-size toothbrush kit in your bag. It comes in handy when you’re traveling long distances. Another option is to carry fresh gums or mints.
Bonus tip #4: You can also carry a travel-size mouthwash with you.
Take a Shower
We get it that sometimes when you’re traveling on the road, you can’t take a shower every day. But did you know if you don’t shower for an extended period of time, you can carry bacteria on your body?
Regular showering can stop bacteria from accumulating in your body. Here’s another fact, it might even help you stop being stinky. It is recommended by health advisors to wash your hair often as well.
Bonus tip #5: Use body wipes if you can’t find any place to shower on the road.
Keep Your Nails Short and Clean
Short and clean nails are important when it comes to hygiene. And this brings us to our next travel hygiene tip: don’t let your nails grow long. Longer nails can harbor more dirt and bacteria. You don’t want to be eating them if you’re using your hands to eat food.
It’s also difficult to clean dirt from long nails even if you’re washing them. They tend to stick in the nails. Hence, the only solution to avoid this is to cut and shorten the nails.
Bonus tip #6: Carry a nail cutter with you everywhere.
Use a Deodorant
If you’re traveling, here’s another tip: carry a deodorant. If you’re traveling in a hot and humid place, it’s important to carry one. You don’t want to be the stinky mess in your travel group.
When you’re sweating, sometimes your body odor gives off because of the bacteria that live on the skin. So use a high-quality deodorant or body spray to avoid a bad smell. And you want the person sitting next to you to be comfortable.
Bonus tip #7: Get a sports deodorant with long-lasting odor protection.
Keep the Place Clean
This travel hygiene tip only applies if you’re staying in a hotel, car, or RV, which brings us to the next point. Keep your place clean. Did you know cleaning is a form of self-care? It means you care about cleanliness.
Whether it’s your RV, car, or even your seat on a flight, try your best to maintain cleanliness and don’t throw trash everywhere.
Bonus tip #8: Get portable trash bags.
Eat Fresh and Clean Food
Last but not least, eat clean foods. No matter where you are in the world, make sure to clean your fresh foods first. This is one of the most important travel hygiene tips to avoid food poisoning.
Make sure your food is clean and fresh. Be careful of the foods you eat on the streets. It’s also recommended not to eat shared food, especially with someone you don’t know. Therefore, always eat fresh and clean food when you’re traveling. It keeps you healthy.
Bonus tip #8: Gently scrub fresh fruits under running water.
Conclusion
Hygiene is important when it comes to travel. Make sure to bookmark these travel hygiene tips, so you’ll know what to do when you’re traveling next time.
