Photo by Bill Mayer

A few weeks ago I did a post discussing accommodation options that could save you a little money while you travel. I want to talk about accommodations again but this time I want to talk about what can be called “Dirty Little Secrets”. This morning in the period of about 30 minutes I heard two reports that made me want to take a shower right away. The first was when I just woke up. There was a news item on the radio about a well known hotel in London that offered bed warmers as a customer service. Human ones. They felt it was a good thing because “people sleep better when the sheets are warm”. Hello!! The bed warmers are supposed to wear one piece pajamas and have their hair covered. But they couldn’t guarantee that they would have had a shower. Call me crazy, I wouldn’t want a stranger warming up my sheets even if they had a shower!

And speaking of sheets that brings me to the second story I heard this morning. It is fairly common knowledge that the cleanliness of hotel rooms comes under question at times – even the GOOD ones. But after I heard a report on GMA this morning, I felt the need to report what I heard. Maybe some of you saw it too. They had a segment that was even worse in the creepy crawly division than the bed warmer. Trip Advisor has a list of the 10 dirtiest hotels. They are listed for you if you visit their site. The show featured a microbiologist going into a few of the hotels with an ATP Meter that picks up bacteria and mold. While they say a meter reading of 300 is considered safe, they were picking up readings of 2040. That and other instruments showed not only mold and bacteria on walls, floors, bathrooms, etc.; they also found rust, water damage on ceiling tiles, bodily fluids on bedspreads, walls, chairs, floors. A real cesspool. And then there are the bed bugs.

Now that I most likely have you all retching, what is a traveler to do? The first thing to do when you get to your room is conduct a room inspection. Do not put your suitcase on the bed. (And when you get home, do not put your suitcase on your own bed.) Put it on the bag holder. Look for stains on the spread. Remove the spread entirely. Who knows when or if these ever are cleaned. Check the linens for stains. Pull up the corners of the sheets and look for bug debris or dander or any little droplets of what could be blood in the crease if the mattress along the seam that would indicate the presence of bed bugs. Then move to the bathroom. Look for rust, water damage or stains in the sink, tub and around the toilet floor. If ANY of these are found at this point, ask to have a different room.

If the room passes all of these tests, here are some more just general things to do. Bring you Clorox wipes and clean off the doorknob and the remote. Give a good healthy disinfectant spray on surfaces in the bathroom. Don’t use the glasses or cups unless they are paper and wrapped. Bring slippers or at least Flip Flops when walking on the carpet or in the bath. They had these little plastic mattress bags that you could bring along but didn’t say where they got them. Anyone know? Precautions like these, while annoying, can help prevent things like the flu, colds, or athletes feet.

I am sure that many hotels go out of their way to keep their rooms clean and safe. But there are always some that might look the other way when it comes to training and monitoring staff. Better to be safe.

If you can think of other things to look for or have any other ideas to protect yourselves from unwanted contaminants, please leave a comment.

It is the middle of flu season and you want to go on a trip. What is a person to do? How can you risk travel when germs are running amok for the next few months? Or you have just won a trip to a remote international destination-what happens if you get sick when you’re there, or better yet, how can you prevent getting sick in the first place?

Travelers often find themselves worrying about heath issues surrounding travel. So, are there just some basic rules or tips to stay healthy during travel ?

 While this list seems long and maybe even a little daunting, you know what they say about an ounce of prevention. Here are some basic preventative things I have learned from experience or from other travelers that you most likely know but that bear repeating. Hopefully, some of these will remind you of a few things that may make sense for you to make your travel a little more comfortable and healthy.  I am not a medical person, so if you are geting ready to embark on a trip, I ask that you check in with your physician for medical advice.

Granted one of the biggest cesspools of germs would likely be in a contained place where the air isn’t exchanged –like an airplane. There you are seated next to a sneezy, coughy, drippy nosed passenger. How do you protect yourself?

When you know you are going on a trip, start preparing weeks-even a month in some cases- ahead of time. Plan on getting plenty of rest and make sure to take your vitamins, especially vitamin C. It might be worth a quick trip or call to your doctor if you have any conditions that need some special attention – if you are pregnant, elderly with blood clotting problems, heart or respiratory conditions, or have had a recent surgery – just to make sure you are cleared for travel. Ask if there are any other medications you might need for your particular destination. Most likely, there will be no issues, but the doctor might offer you some preventative measures that would be helpful.

During your flight stay hydrated with water. Believe it or not, it is said that staying hydrated will even help with jet lag. Better to skip the alcohol and watch the caffeine in coffee or sodas. Make sure to wash you hands often or use a hand sanitizer. This is good advice always, not just on planes. When you can, request an aisle seat so that you can stretch those legs and even get up to walk a bit when possible. If it is not possible to sit on an aisle, try not to cross your legs and try to do some stretches. Same goes for a bus or a train. This is especially important on long flights to keep your blood circulating.

If your ears seem to “pop” when you are taking off or landing due to changing altitudes, try to yawn or chew some gum.

Make sure your immunizations are current during the flu season especially. If you are seated in proximity to someone who is obviously or potentially infected with something contagious, request to be moved at least a few rows away to minimize your risk of contracting their illness.

For comforts sake wear comfortable, loose fitting clothes and use a nice lotion to keep your skin from getting too dry. Those who wear contact lens might want to pack them and use eyeglasses on the flight.

Some final thoughts. If you do take prescription medications, pack them in your carry on bag to insure that you would have them handy should your luggage be waylaid. Make sure you take enough to last for the whole trip. You might also want to take along a copy of the prescription just in case. Anyone with a condition that could flair up while away should think about including that information on you person should an emergency arise. If you have health insurance, check in with them to see if they will cover you abroad. If they don’t you may want to plan for how you would get some coverage while you are away. Lastly, if you are leaving the little ones behind, make sure you leave all of your contact information. On a trip I took when Jenn was just a toddler, I left a medical power of attorney with my parents just in case, along with the phone numbers and directions for the pediatrician and hospital.

I suggest that you check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention link before you travel to international places to get information of required vaccinations and other really useful and important information.  I just heard on ABC World News today that some highly populated places like Tokyo require travelers to bring with them a document proving they are in good health to enter as worries of the Swine Flu spread. 

Once you have thought through these precautionary tips, you can rest easy and travel knowing that you are well prepared to have a worry free and healthy trip!