Fighting Motion Sickness: How Not to Be Sick on Your Trip

Oh, vacation! Your bags are packed, your tickets are in order, and you are thrilled to be going. Nothing could ruin this trip, right? No matter how you are getting to where you are going, motion sickness can set in and possibly ruin the whole trip for everyone. According to Healthlink motion sickness "occurs when the body is subjected to sudden accelerations of movements in different directions." Whether it is in a car, a train, a plane or on a boat, motion sickness is basically the same thing: a feeling of dizziness, nausea and possibly even vomiting. Fun, huh? So, how do you fight motion sickness?

First, know your actual risks of motion sickness. Even if you have never suffered from it before, you should know that it can strike anybody at anytime. Of course, some people are more vulnerable than others, but nobody is immune. Between one third to one half of airline passengers will experience some degree of motion sickness on even the smoothest flights, and that number increases as turbulence and flight length goes up. Being ill at home is bad enough, throwing up while flying above the clouds or on the bounding main can devastate an entire trip.

Prevention is easier than treatment, so be prepared. Try to sit in a more interior location on a big ship, or facing forward. Looking outside can help for some people, or it could make things worse for others. Over the counter medications may help for those who have mild motion sickness, or for shorter trips, but if your issues are more severe, or your trip is longer consider going to your doctor for a prescription medication called Transderm-Scop which is a patch worn behind the ear for up to three days at a time. This method of fighting motion sickness is more convenient than taking daily medications and can save your trip. For shorter trips you can stick with Dramamine or something similar. If you prefer a more natural method, you can try the accu-pressure bracelets that have a small bead that presses on a pressure point in the wrist that can relieve mild nausea. Ginger can also settle an upset stomach, so try a piece of the root, chewed slowly at the outset of your trip. (It would be wise to try gingerroot sometime before your trip to make sure that you are not allergic. There is no need to make things worse than they already are, is there?)