IF YOU’VE been looking forward to your holiday for months on end, the last thing you want is to catch a lurgy before you’ve had the chance to enjoy it.
Sadly, the chances of that happening are fairly high.
Your towels or swimwear can put you at risk of nasty infections if you don’t change them often enough
While you might be aware of the hygiene risks of people-packed airplanes or certain restaurants abroad, some holiday health hazards might come as a surprise.
According to health experts, these are the health risks you face whenever you travel and the best ways to avoid them.
1. Airports
It makes sense that there can be multiple hygiene risks lurking in airports, as they get super crowded.
And if you think about it, your passport and luggage is handled by multiple different airport staff.
Dr Donald Grant from The Independent Pharmacy told the Independent: “Touching surfaces, using airport bathrooms and being in close proximity to others can cause bacteria to spread, so it’s important to be hygiene-alert.”
To avoid getting ill or catching coughs, colds and tummy bugs, Dr Angela Rai, GP from the London General Practice recommended regularly washing your hands or applying hand sanitiser as you make your way through the airport.
2. Airplanes
Following the same logic, it also makes sense that airplanes can get pretty germy.
Except now, you’re actually sat in close proximity with multiple people.
According to Dr Preethi Daniel, deputy medical director at London Doctors Clinic, “the fact that you are mixing with people from all over the world means exposure to viruses and bugs your body may not be used to already”.
The bad news is, if you neighbour has a cold, it’s quite likely that you’ll catch one too.
Meanwhile, Dr Grant stressed that you should also be mindful of the surfaces you’ve touched on the plane, including your armrest, tray table or TV screen.
He advised washing and sanitising your hands frequently during your flight, especially before eating or drinking and after going to the loo.
And you might want to wipe down your table and armrest with an antibacterial wipe.
3. Hotels
Unfortunately, you can never be sure your hotel room is totally free of bacteria, even though it’s been thoroughly cleaned beforehand.
Dr Grant advised you do as you would on the plane and quickly run over the surfaces with an antibacterial wipe when you arrive – and don’t forget the TV remote!
He also cautioned that you don’t drink out of the glasses and mugs the hotel placed in your room without cleaning them first.
4. Restaurants
We all especially dread the idea of getting food poisoning abroad.
You can mostly avoid this by checking for cleanliness at your restaurant of choice.
Dr Daniel said you should pay “particular attention to the state of tablecloths, cutlery, glasses and whether the tables are wiped down properly”.
And look out for flies too, as anything they land on can be left with traces of pathogens found in faeces – yep, flies tend to feed on both food and poo.
She said many a holidaymaker has been struck down by tummy infections caused by E. coli, salmonella or shigella while travelling.
Contaminated food or water could also put you at risk of Hepatitis A and typhoid.
You should never drink tap water unless you know for certain it’s safe – and also beware of ice or things like salad or raw veggies that have been washed in that water.
But fruit you can peel yourself – like bananas and mangoes – are perfectly OK to eat, according to Dr Daniel.
5. Towels
It’s important that you change your towel at least every other day while on holiday, especially if you’re taking it to the beach or pool.
These activities will make your towel dirtier than it would get at home and their dampness acts as a trap for bacteria growth and unpleasant odours.
6. Swimwear
Did you also know that you should be treating your swimwear like underwear?
Unless you have a clean one for each time you swim, it’s important to wash them in between uses, according to Dr Rai, as growth of bacteria can leave you vulnerable to infections such as bacterial vaginosis or thrush.
Don’t worry about having access to a washing machine – you can do it by hand with warm, soapy water. Make sure you hang it out to dry afterwards.