A Guide to Good Personal Hygiene While Traveling

Travelling can present personal challenges for the hygiene conscious, from the sticky handrails of the conveyor belt to the departure gate and the pressured air in the cabins. Travelers’ anxiety is exacerbated by common touchpoints, shared plane restrooms, and food prepared by others. Some people may also consider postponing their vacation due to travel hygiene issues.

With our top hygiene tips for traveling in 2021, you’ll have the peace of mind you need to enjoy your wellness vacation.

Don’t forget to stay hygienic and have fun, no matter where you are going and how you are getting there. Remember that whenever you need help with a hygiene service in Australia your first stop can be Hyex for some professional help and high-quality hygiene solutions.

Without further adieu let’s jump right into specifics of personal hygiene while traveling.

Avoid common touchpoints:

Keep in mind that when traveling, common touchpoints such as handrails, ATMs, and shared interfaces, should be avoided. In such cases, the 5-second rule will not save you!

Some harmful bacteria can live on apparently germ-free surfaces for up to 48 hours.  Take into consideration that taping on screens that have been used by others will pass bacteria colonies to your fingertips if they are not cleaned regularly. In any case, everything is at your fingertips.

For the given reasons, bring with you travel-size hand sanitisers, anti-bacterial wipes, antibacterial sanitising sprays, face wipes, and other antibacterial items such as hand creams or face creams, in order to stay clean and avoid getting sick. This could be one of the most effective ways to prevent harmful bacteria.

Face hygiene:

It all comes to your specific location for travel, but whenever you are choosing a new location for travel be attentive towards face and skin hygiene. You can pack sunblocks, moisturisers, and lip balms.

Consider the above when traveling outdoors during summer, remember to stay hydrated, and also don’t ignore facial cleanliness. Remember to carry a rinse-free facial cleanser, facial-cleansing wipes, and makeup removals for effective facial hygiene.

Depending on the climate of your destination and your skin type, pack sunblocks, moisturisers and lip balms. If you’re traveling outdoors during summer, in locations such as Mykonos or Monaco, remember to stay hydrated and also don’t ignore facial cleanliness.

Effective hand sanitising:

When there is no place to wash your hands, it is common sense to sanitize your hands before eating street food, but you should still bring a pocket sanitiser with you. Here are a few explanations why.

To begin with, due to the low humidity, you are 100 times more likely to catch a cold while traveling, and one of the easiest ways to avoid this is to keep your hands clean.

Moreover, this should go without saying but washing your hands on a regular basis even if you have not gone to the bathroom or have just washed them 20 minutes ago, is extremely important.

Just a reminder that when you are flying, you are exposed to a greater number of germs compared to everyday life. Hence, frequent hand washing with water and antibacterial soap is a must.

Attentiveness to practicing spatial awareness:

It’s not just about keeping your own body-safe; you also need to be aware of those who might not be as clean as you are. Try to keep track of what you’re touching, who you’re touching, and who you’re in close proximity to.

If you can, avoid skin-to-skin contact with other passengers, and if someone coughs near you, turn yourself away from them, or move your face away, and wash or sanitize your hands as soon as possible.

Take regular showers:

As your hair accumulates and stores a significant amount of bacteria, showering and hair washing on a regular basis can be the best alternative to prevent bacteria from forming huge colonies.

Keep in mind, that in case you are going on a summer activity vacation, you should make sure to get as much seawater and sand out of your hair as possible.

Consider backpacking hygiene essentials when hiking or camping:

It is especially difficult and challenging to keep good hygiene practices when camping in the wild. You don’t have showering facilities you could afford in your usual life. However, you might not consider your appearance while feeling a part of the wild, it is important to follow some essential personal hygiene rules and tips both to protect the environment and your personal well-being.

Make sure to follow Leave No Trace (LNT) principles when going for outdoor hygiene. In short, this means that you should do your best to minimise your environmental effects, clean up after yourself, be respectful towards others and try to leave the smallest possible “footprint” for nature.

Concluding Thoughts:

Considering the latest health crisis with the pandemic, it’s more important than ever to make sure you are following the right and effective hygiene practices, and this is especially true when traveling. It’s vital to keep yourself safe, clean, and healthy when traveling to new places in order not to endanger yourself or others around you.

Hence, next time when packing your suitcase for a new destination make sure to check this blog again, for some insights on essential personal hygiene practices.