How to stay healthy as holiday travel surge collides with rising flu season

With all the hustle and bustle, holiday travel is expected to surge at the exact time as the flu. There are ways to keep your loved ones healthy, starting with eating healthy and getting plenty of sleep, and some other simple strategies can help keep you safe.

Travel is going to be the best part of the holidays for father-of-four Edgar Jimenez.

“We’re flying to Taipei. And then from Taipei, we’re flying to the Philippines,” he said.

He loves adventure, but this time of year it comes with heavy traffic, long lines and the possibility of flight delays.

“Especially since I’m flying with my wife, my kids. It’s stressful,” said Jimenez.

“Stressing does not change the airline or the airplane. So, a person stressing out is just going to hurt them. Their immune system goes down, they’re more likely to get sick, said Dignity Health Northridge family medicine expert Dr. Diana Lev.

Lev says when people are stressed, they tend to touch their faces more and wash their hands less. You become a germ target, especially this winter when flu activity is expected to rival the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.

“It’s predicted to affect a lot more people than normal, so a lot more people should end up in the hospital this year,” she said.

Lev advises masking if you’re immunocompromised, handwashing and gel sanitizers. It’s not too late to get a flu shot, and eligible groups should look into pneumonia and RSV vaccines.

“It’s not that much on the West Coast right now, it’s just starting, so people definitely have time to get it right now,” said Lev.

To reduce stress, Jimenez has a strategy.

“Typically, when we travel internationally, we try to get there 3.5 hours early,” he said.

But if you spend that much time in an airport, Lev says you shouldn’t sit in one place. That’s how viruses get you.

“The more you walk around, the actually better it is. You’re less likely to harbor all this stuff, and touch the floor, and touch your stuff, and touch your face,” she said.

And when delays happen, take it in stride.

“If we get stuck at the airport, well, guess what? We get stuck at the airport with family. We’re with family during a vacation. So hey, it’s bonding time, I guess,” said Jimenez.

The journey is part of the adventure. And if you’re sick, Lev says you shouldn’t take long car rides with others. Even with masking, Lev says the likelihood of spreading germs is pretty high.