Get rid of motion sickness

Would you rather stay at home and sulk than go to a mountain trip with friends or family? Do you consider road trips and trips abroad as ordeals rather than fun activities? Do you associate zigzag roads with nausea and getting intimate with a plastic bag? You must be suffering from motion sickness! I should know, I used to suffer from this malady when I was a child. I abhor long trips that involve riding cars, boats and planes so I couldn’t be more sympathetic if you suffer from this disorder as well. But as I grew older and got the chance to travel more, I discovered several techniques on how to avoid or at least minimize the effect of motion sickness.

Be on the front seat. I’ve noticed that the closer to the front of the car you are, the lesser the effect of motion sickness. This is maybe due to the fact that when you are in front of the vehicle, you can anticipate the zigzag turns.

Look straight ahead. The front horizon doesn’t change much unlike the views on the side windows. Fast moving images of roads, trees, etc. can make you dizzy.

Yawn or do some deep, heavy breathing exercises. Or if the motion sickness is especially strong, do some forceful coughs. It should give you some respite or at least delay the inevitable until the vehicle can stop at an appropriate location. I learned this tip from a jet set friend and it really works!

Try sucking on some ice as the coolness may tend to have a calming effect.

Get some ginger-related products such as ginger candy and ginger ale.

If you really have no choice, there are commercially available drowsy pills that will help to combat motion sickness.

Fear of flying

I know some people who miss a lot of fun in traveling because of their debilitating fear of flying. I, myself, used to panic in terror upon the thought of air travel. Words like air pockets, turbulence, terrorists, hijackings and plane crashes always came to my mind when talking about plane rides. Thank goodness my love for traveling and adventures helped me get through with this fear. I realized that I should never allow fear to dictate how I live. There is an entire world to explore. If you want to travel and see places, you for the most part, have to fly.

Now, air travel is one of my most favorite modes of transportation! To those who experience panic attacks at the mere thought of flying, here are a few tips that will help you conquer and rid the fear for good.

Start off small. If you are planning to fly, don't start with a 5 hour trip. Make arrangements to see places that are less than 2 hours away by air.

Realize the source of your fear. Is it being up in the air, loss of control or your wild imagination? If you never flew as a child, well, it's understandable why you would be reluctant to fly. What you fear most is unknown. So, if you have never flown before, once you try it, the worst is over.

Travel when you know you can sleep. Get on a flight that leaves at 12 midnight or at 5 am. This way, you'll be tired so you can sleep until you reach your destination. Once you get there you can enjoy, relax and be proud of yourself.

Relax your mind and stop conjuring up what can go wrong. Flying is generally considered to be one of the safest forms of public transportation currently available. Statistics show that airline travel is 29 times safer than driving an automobile.