I have to travel more than a little bit for work. Back when I first started it was 3-4 days a week, and now I’m down to 1-3 days a week, depending.
Last week I was out of town Tuesday morning through Friday night. Everything seemed fine except for the guilt of being away from the family for a whole week, but that’s part of the job sometimes.
Anyways, Sunday night about 6PM I start feeling really tired and run down, and by 10PM bedtime I feel like absolute crap. I am just now (I think) getting over whatever the hell it was that made me feel so sick.
The little woman pointed out that pretty much every time I spend most of a week out of town I end up getting sick right when I get back or shortly afterwards. That reminded me of two trips I needed to take to Vegas last year that made me sick as a dog about halfway through both trips. This is definitely a non-uncommon thing.
Is it possible that traveling is making me sick? Is it being exposed to weird atmospheres, crappy bedding, and horrible pillows? Is it because I’ve not been taking my vitamins? Has anyone out there ever experienced anything like this, and if so, any idea what the cause is?
What you’re leaving out, a crucial point, is if you’re travelling by plane. Without fail, everytime I fly, that nite I feel rundown and like a cold is coming on. This is always accompanied by tickling in the throat & pallette. I’m sure this has to do with the lack of fresh air, being shut in the plane for a few hours, with the plane being the bacterial breeding petri dish that it is.
If not a plane, then even a train can do it - the NYC subways are notorious incubators of flu, especially in winter.
If you’re driving in a car, with the window open even a little bit, I’m at a loss.
Actually, about 98% of my traveling is by car, and I’m almost always alone. The rest of the time would be by plane (like my 2 Vegas trips), but they’re the exception.
I have a crackpot “localized bacteria” theory that we tend to be mostly immune to what we’re exposed to on a regular basis. But, you can visit healthy people 100 miles away, and still get sick you’re not immune to the stuff they’re immune to.
Not only that, but my vapors get misaligned (rest, poop, exercise, diet).
In the absence of a medical experiment where people are randomly assigned to travel or not, I’m sticking with that.
hmmm…
I’m pretty healthy, ‘sick’ about 6 days/year total - and this has gotten better since moving form NYC to LA - less claustrophobic, confined conditions, wide-open spaces, fresh air, etc.
The only other catalyst for me would be longhair cats - I’m definitely allergic - with some of the same symptoms as getting sick. Stuffed nose, itchy eyes, tickling pallette, & clogged ears always follow when I’m in a house with a longhair cat. So, following this logic, maybe you’re allergic to something in your car - trapped road dirt in the air filter, cleaning solvent (to clean the interior), OR, something you eat or drink only when you’re on a roadtrip. For example, I always start a hike with a 7-11 coffee & taquitos. Maybe you treat yourself to something u don’t normally have in the house.
I also get sick when I travel. My current theory is that it’s because I dehydrate myself in order to cut down on trips to iffy restrooms. It’s especially bad on planes, because my sinuses get all screwed up as well.
Oh, I’ve got incredibly sensitive ears and sometimes takeoff and landing can be excruciating.
As for the above, I’ve considered trying to eat only prepackaged food on my next trip, which will probably be next week with my luck. I just need to find something I can eat for a couple days without getting sick of it.
