How to avoid flying germs?

Our generation is flying and travelling more than any other generation before and as much as we all love a good getaway, we don’t always realise how exposed to germs and bacteria we are while getting there. Aeroplanes are one of the most germ contaminated places and the increase in the ease of flying definitely contributes to this. So, to help you have a healthier holiday, we’ve collected a few ways in which you can reduce those flying germs!

1) Carry around your favourite sanitiser
(MyShield)

In the airport itself there’s hundreds of people coming and going every hour. ATMS, toilets and escalators are likely to be the places with the most human contact and with people carrying bacteria, these are the places most likely to be highly contaminated by germs. Therefore, the best way to minimise contact with germs is to sanitise either your hands or these areas ( or both! )

2) Sit in the front of the aircraft.

This is all to do with air circulation. Most commercial planes tend to have better air circulation at the front of the aircraft and there’s also less germs coming from the front of you. However the biggest risk of germs comes from people around you as most aircrafts have a fairly alright air filtration which removes a good amount of microorganisms in the air but this doesn’t apply to the germs coming from people surrounding you so another alternative would be sitting by people who aren’t coughing or sneezing if you have a free seating flight!

3) Wipe down your tray tables.

Tray tables are one of the most frequently touched and used items in an aeroplane. People eat on it, sleep on it, put their phones and laptops on it. There’s tons of germs on those tray tables and most airlines don’t sanitise the tray tables after every flight which means you’re likely touching someone else’s collective germs. There’s been traces of MRSA and E.Coli on aircraft tray tables. This could be an issue as you put your food on these trays and if pathogens such as E.Coli gets into your system you could be having diarrhoea or even an UTI during your holiday. So, the best way to avoid this? Grab your MyShield and spray down the tray table before placing anything on it

4) Switch out tea & coffee for bottled water!

The water tanks on aeroplanes aren’t the same as mineral water and aren’t usually as clean as you would think. Water needs to be boiled at a boiling point ( 100°C ) for a minute in order to denature bacteria but often on aircrafts water isn’t boiled at a sufficient enough temperature to denature bacteria so its safer to just stick to bottled mineral water or other bottled drinks!

source; webmd.com, frommers.com