I am so excited to share the following guest post, by Kendra Thornton, a travel advocate, TV spokesperson, PR businesswoman, proud wife and mama of 3. Her experience and knowledge in this area (traveling) can make your family vacations healthier and happier!If you’re like me, you probably spend months planning the family vacation. My plans usually include attractions that will please the whole family. However, my plans don’t include anyone getting sick, while we’re on the road. Lurking underneath all of that vacation excitement are countless opportunities for encountering nasty germs. Fortunately, there are some things that you can do to ensure your family stays healthy on vacation.
1. Choose Hotels that Will Provide Optimum Rest
Theme parks are a popular destination for my family, but overtired, over-stimulated kids aren’t able to enjoy even the best attractions. That’s why it’s so important to choose your hotel carefully. I usually choose a middle of the road nightly rate because this usually means a modern, comfortable room in a building that has reasonably good sound proofing. Quieter rooms and comfy beds always equal more quality sleep. I used Gogobot to sift through a list of Orlando hotels and found a great hotel that offered a quiet hours policy!
2. Guard Yourself in the Airplane Bathroom
Ever since I read a report by University of Arizona environmental microbiologist Dr. Charles Gerba, I’ve harbored a private horror of airplane bathroom. His study found that most airplane bathroom surfaces are covered in E coli. Be sure to keep your kids extra conscious about washing their hands in public places. I like clipping a hand sanitizer on my kids bags so they can always wash their hands whenever!3. Make Exercise a Possibility
Sometimes our travel plans require us to be cooped up in a car or an airplane for hours. Pack a jump rope, ball or Frisbee that can be used during breaks. The whole family will get some much needed exercise. Even just stretching the legs can allow kids to burn some energy and avoid that restlessness in long car rides.
4. Choose Good Nutrition
Vacations can be a great time to indulge in food choices that aren’t a part of our normal diet. However, too much indulgence can lead to upset tummies. The occasional indulgence is fun, but put reasonable limits on it. Ask that everyone order healthy items at each meal and choose just one less healthy choice each day!
5. Stay Hydrated
Whenever I fly, I always seem to get dehydrated. Buy bottles of water once you’ve made it through airport security, and don’t forget to say yes to more water when the flight attendant asks.While it isn’t necessary to over plan a vacation, being healthy while away from home is something we can all plan for and achieve. Plan for healthy travel by following these suggestions and you’ll have a wonderful experience the whole family will enjoy and treasure forever.
Kendra Thornton is a Travel advocate, TV spokesperson, PR businesswoman, proud wife and mama of 3. She is a long time travel expert who has been packing her bags and traveling the world since she was 3 months old. Kendra's found her utmost desire in life to be right here in her own home. She's mixed her excitement for travel by bringing the taste of authentic cuisine to her own home with some of her unique recipes and sharing some of her personal traveling tips.
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