How to Avoid Travel Sickness Naturally

Image by Raine Hilton The Good Vibes Girl

It is believed that around 33% of people are susceptible to even low key motion and that around 66% of people are susceptible in more severe conditions. Someone suffering from travel/motion sickness may suffer from one or more of the following symptoms:

• Vomiting/ nausea
• Pale complexion
• Dizziness
• Cold sweats
• Headache
• Fatigue/ sleepiness
• Feeling weak
• Inability to focus
• Increased salivation
• Excessive yawning

Motion sickness all begins in the brain; conflicting signals from the eyes, inner ear, and other sensory nerves of the body which are responsible for detecting and sending motion messages to the brain become scrambled.

For example; if you were in the cabin of the ship, unable to see out, your inner ear, would sense the motion of the waves, but as your eyes have no feedback of any movement occurring, the conflict between the two causes feelings of nausea and disorientation. The same can happen if you are reading while travelling in a car or bus.

This is why if you feel sick while on a ship or boat, and it is possible to get out on deck and look at a fixed spot on the horizon it can really help rebalance the senses. The same if you are travelling by bus or car; try to sit at the front if possible and keep your eyes fixed on the horizon. Sitting in a seat that faces forward, not backward will also be less disorientating to the senses.

Lie back and close your eyes. Closing the eyes reduces the likelihood of conflicting messages in the inner ear. Try listening to some relaxing music or an audio book to take your mind off the journey and prevent the psychogenic effects associated with travel sickness; the more you think about being sick the more likely you will be.

Avoid smoking and anyone smoking around you if possible. Try to have a steady stream of fresh air around you or carry a small hand fan. If you can, stop often and have a walk around to ground yourself.

Plan Ahead

If you know you have a big journey ahead of you, try to avoid alcohol the night before. Eat a light meal, nothing too heavy, spicy, fatty or dairy laden. Get an early night, and if you have to travel in the early hours, try to make time for a nap before you set off. Just feeling tired and disorientated is enough to make you feel queasy sometimes.

Have something light to eat before you travel and drink lots of plain water, again avoid heavy spicy, fatty meals, cutting down on dairy products and sugar can really help too. No greasy fry-ups!

I know that duty free alcohol and free drinks are tempting, but your body will really thank you for saying no and sticking to water and soft drinks. Flying in particular dehydrates you, and aggravating this by drinking alcohol will only make things a whole lot worse.

Healthy Alternatives

Aromathearpy essential oils image by Raine Hilton The Good Vibes Girl

Herbs can also play their part in reducing nausea; Ginger in particular is a very popular choice, often used in the case of morning sickness too. You could brew a pot of ginger tea to sip before you go or to take with you in a flask, or buy some in its raw or candied form to chew while you are travelling. Ginger biscuits are good to nibble on too. A few drops of ginger oil on a tissue and inhaled can ease a queasy stomach.

 Peppermint is another good alternative and a few drops of the tincture can be added to water or to a spoonful of honey.

Fennel is another popular choice that has been used through the ages; you can either chew a few of the seeds or buy capsules of it in a powdered form.

Lavender oil is also very useful, a few drops on a tissue to inhale is a wonderful help and suitable for all ages. You can also dab a little onto temples, pulse points and the back of the neck to cool, calm and refresh. If stress, anxiety, or maybe a fear of flying is a big factor for you, then lavender is wonderful for this too.

One thing I never travel without is Bach Rescue Remedy. This little bottle of pure magic instantly brings a moment of calm to the most stressful of situations, and we all know how it feels to hear you have a 12 hour delay on your flight! You can buy this in spray form or in a dropper style bottle. You can put a few drops on your tongue or add a few drops to a bottle of water; it’s great for children too. They also sell tins of sweets with it added to. The specific flower remedy for sickness is Crab Apple.

Image via Wikipedia

Another great buy are ‘Seabands’, these are little bands with a small bead inserted that go around your wrist, putting pressure on a special acupuncture point to ease nausea. These can be used for any form of travel, not just by sea as the name suggests.  They are suitable for children and adults alike.

Working on this same principle, you can also press directly on the acupuncture point; this can be found on the inside of your forearm, and around two inches above the crease in your wrist.

Various homeopathic remedies are great too; do consult a qualified professional first though. Among those that are available are;

• Nux Vomica
• Cocculus
• Tabacum
• Ipecacuanha

If you use Ayurvedic medicine, then you may be prescribed remedies and infusions made from;

• Bonnisan
• Gasex
• Neem

As always, do consult a qualified professional in this area. Just because something is holistic doesn’t mean in the wrong hands that it can’t be harmful.

If you have access to ice, then you could place a small icepack on the base of the skull and another on the solar plexus for 15 minutes.

If you like to work with crystals, Malachite is the perfect one for sickness. You can either hold it over your solar plexus, or hold it against a glass of water to make a crystal Elixir. The crystal must NOT go into the water, as some crystals are poisonous.  Just hold it against the glass for 5 minutes and allow the crystals energy to flow into the water. Sip this slowly throughout the journey. Rose quartz is a wonderfully gentle balancer and works well in harmony with Malachite.

Malachiite image by Raine Hilton The Good Vibes Girl

In case all else fails, pack some sick bags, nothing worse than knowing the inevitable is about to happen and not being able to stop!

If the worst happens….

If you are sick then, try to get out in the fresh air, and sip some cold water. Soak a tissue in cold water and hold it against your forehead, temples and back of neck, and hold your hands and wrists under cold running water.

When you feel able, nibble on something dry, like crackers, plain biscuits or a piece of dry toast.

If you are repeatedly sick and are in danger of dehydration then add a little sachet of a pre-prepared electrolytes to a glass of water; this is a basic mix of sugars and salts that your body needs to rebalance itself.

Follow these tips and you should hopefully have a happy and stress free journey!

Image by Raine Hilton The Good Vibes Girl