Planning a summer vacation? Don't forget game plan to keep from getting sick this travel season

Unexpected virus, illness could cut a trip short this summer

With children wrapping up the school year, parents are planning summer vacations but they should also be taking steps to prevent a vacation viruses from cutting their trip short.

No one wants sickness to ruin their trip or summer vacation.

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However, Dr. Brenda Powell, a travel health specialist at Cleveland Clinic, said it is not difficult for someone to get sick when they travel.

"So, you're planning this wonderful vacation, yet it's very stressful. You are worried about things, making arrangements, and that compromises or hurts your immune system. And then when you finally do travel you're not sleeping well. You're crossing time zones, you're sleeping in new places, traveling at odd hours of the day, and that's also very hard on the immune system," said Powell.

Powell recommends travelers staying hydrated, something that many metro Detroiters said they try to do.

"I drink a lot of water, you know, when I'm traveling you know. I just came back from Texas and it was very hot," said Sharon Abbott, a traveler.

Diet is also an important port of staying healthy while traveling. Travelers should include lots of vitamins in their diet before traveling, especially vitamins A and C, which help boost your immune system.

"I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, I'll bring sanitizer with me," said metro Detroiter Lora Corcini

Powell also recommends hand sanitizers.

"You may not be able to wash your hands when you want to. So, if you can't get to soap and water when you have to have clean hands, you can use your hand sanitizer. The other is even though you have the opportunity to wash your hands with soap and water, you're still touching many things that other people have touched also and that's how you can somehow be exposed to bacteria or viruses," said Powell.