Michele standing in front of Schatz. MDWfeatures / Michele Kobke

Personal hygiene and health have become hot button topics as of late. With the recent outbreak of COVID-19, many people are looking to increase their personal hygiene in order to halt the spread of the virus and prevent themselves from getting sick. Unfortunately, keeping up your personal hygiene standards in these trying times can be very difficult while traveling. Although you might not be traveling often with so much being closed, there are some scenarios where travel might be necessary. For example, you may have just taken a new job in Alberta and you need to fly out to look at Banff homes for sale, or you may need to fly somewhere to address a family emergency. In situations like these, travel is unavoidable, but personal hygiene still needs to be kept up. So how can you keep good hygiene standards while away from home? Here are personal hygiene tips for traveling. 

 

Wash Your Hands

If you’ve done any research into personal hygiene before, then you know the importance of washing your hands. Washing your hands with soap can kill a lot of germs and bacteria that are residing on your hands, allowing you to prevent them from entering your body. Not only is washing your hands an important part of preventing disease and illness, but it’s also an important part of cleanliness as well. Dirt and other grimy substances can get on your hands, making them gross and unsanitary. Washing your hands can get them clean again, helping you keep up your personal hygiene. Even if you don’t have access to soap and water, washing your hands with hand sanitizer can still be a great way to clean your hands and kill germs. You should be cleaning your hands constantly, ensuring that you practice good hygiene habits while you’re traveling. 

 

Don’t Touch Your Face

Another bad hygiene habit that people have is touching their face. Whether it’s simply touching your cheeks, rubbing your eyes, or picking your nose, putting your hands anywhere near your face is a recipe for disaster. As mentioned before, bacteria and other germs live on your hands, and if you touch your face without washing your hands, those germs can enter your body. In addition, touching your face can be a major detriment to personal hygiene and cleanliness. Dirt and other substances from your hands could get on your face after touching it, getting your face dirty. Getting your face dirty can have some adverse side effects, such as clogged pores and acne formations. If you want to keep yourself clean and healthy while you’re traveling, then you should definitely avoid touching your face.

 

Don’t Share Food

Sometimes when you’re traveling you have a piece of food or a drink that is so good that you absolutely have to share with others. However, if you’re looking to stay healthy while traveling then this is strongly discouraged. Sharing food is a primary method of germ transferring. Even if you just share a bite of your sandwich or have someone take a sip of your drink, that’s more than enough to transfer plenty of germs. If you want to avoid getting sick while away from home, stop yourself from sharing your food and drinks with other people. 

 

Use Sandals While Showering

If you’re traveling far away from home, chances are you’re staying in a hotel. While you might think that hotel rooms are cleaned to the point of being spotless, that isn’t always the case. The hotel cleaning staff doesn’t always do the best job at cleaning your hotel room before you occupy it, especially if you’re staying at a cheaper hotel. Due to this fact, you never really know if your hotel room’s shower is actually fully clean. Showers are moist and hot, the perfect breeding ground for germs. If your feet are exposed, these germs could latch on, increasing the chance of infection spreading. Thankfully, you can prevent this by protecting your feet with sandals. Sandals ensure that your feet aren’t directly exposed to any germs, even if the shower hasn’t been adequately cleaned from past use.Â