How often do people get sick when traveling?

Many journal articles and reference books related to travel medicine cite that between 22–64% of international travellers become ill during or after travel; however, this information is minimal, outdated and limited by poor generalizability.



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From flu-like symptoms to digestive tract upsets, feeling ill post-vacation affects up to 80 percent of returning travelers, says Dr. Ashima Oza, a primary care physician and an instructor in the Division of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine.

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You may be staying up later, consuming more alcohol and getting less exercise than usual. You're also more likely to be in crowded places for prolonged periods, interacting with a more diverse population than you're used to.” All of these factors can weaken your immune system and set the stage for getting sick.

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When you're traveling, it's likely you'll come into contact with many different people, areas, and surfaces. As we mentioned earlier, your immune system may already be weakened from the effects of traveling, making you more susceptible to bacteria and viruses.

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Take at Least 1 Week Off to Reap the Most Benefits
According to study co-author Ty Ferguson, PhD, a research associate at the University of South Australia, a week or two of vacation time “is long enough for a person to 'settle in' to the change in a new routine in how they spend their time.”

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Sick on vacation? Four ways to help yourself feel better and get back to enjoying your trip
  1. Rest. It may be tempting to power through and keep sightseeing, but pushing yourself when you're sick can make things worse and prolong your recovery time. ...
  2. Stay Hydrated. ...
  3. IV Drip. ...
  4. Seek Medical Attention.


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When we travel our bodies endure a lot of stress, says Gretchen Genato, a nurse practitioner at Cedars-Sinai's Playa Vista Urgent Care. Stress can decrease your immune system, making you susceptible to illness.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlines who might be too under-the-weather to fly—namely, anyone with a fever of 100° F (38° C) or higher and a severe cough, or difficulty breathing, or the kind of stomach sickness that makes a hangover look like a picnic.

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People who do not travel often may get used to movement during a trip lasting several days. Even those who travel often may find that symptoms get better as they are more often exposed to motion. However, people who get anxious before a journey often have worsened symptoms of motion sickness.

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Another one of De Bloom's studies found that while longer vacations are “more likely to facilitate mastery experience,” shorter vacations are “more likely to result in detachment and relaxation experiences.” In other words, if the purpose of the vacation is just to relax and escape, a jaunt shorter than seven days is ...

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Taking a two week vacation forces you to offload some of your workload and remove your mind from work for a true “break”. Giving yourself enough time to truly get away lets you slow down and let your mind move past all the work chatter in your head.

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A study by MIT scholars estimates that from mid-2020 through early 2021, the probability of getting Covid-19 on an airplane surpassed 1 in 1,000 on a totally full flight lasting two hours at the height of the early pandemic, roughly December 2020 and January 2021.

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