Do you get sick when travel via plane?

2026-04-18 12:05 UTC

Almost every time I fly somewhere, I get sick, and it kinda ruins every vacation ever. I’m not sure if it’s the germs on the airplane, or the time zone difference affecting my sleep. Maybe a combination of both? Last trip, it hit me about 3 days in. I wouldn’t say my drinking/sleeping habits are that different on vacation compared to my regular life. Is this a common thing people experience, or time to see a doctor? I desperately wanna enjoy a vacation sickness free and then return to work refreshed instead of sick.

Replies (7)

@extremeboredom@lemmy.world 2026-04-18 12:22

I usually buff up on immune system supplements a few days before travel, because the same used to happen to me.

Open ##1437124
@cmbabul@lemmy.world 2026-04-18 12:52

At this point I seem to get sick once a month from having to go into the damned office

Open ##1437329
@makeshiftreaper@lemmy.world 2026-04-18 14:17

Getting sick when traveling is absolutely more common, you’re exposed to foods, diseases, weather, and people that you aren’t used to. However if it’s happening reliably and specifically after flying as opposed to other forms of travel that does sound like it could be a specific problem. It could be an inner-ear thing since airplane compression can fuck with that It’s not a perfect solution but sometimes when I fly I wear a mask to reduce the odds of getting sick, though it’s pretty rare I get sick from travel myself, and I travel internationally annually

Open ##1437512
@bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 2026-04-21 13:03

My father is a sports pilot. As a child I flew very often with him. I puked almost all the time but I still loved hit. Every plane at his club is marked by my vomit. Only one time I already felt sick when we arrived at the airfield. He still took me up in a sailplane. In order to stay up in a sailplane you have to constantly fly in circles above fields with warm air. Round and round and round. We were up for 4 hours. I didn’t puke once. By the time we were back down again I wasn’t sick anymore.

Open ##1495783
@nottelling@lemmy.world 2026-04-20 12:47

I'm 4 illnesses out of my last 5 flights. Flu twice, despite getting vaxed. The last one was a sinus infection so bad I'm afraid to fly again. Previous doctor was just like "was your hands more", so he's fired. New doctor has a plan where I take supplements and some asthma steroids before travel and wear a mask through the flight.

Open ##1822503
@monovergent@lemmy.ml 2026-04-20 18:57

I don't, but there's always someone else in my family who's getting sick whenever we fly together. I've worn masks to the airport ever since the pandemic. Also tend to fall asleep shortly after takeoff, so I'm well-rested upon arrival.

Open ##1822504
@dawcas@scribe.disroot.org 2026-05-08 17:55

How's your immune system doing? I always got sick traveling and turns out I produce zero antibodies.

Open ##2263149