Travel Health & Safety Resources: From Healthy Travel to Tips for Traveling Sick

Planning to fly with a baby or toddler is stressful enough in itself. And while you’re getting ready for that trip you’re likely fretting about avoiding getting sick on vacation.

But it’s a few days before you leave and, oh no…

When the COVID-19 pandemic first started, a big question was if we'd ever travel again, never mind when. Now the world is starting to open up. Here's a look at what travel after COVID-19 might look like with babies and small children.

An airplane truly is just a flying tube of shared surfaces and recycled air. They have always been ideal places to pick up a cold or flu virus. It takes just one person to cough into their hand and then take the tray table down for the next passenger in that seat to catch a
cold. As gross as it may be to think about, it takes just one person to not wash their hands properly (or at all – GROSS) after using the washroom to open the latch on the overhead bin for the next passenger to get the Norwalk virus.

For all of our previous flights, I maintained our usual regimen of hand washing and sanitizer use. Plus, constantly nagging my daughter to keep her hands out of her mouth. This time around, even though I KNEW that catching H1N1 was as likely as any other thing we’d normally come into contact with on a flight, I was a little freaked out.

I am frequently accused of being an overpacker (see The Mother of all Packing Lists and Carry-On Packing List) but I am a firm believer in making things easy for yourself when traveling with small children! Granted, these are guidelines, not everything on these lists is deemed essential. However, it IS essential to ensure you have a well-stocked baby first aid kit for your peace of mind.

It’s a parent’s worst fear. In spite of your scrupulous hand washing habits, your diligence in choosing a safe and clean destination, and your careful selection of nutritious and appropriate food, your baby gets sick on vacation...

For most vacation destinations in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, and Australia, your routine immunizations are enough to protect your child against diseases and illnesses that have been mostly eradicated in North America, but are
still very much present in some parts of the world.

But if you plan on visiting countries outside of North America, you may consider or even require additional travel vaccinations for babies , toddlers, or children.

When heading down south for a beach vacation with young children, Caribbean mosquito virus issues are not typically at the top of our list of concerns.

Usually we worry about sun safety, gastro illness, and the quality of food, water, and health care available. However, in recent years, Zika changed that. And now, an old foe has reared its (very) ugly head: Dengue.

In my previous life, most on-vacation ailments were totally self-inflicted. Usually it was too much sun, too
much alcohol, or too much rich food–or any and all combinations therein.

But as we all know, the babies, toddlers, and children we know and love introduce us to wide array of new and gross and previously unimaginable illnesses. And trust me when I say, Dr. Google is not your friend when doing an image search of “rash.”