With IMEX America in early October and new Covid variants spreading rapidly, it’s important to consider how you are preparing to protect yourself and stay healthy while networking and conducting business with colleagues throughout cold and flu season.
Some healthy habits, like staying up to date with the latest Covid vaccines, require a bit more of a commitment than others, but all are helpful in ensuring you steer clear of getting sick.
Here are a few ways you can prepare for the industry’s busy tradeshow season as well as your fall and winter flu-season travels.
Get Boosted!
On August 22, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, including Comirnaty and Spikevax (approved for individuals 12 years and older) as well as the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, both of which are authorized for emergency use for individuals 6 months through 11 years of age.
These newly approved vaccines include a monovalent (single) component that corresponds to the Omicron variant KP.2 strain of SARS-CoV-2—which accounted for most infections in the U.S. as of the first week of August)—to more closely target currently circulating variants. They are now available at pharmacies, health centers and doctors’ offices.
[Related: Tips and Tricks for Combating Jet Lag and Business Travel Fatigue]
Pack a To-Go Health Kit
One of the first things anyone remembers to pack before a trip is prescription medication, but besides an additional handful of ibuprofen in a Ziploc bag, most travelers often stop there.
One of the easiest ways to stay healthy during business travel is to be prepared with any medicine you may need on the road. Ibuprofen is helpful for headaches, but if you suddenly wake up with a dry mouth, too congested to breathe through your nose, you’ll be thankful for the tiny bottle of nose spray in your handy health kit!
Some helpful items to consider bringing with you the next time you travel include:
- Daily vitamins
- Emergen-C
- Band-Aids
- Cough drops
- Decongestant
- Pain and fever medicine
- A thermometer
- Sleep aids
- Hand sanitizer
- Hydrocortisone cream
The CDC offers an online “Pack Smart” checklist with recommendations for what prescription medications, medical supplies, over-the-counter medicine, supplies to prevent illness or injury, first-aid kits and documents to consider taking with you when you travel, as well as tips for creating a Travel Health Kit.
[Related: The Case for Plant-Forward, Default-Veg Menus at Meetings]
Simple Solutions
When looking at the bigger picture, it can be easy to let the simple solutions slip your mind, but tiny tasks like cleaning your airplane seat with sanitizing wipes before takeoff and remembering to pack a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated are just as helpful in keeping you healthy as stocking up on vitamins.
Don’t rush during bathroom breaks between meetings and remember to wash your hands regularly, especially before and after meals, if you’ve been shaking hands or if you’ve touched things like handrails, doorknobs and elevator buttons. Making sure you get enough sleep also helps keep your immune system strong and able to fight off any illnesses by producing more infection-fighting cells, according to National Institutes of Health.
Following are some additional simple tips and tricks fellow industry professionals practice to stay healthy during business travel and while attending meetings and events.
Business Travel Health Tips From Top Meeting Profs
“I stock up on Emergen-C and take extra before an event, and I drink a lot of water on a daily basis when traveling,” said Melinda Eggenberger, vice president of events, learning and membership at Lex Mundi, a network of independent law firms. “I pack hydration supplements and have found Liquid IV to be one of the best, especially when dehydrated from flights.”
Eggenberger said she always has hand sanitizer handy and ensures she wipes down the tray table, seat, armrests and any other surface she may come in contact with on flights.
“I drink Spark by Advocare on a daily basis and take Spark Sticks with me,” she added. “This isn’t an immunity supplement but has B vitamins and caffeine for an extra burst of energy without the jitters of too much coffee. I also exercise when traveling, even if I only have 20 minutes. I love to get out for a walk, but if that isn’t possible, I have the Peloton app for a cardio, HIIT or Barre workout, and I throw resistance bands in my luggage. That way, I can exercise in my hotel room.”
Dianne Davis, event producer at TulNet Meetings and Events, said she “loves herself a Medicine Ball,” or Starbucks’ iconic cold-busting concoction made with Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea, Peach Tranquility Herbal Tea, hot water, steamed lemonade and honey.
“I swear by Emergen-C, which has vitamin C, zinc and magnesium in it,” said Diana Maccia, senior director of global accounts at HelmsBriscoe. “I take a package when I will be in a crowd or when someone around me feels under the weather. I think this has helped me build my immune system and prevent colds. When I can’t dissolve a package, I opt for Airborne, which is available as chewables.”
Maccia also said she takes advantage of salt as a natural immunity builder.
“I sit in a salt cave where you breathe salt for a certain period of time,” Maccia said. “This is an old-fashioned therapy which evolved from the salt mines in Poland where they realized that the workers were healthy and rarely got sick.”
Meetings industry veteran MaryAnne Bobrow of Bobrow Associates said it’s important to not forget the practical things available, like continuing to wear masks on airplanes and avoiding too much physical contact with other attendees.
“I was recently at a small event of no more than 20 people and by the time we got home, we were notified that someone had tested positive for Covid, and I didn’t get it,” Bobrow said. “We all hugged each other—it had been so long since we had met together. We were in close contact for many hours over two days.
“But I still carry sanitary wipes and masks in my briefcase,” Bobrow continued. “I used the wipes in my hotel rooms as well ever since a meeting in D.C. years ago where I contracted the horrible norovirus. Since then, I use wipes on door handles, desks, nightstands, tables, etc. and follow sneezing and coughing protocols. There are so many practical ways to help protect yourself.”
*Brought to you by Caesars Entertainment
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