Five Aids to Healthy Travel for Families on the Go. Scratchy throats, sour tummies and ear aches happen even on vacations but there are aids to lessen or avoid the full blown stress of being sick while away from home.

 
Here’s the scoop. No one plans to become ill while on vacation, but air travel, climate adjustments, food allergies, cruise ship activities, jet lag, and public restrooms all provide the potential to wear down resistance and to allow unwanted germs to wreak havoc. Becoming sick is not an automatic result but as a mom and grand mom, I know being prepared means peace of mind and I am always looking preventative practices and non invasive, natural solutions. I have five suggestions for your away bag or to use every day at home to minimize the chance of a trip to an urgent care facility or ship's infirmary while on holiday. 

Kinsa - Don’t leave home without one. I am all for using technology to lessen stress, so Kinsa gets my vote. The award winning app with accessory is cooler than ice cubes. Kinsa is the world’s first smart thermometer is super-efficient, easy to install and use almost anywhere. The device and associaeted app makes tracking a family member’s symptoms and temperatures easy so that the information is ready to share with a doctor if need be. The thermometer stick is lightweight and flexible making it portable and packable in a handbag, backback, diaper bag or carry on luggage. It plugs directly into a smart phone’s headphone jack enabling storage of symptoms, temperature readings, notes, images. While I have only used the thermometer, I have learned they also have a product for assessining ear aches which no doubt is also cool. Bonus Points:  To distract children of any age, when in use there is an interactive screen to occupy the time before the temperature registers. Details at www.kinsahealth.com

Ice Chips - Meant to quell a queasy tummy.  To soothe a queasy tummy naturally, ginger and peppermint are always a top choice in the expectant mom's arsenal of home remedies. When you are so nauseous even drinking tea is making you grimace, Ice Chips® offers a delicious, all-natural and sugar-free candy in both ginger and peppermint flavors that may help. Place a tin in your purse, backpack, or carry-on for refreshment and to quell queasiness. Made with xylitol and safe for the expectant mom, recent studies have found a link between consuming Xylitol during pregnancy and stronger teeth in infants. Ice Chips® are available in 20 tantalizing flavors including ginger, peppermint, wintergreen, cinnamon, and strawberry-daiquiri. Details at www.icechips.com 

Tea Drop – A remedy after a long day. For tea snobs this may seem ridiculous but for the rest of us Tea drops is a delightful solution for enjoying soothing organic tea while traveling. The compressed tea is made with genuine tea leaves that dissolve in hot water. Each Tea Drop is handcrafted and infused with the finest organic teas, spices and earth-derived sweeteners. Simply pour boiling water in a cup, add a Tea Drop, wait, stir, and enjoy. Choices include caffeinated, caffeine-free and natural wellness teas. Flavors include citrus ginger, vanilla white, rose- earl grey, turmeric, cardamom spice, matcha-green tea, sweet peppermint, and seasonally pumpkin spice. Tea Drops are  packaged in a paulownia wood box that is eco-friendly, sustainable and biodegradable. Details at www.myteadrop.com 

DripDrop – Drink your water please. Keeping all family members hydrated is essential when fending off germs while traveling any time of year.  DripDrop is a powder electrolyte solution that you add to water to treat dehydration. Invented by Dr. Eduardo Dolhun, a Mayo-clinic trained physician, as an alternative to sports drinks (i.e. Gatorade) and pediatric solutions (i.e. Pedialyte) - DripDrop actually works. It has been clinically proven to hydrate 150% better than plain water and 43% better than sports drinks and contains 3x the electrolytes and 1/2 the sugar of most sports drinks. DripDrop comes in powder packets easy to carry in a purse, backpack, or carry-on bag and ready to be added to a water bottle or drinking cup as needed. Details at http://dripdrop.com/

Nature’s Rite – A natural sinus relief. When on vacation being able to breathe is always a benefit, right? Any tropical family vacation includes sunshine, balmy breezes, and allergens in the air - the minute particles that cause stuffy noses and cranky kids. The issue is when sinuses are inflamed and blocked; they form moist pockets of mucus that are just right for breeding fungus and bacteria. A little stuffy nose can quickly turn into a sinus infection. Spraying Nature’s Rite All-Natural Sinus Relief into the nose will kill those germs before they even get started.  Details at http://mynaturesrite.com/