Home Advice Tips To Ease Sore Throats While Travelling

When you’re on the go exploring new horizons the last thing you want to be dealing with is a sore throat. Understanding how to get rid of a sore throat fast while travelling can help you bounce back and make the most of your adventures.

Common Sicknesses in Travellers

Whether you’re a seasoned traveller or an occasional adventurer, familiar ailments like sore throats can crop up unexpectedly. It is quite common to develop a sickness whilst travelling.

Inside our bodies there is a large community of microorganisms, including bacteria and other microbes that play an important role in our health and wellbeing, these organisms make up your microbiome. Your microbiome exists in a delicate balance, informed by your body and its surroundings. Changing your environment by travelling can mean you are sleeping and waking up at different times, eating different food or being exposed to new bacteria. All of these things may impact your microbiome and potentially leave you more vulnerable to getting a sore throat.

Learn more about sore throats.

Why Do I Get a Sore Throat After Flying?

Air travel can expose you to various factors that may contribute to a sore throat, such as dry cabin air that dehydrates the throat, proximity to others who may be carrying bacteria or viruses, or the general stress of travel that can weaken your immune defences.

Plane cabins can be quite dry and this low humidity can dehydrate you, dry out your nasal passages and irritate your throat. Plane temperatures also vary greatly over the flight from around 22-29 degrees celsius. These warmer temperatures, coupled with the low humidity can contribute to dehydration, dry itchy or irritated eyes, dry or stuffy nose and skin dryness or irritation.

Preventing a Sore Throat While Travelling

To help stay healthy whilst you travel make sure you drink lots of water to stay hydrated, wash your hands regularly and use hand sanitiser or disinfecting wipes to help keep microbes away. Maintaining good hygiene is key to helping prevent illness while travelling. To help prevent sickness, including catching any illnesses which can cause sore throats, you may like to wear a facemask. This may help reduce your exposure to other passengers’ germs which can be transmitted through the air in the enclosed space of a plane or train carriage.

What kills a sore throat fast while travelling?

Sore throats usually resolve themselves within a week. However, should a sore throat arise whilst you are travelling, here’s how you can help ease it:

  • Hydrate continuously with water or herbal teas: Many hotels and cafes around the world can provide you with boiling water, or a kettle for making tea, drinking warm liquids is a great way to help ease a sore throat
  • Use Lozenges: Sore throat lozenges can provide temporary relief by numbing the throat and reducing irritation
    • These lozenges are easy to stash in a travel kit or carry on bag to help soothe any sore throats that arise
  • Try Betadine Sore Throat Gargle: Betadine sore throat gargle can kill the bacteria that can cause sore throats and it is widely available in both a concentrated and a ready to use formula to suit your travel needs

Read more about easing and preventing a sore throat.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

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Yes! The dry, recycled air in planes can dry out your mucous membranes, making you prone to sore throats. Make sure you hydrate before your flight and whilst you are in the air to reduce your risk of getting a sore throat.

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Whilst travelling you can get sick from all sorts of illnesses, including getting a sore throat. Consider taking preventive measures like regular hand washing and using sanitising wipes on tray tables and armrests. You can also wear a mask whilst taking enclosed transportation such as trains or planes to reduce your risk of contracting any nasties from your fellow passengers.

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Whilst paracetamol can help you manage the pain associated with a sore throat, it does not have antibacterial properties and cannot treat the underlying cause of your sore throat. Betadine products such as Betadine Sore Throat Gargle are antiseptic and can kill bacteria that can cause a sore throat.
Read more about Betadine and how it works.

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