It’s Sunday, and I’ve spent most of the weekend feeling run-down and sick.

I am someone who gets sick every year; my parents joke that I never met a cold I didn’t catch. Call it low iron, a bad immune system, or just bad luck; I’ve tried a lot to help it, but I can’t stop getting sick.

And this has impacted my travel in so many ways! After a delayed train ride two years ago, I woke up on Christmas Day with COVID-19. A trip to my parents’ place in Ontario took a dramatic turn when my partner and I got sick en route, and spent three days in bed—me without a voice for almost the entire trip. I had to cancel a trip to Barcelona just as the world was exiting its pandemic era, due (again) to COVID-19.

But I’ve got a trip planned this week—from the UK to Canada for 10 days to visit family, including at my partner’s family reunion. So I’m doing the thing that makes the most sense to me: getting vaccinated as much as I can. Last week, it was the 2024 flu vaccine; as I write this, I’m feeling pretty sick because I just got the COVID-19 booster for 2024.

I usually have side effects to vaccines; it doesn’t help that I haven’t been sleeping well lately, but headaches and soreness are what you sign up for when you’re trying to train your body to deal with illness (and your immune system is as bad as mine is). It feels odd feeling bad in the short-term to hopefully feel better in the long term.

Of course, I’m also doing it to ensure that my vacation isn’t ruined! And that I’m not bringing a serious illness around people like my partner’s family members, including small kids and grandparents…I don’t want to be the partner who showed up, got everyone sick, and ruined the reunion!

I know we all like to think of COVID-19 as being in the past (I know I do; the pandemic is something that I’d like to forget the worst parts of). But I wanted to write this as a reminder that if you’re travelling this holiday season—a time of year when a lot of people get sick, and people are visiting loved ones that include elderly/at-risk people like grandparents—that getting a flu vaccine and a COVID-19 booster might be a great way to lessen the risk of an illness taking over the holiday.

If you’re looking after your health while travelling, you might also consider:

Get travel insurance. This isn’t just for illness; if you break a leg skiing or slip on some black ice, your hospital trip might not be covered without this.

Get your boosters before you go. See if your local clinic administers flu vaccines and/or COVID boosters.

Call in your prescriptions 2–3 weeks before you leave home. Don’t leave this until the last minute; especially if you’re worried about reported shortages on medicines like epi-pens.

Research the names of your medications wherever you’re travelling to prior to going. Is what they call acetaminophen in North America, closer to the UK’s Neurofen or Paracetamol? Is Benadryl the same as Buckley’s? Are there any side effects of Night Nurse that don’t happen with Nyquil? Researching this ahead of time will help you if you run out painkillers or cough medicine you know works.

Germ killers are your friend. I always bring antiseptic gel with me when I fly or take public transport like busses or trains, and I’m really loving using my hypochlorous acid spray for my face (it’s what they use on baby’s bums after a diaper change; kills germs without drying out the skin).

If you’re super-nervous, remember that N95 masks are always a great option. Are they a pain? Absolutely. But if you’re at-risk, they’re the healthiest thing you can wear!

Wishing everyone good health as we head into the holiday season. Happy travels!