I spent most of last week in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was lovely—gorgeous autumn weather, leaves changing colour, and enough sunlight to get by. But there were also moments where it was cold and rainy, and unfortunately my partner has come down with a cold. I’m worried I’m starting to feel a little sniffly, too!
He blames the seasons changing; I blame the five-hour train ride in close proximity to others. But I’m also thinking—there’s ways we could have watched for this, and possibly avoided it. If I could go back in time one week, here’s what I’d do:
Pay attention to sleep
It’s so easy on holidays to throw out normal routines—you’re somewhere new! It’s exciting! Let’s have dinner late and a walk early! But truthfully, I came back from this holiday underslept and sniffly. Our bodies need rest to repair themselves, and sleep is a huge part of that!
Adjust immediately for colder, wetter weather
I thought Scotland would be a colder version of London, by a few degrees. What I didn’t take into account was that London is unseasonably warm right now (it’s currently 20°C and I’m still sleeping in my summer pyjamas). I realized pretty soon that Edinburgh was colder and windier, with sudden bursts of rain. My thinking I’ll tough it out didn’t help me. By the end of the trip I had bought a large scarf and was cursing my choice of outerwear. I wish I’d taken action sooner!
Bring multivitamins
At home, I take a multivitamin and an iron supplement. But I think of them as more recreational—a little bonus I give myself for good health. I didn’t want to take a pill caddy with me for a short trip. Now I think not having the pills lowered my body’s initial response to germs.
Use hand sanitizer & disinfectant wipes whenever possible
I know this is gross, but sometimes I get halfway through a meal before I realise that I’ve not washed my hands since walking outside, touching the pub door, and holding menus that have passed through 20 odd customers that day. Having hand sanitizer in my purse would have been such a fast way to kill those germs!
Make a travel health kit
Band-aids, painkillers, antacids, and ginger gummies are what’s in mine—but this autumn, you might consider throat lozenges or flu capsules. These will help with symptoms you might develop before you get home!
When in doubt, N95 mask
My partner and I still have some of these from our COVID era, and I wish that we’d brought one along. Of course, the masks are meant to contain the germs to the wearer; but the minute that my partner felt a cold coming on, I would have made him wear one!
None of these things would have guaranteed that my partner or I didn’t get sick—but all the little things you can do will add up to a better immune system in the coming months. The season changing means flu season is coming soon; take care of yourself!
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