Travel Sickness Can Ruin A Vacation

Part of the benefit to living in Rome, and one of the reasons we moved here, is for the ease of traveling around Italy and Europe. Unlike traveling from the US, a trip to Milan or Amsterdam isn’t a difficult discussion and quite economical.

We recently planned a short getaway that I really was psyched about. I thought about the great photographs I’ll be taking, the interesting food I would be enjoying and I even considered the content I could be adding to my blog. We planned a short getaway to the northern Italian city of Bolzano. It would be great! We’d leave the oppressive heat of Rome, enjoy some German influenced food and maybe even ride a gondola. Or so we thought.

Unfortunately, my vacation, and as a result Mrs. Curmudgeon’s was ruined once I got sick and was unable to leave our vacation apartment. This was some type of viral gastroenteritis, the likes of which I have NEVER experienced. I won’t share the details, but IT WAS BAD!

Once I started feeling sick, my brain immediately went to the wasted money and missed opportunities. My wife, being a caring individual, stayed around the apartment helping me try to feel better, but I did try to encourage her to get out, if for no other reason than at least one of us should experience this new city.

The symptoms lasted the entire time we planned to be in Balzano, and continued even after returning back home. The ONLY reason I could manage the train ride home was because of the Imodium the Mrs. grabbed for me. After weeks of asking myself: “Is It Over?” I reached out to my Dr. and got the appropriate antibiotic prescription. Then, after a few weeks, this nightmare was over.

How Often Does Severe Travel Sickness Happen?

As I was sitting on the couch waiting for my next visit to the bathroom (I promise, no more graphic than that), I reflected on our travel history and how often ( or rarely) an illness derailed our enjoyment. We agreed on a number of 4. In the 25+ years we traveled together, an illness ruined the trip four times, which doesn’t seem too bad.

The illnesses have been varied. They’ve included: Covid (of course), a common cold, intestinal issues and this weird bacterial infection. Some of these are likely travel related, like being stuck in a trans-Atlantic and Transcontinental plane for 12 hours, which I would guess could’ve led to the Covid-19 infection or common cold symptoms, but the other two illnesses seem to be food related to us. 

The causes to the food-related illnesses could’ve incubated 12 to 28 hours before the symptoms present themselves, so there is no way to be certain of the specific food, but I’m a little suspicious of my local Kebab shop. I haven’t been back and I haven’t gotten sick, so you do the math! It probably doesn’t matter, but when I’m sick, I want to know who to blame (or what foods to avoid)!

Is There Travel Sickness Relief?

The best defense is a great offense, so was there anything we could’ve done to avoid getting sick? Nothing much, probably. O.K., maybe the bout with Covid could have been avoided if we were diligent about wearing masks on the plane, in the cab and on the buses, but this was well after the pandemic, nobody was wearing them and we weren’t aware of any unusual outbreaks at that time. The other food-related illnesses were unavoidable, to the best of our knowledge.

The main thing you need to do once you get sick, and it will happen to all of us, is to approach a travel illness with a calm attitude and handle it with acceptance. Yes, your trip is probably ruined, but you will have other opportunities to travel and getting angry or frustrated during your trip won’t help you, or anyone else. Don’t wait to contact your doctor and now is the time to try those OTC medications you’ve only seen ads about.

What If Severe Travel Sickness Happens To You?

Treat your vacation sickness that same way you would if you were at home. Relax on the couch, try to eat well, drink fluids and if you need to, head to the pharmacy and get some OTC medication. If it seems more serious than something that acetaminophen, ibuprofen or Imodium can handle, contact your doctor. If you are out of the country and your doctor can’t write prescriptions in that country, consider stopping in the ER. Treat the symptoms, relax and avoid obsessing about all the fun that you are missing.

The takeaway is that a travel illness is something you need to accept, treat and move on from. Once your system is clear and you are ready to travel again, try to regain that excitement that you usually feel with all the possible travel opportunities again in front of you!