8 Tips to Staying Healthy on Vacation and Avoid Getting Sick While Traveling to The Resort

While traveling to all inclusive resorts we often hear people complaining about getting sick. We too have had our own bought of stomach illness while traveling to the Dominican Republic in 2017. Since then we’ve put a fair amount of effort into staying healthy while traveling because there is no quicker way to ruin a day by the pool than a trip to the bathroom!

1 – Boost Your Immune System

A week or so before you leave for your vacation be sure to start boosting your immune system by eating healthy, getting plenty of sleep, and taking an immune system boosting supplement. We start taking airborne a few days before our trip and continue to take it while on vacation to help us stay healthy. In addition, we take probiotics to help get our guts healthy and continue taking them while on vacation.

Affiliate Disclosure:  There may be affiliate links on this page.  If you click on these links and buy something, Allinclusivetips.com may earn a commission with no extra cost to you.

2 – Wash & Sanitize Your Hands Often

It goes without saying that washing your hands can go a long way to avoid getting sick, but often people don’t do the best job at this at airports, on airplanes, in shuttle buses, or at the resort while on vacation. We’ve overcome this by packing a lot of hand sanitizer and using it frequently. We each carry a travel size bottle with us while traveling and at the resort and we keep a larger pump bottle in our room to refill our travel size bottles and to use in our room. We sanitize frequently throughout travel day, in the airport, while on the plane, and in the shuttle bus. We also sanitize frequently at the resort… specifically we are sure to sanitize our hands after every trip to the bathroom and after every trip to the buffet before we start eating our food. That said, you should still wash your hands with soap and water whenever you can because hand sanitizer isn’t as effective if your hands are oily with sunscreen or food.

Tip: We touch our faces about 23 times per hour… ask your travel buddy to remind you every time you touch your face to help you break the habit. Touching your face is one of the main ways you get yourself sick.

3 – Disinfect Surfaces

We’ve started to pack travel size packs of disinfecting wipes that we use on arm-rests, knobs, seatbelts, tray tables, etc. in the airport and airplane. Airplanes can be dirty places and don’t get cleaned as often as they should. You can take matters into your own hands by cleaning your own space within the airplane. Additionally, we use a few wipes once we check into our room to clean surfaces in the bathroom, doorknobs, nightstands, the TV remote, and even the headboard.

4 – Stay Hydrated

We’ve seen many people underestimate the power of the hot tropical sun mixed with alcohol to dehydrate you… and dehydrate you quickly! Dehydration can lead to a nasty headache, make you tired, and dizzy. To combat this we drink a lot of water. If you’re all inclusive resort has water bottle filling stations (with filtered water) bring your own water bottles and use them. If not, order a glass of water at the bar with every alcoholic beverage and don’t be afraid to call the front desk to request more bottled water for your room.

Tip: Pack some electrolyte tablets or Pedialyte in case you do end up getting dehydrated. This can help get your electrolyte levels back to normal and get you back to enjoying your trip.

5 – Stay Cool & Use Sunscreen

If you’re coming from higher latitudes and have fair skin, don’t think for a second you can tolerate the tropical sun without ample sunscreen and a little midday shade. Severe sunburn can ruin your trip for days and in severe cases cause flu like symptoms. A lot of people get way too much sun and pay for it for the remainder of their trip. Pack more sunscreen than you think you’ll need, a hat, sunglasses, and remind yourself it’s ok to spend a little time under the tiki hut during the noon sunshine.

Tip: Sunscreen at the resort gift shops is often very expensive, so be sure to pack enough so you don’t run out. We use about three 8oz cans of spray on sunscreen for two people on an 8 night vacation.

6 – Avoid Uncooked Foods

Avoiding certain foods at an all inclusive resort can go a long way to avoiding a stomach illness and staying healthy during your vacation. The easiest way to do this is to avoid altogether any uncooked or under-cooked foods, such as fresh fruits & vegetables, salads, fresh fruit juices, cold cuts, raw seafood, and dips with uncooked ingredients. Additionally, you might want to consider avoiding soups since they are often made with buffet leftovers. This can require a lot of self-discipline since those exotic fruits, veggies, salads, and seafood often look so incredible on the buffet… but remember, you don’t want to waste a day of your vacation in the bathroom while your travel companions enjoy the pool!

Tip: We’ve started to pack a small box of baking soda to rinse our mouths with each evening. This can help prevent mouth sores from all those fruity beverages you’ll want to enjoy by the pool.

7 – Don’t Drink the Water

This should go without saying, but we’ve heard of plenty of people not taking this rule seriously so here goes… don’t drink the tap water for any reason. We don’t even use the tap water for rinsing our toothbrush. Reputable resorts will provide you with plenty of bottled water or a water bottle filling station that uses filtered water.

Tip: Use caution when showering since it’s easy to get larger amounts of water in your mouth if you’re not careful. This can be enough to get you sick!

8 – Don’t Overdo It

Finally, be sure to take time to rest! Being on vacation in the hot sun, enjoying alcoholic beverages, and trying to take in shows and buffets can make you more tired than you think. Be sure to take a little time out here and there to take a nap and enjoy everything in moderation. You’ll have several days at the resort… you don’t need to do it all at once!

This all may sound a bit paranoid and we certainly don’t want you ruining your trip by being a germaphobe, but getting sick can ruin your trip in a hurry. Some common sense steps can go a long way to keeping you healthy on vacation and ensuring you get the most out of your all inclusive resort trip.