General Info – That Road Trip Lady

Thankfully I do not suffer from travel motion sickness but I have travelled with quite a few people who have this issue. And yes, this is a very common condition. Some people experience it only under certain circumstances while some can experience it with 10 minutes of the journey. Some people experience a mild version while some people experience a severe one. I still remember when I travelled with my family from Port Blair to Chennai in a ship. It was nearly a 3-day journey and Bay of Bengal was extremely choppy during those days resulting in a lot of rolling – pitching. Most other travellers were sick and confined to their rooms while my brother and I seemed to be the only ones exploring the entire ship. Happily swaying along with the ship. Disclaimer: All the views mentioned below (except medical definitions) are based on feedback from my co-passengers over the years. I personally don't have any experience with it. Roadtripping in the US What is Motion Sickness [or Travel Sickness]? Motion sickness is a feeling of wooziness which is triggered due to movement. This is usually associated with travel; be it in a car, airplane, boat/ship (often termed as sea sickness) or even a train. However, it is not limited to commuting alone. Some people experience it on amusement rides while some people can experience it while watching a 3D movie. Travel sickness is the most common type though. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sweating, headache, irritability. It is not a serious condition but does end up making travel a very unpleasant experience. Although I don’t suffer from the motion sickness associated with any kind of travel, I do feel sick on some amusement rides. Six Flags in the US made me realise this. But while I can avoid the amusement rides, most people cannot avoid commuting. Why is Motion Sickness Caused? Simply put - motion sickness occurs due to the difference between what we see and what we feel. It is caused due to conflicting signals sent by our senses namely eyes, ears and limbs. As the car is moving forward, our vestibular system (inner ears) feels the movement while our body is still and our eyes may or may not see movement (depending on your line of sight). Since our brain senses motion through all these channels, it cannot take these mixed confusing signals. Result - feeling of motion sickness. For more information, check this link Can Motion Sickness be Prevented? Steps can be taken to reduce motion sickness, especially if it's related to travel given you probably already know you suffer from this issue. If you are prone to travel-related sickness, you can look to try out one or a combination of the below to ensure your travel plans are not thrown into a jeopardy because of this issue. Over the Counter Medications There are a few OTC medications which can be taken before the trip. The most recommended one is Stugeron (Cinnarizine) based on the reviews of my co-travelers. One unfortunate side effect of this medication is drowsiness which is not a good thing when you are on a road trip. Meclizine and dimenhydrinate are other such antihistamine pills which work in a similar way. Or simply ask your pharmacist to give you a motion sickness pill. You will need to test a few to see what works the best for you. Take these pills approximately one hour before your trip. Look Far Away Try and focus your eyes at a stationary object in the distance (like a mountain) or at the horizon. Make sure you are looking in the direction of travel. Avoid looking at moving objects. The idea is to have as much connect between your eyes and ears as possible. Try To Be as Stable As Possible Try and keep your head in place by using the head rest. This would minimize the left and right swaying especially on winding roads. Use the seat belt (for more reasons than this!) and keep your body as stiff as possible if you feel sick. Be in the Driver’s Seat This definitely works. One possible reason it does work is that being a driver you anticipate the movement and this anticipation can act as a substitute for sensory experience. Unfortunately this does not work in my favour as I do not get to drive, but I guess if I need to choose between a drowsy/irritable co-traveler versus a happy driver, the latter is a better option. It is a known fact that motion sickness is at its worst on winding roads. If you are comfortable with driving on hills, try and be in the driver's seat at least during the hilly leg of the journey. Winding roads cause increased motion sickness Seat Selection Where you sit can make all the difference. As a general rule, you should always be seated in a way that you can see the outside scenery and face the direction of travel. The idea is to avoid sending as many conflicting signals to your brain as possible. If you are not able to see the scenery, then our eyes see a static view while your ears feel motion which sends conflicting signals to the brain. If you are prone to motion sickness, try and position yourself as below. Car Avoid the back seat. Preferable is for you to be driving the car and if that is not possible, then front passenger seat is the second best option. Ship Try and be in the front or centre of the ship. If you are on a cruise, choose a cabin on the lower level which is as close to the water level as possible. Boat Choose the mid point seat and stay away from the fumes, if any. Airplane Try and sit over the wing as the motion will be minimal there. If you cannot secure a seat in those rows, try to be in as much front as possible. Preferable is a window seat. Avoid back seats as they are the worst affected during turbulence. Train Always make sure to face forward in a train. Choose a window seat so that you can look at the scenery. Bus If you are in the front portion of the bus, you are least likely to experience a bumpy ride. So try and get a window seat in the first 1-2 rows. If it is a double decker bus, sit on the lower level. Chewing Gum/Ginger This is one of the simplest methods but may not work for everyone. Keep chewing gums, peppermint handy and keep chewing/sucking throughout the trip. For some people, ginger pieces also seem to work. Keep a piece of ginger in your mouth and keep sucking on it and if chewing a piece of ginger is too much for you, then try the ginger candies. You can also try and drink ginger ale. Get Fresh Air Try and get as much fresh air as possible. This may not always be possible (e.g in a train/bus/plane). In such cases, make sure that the air vent is directed towards you. Avoid heat. When in a car, roll down your window. Or even take frequent breaks while being on the road. Acupressure Wristbands There wristbands claim to work in reducing nausea. Personally I do not know anyone who has tried these. For my co-travelers the above precautionary measures usually work and they have not felt the need to try these wristbands. If you don't want to invest in a wristband, you can try to apply the pressure manually. Take three fingers (index, ring and middle) from one hand and place them on the inside of your wrist of the other hand and apply firm pressure. What All to Avoid If You Are Prone to Motion Sickness? There are simple precautions that you can take prior to your trip. This is assuming you are prone to motion sickness, of course. Avoid Jerky rides Jerky rides are the most important factor that aggravates motion sickness. It is better to go at 10-20kmph on roads where there are frequent bad patches (potholes/uneven roads) than to go at ~60 kmph on the good bit and then applying brakes at the sight of a pothole. Avoid reading If you read a book, your eyes are directed towards the book which is not moving while your ears sense the movement. This is one of the most common reasons for motion sickness and sometimes reading can also affect people who do not have this issue. Avoid screen time This includes mobile phones. Either avoid them or limit their use to the bare minimum. Avoid any other screens too (e.g. tablets). The science behind this is same as that for reading. Avoid drinking too much water This one is actually a 50-50 thing. As per the feedback I have received, it is best to avoid. Although some online research claims that water helps in settling the stomach. You can consciously try these one at a time and see what works for you. Avoid alcohol Avoid greasy and spicy food Anything with a strong odor should be avoided. Try eating light snacks before and throughout the journey. Avoid swallowing your saliva during the travel: If possible spit it out. One of my friend swears by this particular remedy. How To Be Prepared When Travelling With a Person Prone to Motion Sickness? Since motion sickness can strike suddenly, its best to be prepared. I have had an incident where one of my co-passengers suddenly fell sick. She did give a 10 second warning but since the car was on a flyover at that time, there was no scope to stop it. The urge to throw up is not something that is in your control and for most people it is very difficult to control it. The result on that particular occasion was a multicolour mess in my car. Yes, yucky. I wasn't prepared at all. After that incident, I always keep a sickness bag in my car. It doesn't take space and saves a lot of trouble. The recommended bags are available here. In dire need, these bags can also double up as pee bags. How To Clean The Vomit? You can take all the precautions but what is destined to happen will happen - like it did with me. I wasn't prepared and tried to use whatever I could get my hands on and ruined my stole in that process. Below are the steps that I should have followed. Be calm. Do not shout or blame the patient. Immediately roll down all the windows. Pull your car over at the nearest possible spot and ask all passengers to vacate the car. If you have gloves or masks (you may be carrying these due to the pandemic now), wear both. All affected removable pieces should be immediately removed and washed with water or wiped to remove any solid material (e.g mats, bags) If your upholstery is affected remove the solid parts and pat out all the moisture using tissues or paper towels. By now there should be no sight of the vomit - but the odor will remain Odor: Firstly try and neutralize the odor. An ideal remedy is to mix one part water with one part vinegar and wipe all the affected surfaces. I understand most people will not be carrying vinegar. I still do not carry it even though I have had such an experience. If you don't have this, scrub thoroughly first with plain water and then with hand sanitizer + water. When your car is parked, keep some baking soda/vinegar/activated charcoal in a bowl. If you are travelling in any India city, you should get soda and vinegar at any general store. There are a few odor eliminators available as spray bottles. If you have one of these, apply it or else see if you can get hold of it at any shop. Mask the odor. You can use air fresheners, essential oils, camphor or even naphthalene balls. You will most probably need to resume your journey after the cleaning process. Make sure the patient is sitting in the front seat, all the windows are rolled down and your car speed is slow. Also, see if you can get hold of any kind of packet so that you don't have to repeat the cleaning process. If the smell persists, get your car washed from a professional cleaner.