– Hi. I’m Paola. I’m an obsessive traveler and clean freak - two things that make for some very interesting trips. The first thing you need to know about me is that I am a single Mom and I am a fierce momma-bear when it comes to keeping my daughter safe and healthy - especially when we travel together - which is no easy task! The second thing is that I am a travel addict. I understand that many people find it difficult to travel with children, but I have personally traveled all around the world with my daughter since she was one month old and have learned to adapt and embrace every part of the journey.

My daughter and I have been fortunate enough to visit more than 35 countries and 50 cities and all six inhabited continents (Antartica is next on my list, so please message me here if you have any suggestions and where I should go and what I should do!). While I have many amazing travel stories and memories with her, there have also been many frustrations and ailments along the way. Some of my favorite adventures include climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef, sailing the Mediterranean, and exploring historic sites such as the Pyramids in Egypt, but I will save those tales for another day. Right now I want to share my hard earned wisdom about what it takes to stay healthy while traveling.

THE DOWNSIDE OF TRAVEL

The #1 thing I hear from parents is that it is too difficult to travel with kids because of all the challenges. For me personally, I always struggled with keeping my daughter healthy. I would find that often when we took a flight together, my daughter would come back with an ailment, such as an ear infection or a stomach bug. I was getting tired of constantly wiping down surfaces with wet wipes and tissues to protect her and needed to find a more permanent solution to keep her safe. That is when I began my quest to understand the root issue of the problem.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT FLYING ANYWAY?

After reading several different articles, white papers, and research reports, I was surprised to learn how many germs people are exposed to while traveling and decided to do my own research to see just how bad it was. During the summer of 2019, I flew to twenty different cities using various airlines around the world and tested the different surfaces around the seat environment. While the results varied, the conclusion was clear: flying is dirty! I used a globally recognized hygiene monitoring system, EnSURE by Hygiena, to measure the bacterial load during flights across continents and I was shocked by just how dirty everything was. But, don’t just take my word for it, check out this research from InstaQuote that shows the distribution of bacteria and fungi on the surfaces we all commonly touch at the airport and on the airplane.

And, eew!, the tray table is one of the most dirtiest surfaces of all, a place where you work, play, eat and sleep.

     

MY SOLUTION FOR STAYING HEALTHY WHILE TRAVELING

Having personally seen and experienced just how dirty airline travel is, I felt there had to be better solution for my daughter and myself - one that would both keep her safe and eliminate the need for all the extra cleansing products in my bag. This is why I developed O’bex, a first of its kind antimicrobial surface cover that helps prevent infections from spreading by serving as a constant hygienic barrier between the user and the surface.

O’bex is like a placemat with a remoisten-able backing that can easily be applied and removed from any surface and like a paper towel with perforations that allow you to use as little or as much as you need. No other item in the market is as adaptable to a variety of different surface types and sizes. It also comes in a travel friendly pack that will fit easily inside most bags.

If you are tired of carrying around hand sanitizer, wet wipes, napkins along with everything else that has found its way into your bag and car, I hope you will give O’bex a try. I have a found it to be a lifesaver on many occasions and hope you will too!

Link to Purchase

ADDITIONAL TRAVEL TIPS & TRICKS FOR STAYING HEALTHY IN THE AIR

Since then I have accumulated some additional ways to stay healthy during travel. With these adjustments I seem to have an easier time keeping the germs (and diseases!) away even when in close quarters with a lot of people on an airplane.

f you are traveling with your family or can’t pick your seat and someone must be on the aisle, here are some tips to stay healthy:

• - Prep your (and your family’s) immune system beforehand by getting enough sleep, healthy food, exercise, vitamin D, and water.
• Bring a natural hand sanitizer and O’bex Surface cover.
• Bring your own neck pillow and a jacket to wear if you get cold.
• Wash your hands often.
• Bring your own snacks and bottle of water.

What do you do to stay healthy while traveling?

Follow me on Instagram for more tips on how to keep germs away and don’t forget to grab some O’bex Surface Covers - your barrier against harmful bacteria - before your next trip.

Facbook @O’bex
Instagram: @obexsurfacecovers
Web: www.o-bex.com