I have been travelling on long car trips ever since I was a young kid, mostly because it was cheaper for our family of 6 than flying but also because I happen to live in, what I believe to be, the most wonderful place in the world, Western Australia. We didn't need to fly because we usually stayed within our own state (even though for those of you that dont know it is an absolutely enormous state!)
Anyway, back to the point. Nothing makes a holiday or long trip worse than car sickness. Contrary to "popular" belief, babies suffer from car sickness less than the average person and the elderly rarely experience car sickness. However children between the ages of 5 and 15 are most susceptible to car sickness.
By operating an adventure tour in WA and taking many people on long trips all year round I have seen a lot of car (or bus) sickness. What follows are my top ten tips, from experience ;) to prevent car sickness.
TOP 15 TIPS TO PREVENT CAR SICKNESS
1. Get a good nights sleep before the trip
2. Seek medical advice about travel sickness pills
3. Remove dangling ornaments from the car
4. Avoid rich food and alcohol before the trip (obviously kids wont be having any alcohol, right?!)
5. Fasten seat belts correctly (ie not too tight around the waist)
6. Do not read or write while travelling
7. Start the journey without delays or last minute panic
8. Ensure each passenger has forward vision
9. Support children so they can see out of the front window
10. Stop the car frequently - stroll and get some fresh air
11. Drive smoothly, corner slowly, brake gently
12. Watch for symptoms such as yawning, coldness, pallor, loss of alertness
13. If vomiting occurs, stop and let the person walk a little and have a sip of water
14. Let a sickness-prone person sit in the front seat, where the ride is smoother
15. Maintain good ventilation. A sick person should sit near an open window or air vent
I hope you will find these tips as useful as I have and remember; excitement or energetic activity before a journey can make matters worse!
Todd is part of a family owned and run adventure tour company operating out of Western Australia. He has many years experience in travel and the outdoors. For more information about this article, other related content, or his tours, visit his website at http://www.crikey-adventure-tours.com