The holiday season is fun, but travel often means crowded airports, train stations, and lots of new germs.1,2 Travel can also tire you out and raise your stress levels, which makes it harder for your immune system to fight off sickness.1
Your immune system is your body’s defense team. Giving it a boost before your trip is the best way to make sure you stay healthy and enjoy your vacation.1,2 Here are seven simple, science-backed steps you can start taking this week to help prepare your immune system for holiday travel.
1. Get Enough Quality Sleep
Sleep is like your body’s reset button, and it is crucial for a strong immune system.1,3,4 When you sleep, your body makes important proteins called cytokines that fight infection and inflammation.3,4 Research shows that sleep helps your immune system form a strong memory of how to recognize and fight germs (the adaptive immune response).3 Not getting enough sleep makes it easier to catch a cold or the flu.1 Try to stick to a regular sleep schedule, aiming for 7 to 9 hours a night.1
2. Drink Plenty of Water
Staying hydrated is more important than you might think for your defenses.2,5 Water is essential for the lymph system, which acts like the immune system’s highway, carrying white blood cells to destroy foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses.2 Drinking enough water ensures your immune cells can travel and work correctly.5 Keep a water bottle handy and sip often!2
3. Eat a Rainbow of Foods
A healthy diet fuels your immune cells.1,2 Make sure to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.1,2 Foods of many colors contain different vitamins and antioxidants that help your immune system work properly.2 Vitamin C, for example, helps immune cells work better and protects them from damage during infection.6 Try to limit highly processed foods, sugary drinks, and too much alcohol, as these can cause inflammation that hurts your immune function.1,2
4. Keep Stress Under Control
5. Wash Your Hands Often and Well
Good hygiene is your first line of defense against sickness while traveling.2 You should wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially before eating and after touching public surfaces like doorknobs and railings.2 If soap isn’t available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.2 Also, make a habit of avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, which is how germs usually enter your body.2
6. Get Your Shots (Vaccinations)
Make sure you are up-to-date on all your recommended vaccines, especially the flu and COVID-19 shots.1,2 It is best to get these shots a few weeks before your trip.2 This gives your body enough time to build up the necessary protection (immunity) before you are exposed to germs in crowded travel spaces.2
7. Ask Your Doctor About Supplements
While a good diet is the best source of nutrients, certain supplements may help support your immune system during high-stress travel times.1,2 Zinc is a vital mineral that helps strengthen the immune system and is necessary for immune cell function.5,6 Vitamin C and Zinc deficiency are linked to a weaker immune response, and supplementing them can help reduce the length and severity of infections like the common cold.6,7 One study of air travelers showed that taking Elderberry supplements reduced the duration and symptoms of a cold if they caught one.8 Always talk to your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement plan.1
Connect and Share Your Travel Health Tips
Navigating holiday travel while staying healthy is a topic everyone can learn from!
The NOWINCLUDED app and website offer a supportive space where you can trade tips and get encouragement from community members. If you have questions about the best way to handle jet lag, the supplements you are considering, or strategies for keeping kids healthy while traveling, post them in the app!
You can learn from the shared experiences of others. Join the conversation and ask: “How far in advance should I start taking Vitamin C before my flight?” or “What are your best tricks for getting 7 hours of sleep in a noisy hotel?”
References
- Healthy Habits: Enhancing Immunity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated September 26, 2024. Accessed November 24, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-weight-growth/about/enhancing-immunity.html.
- 7 ways to boost your immunity this fall. UCI Health. Updated October 26, 2021. Accessed November 24, 2025. https://www.ucihealth.org/blog/2021/10/7-ways-to-boost-your-immunity.
- Sleep and immune function. Sleep Med Rev. 2012;16(5):417-429. Accessed November 24, 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22406214/.
- The Bidirectional Relationship between Sleep and Immunity against Infections. Sleep Sci. 2015;8(3):131-138. Accessed November 24, 2025. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4568388/.
- Tips to Support Immune Health Before and During Travel. Garden of Life. Updated August 8, 2025. Accessed November 24, 2025. https://www.gardenoflife.com/blog/support-immune-health-before-and-during-travel.
- Immune-enhancing role of vitamin C and zinc and effect on clinical conditions. Ann Nutr Metab. 2006;50(suppl 1):85-94. Accessed November 24, 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16373990/.
- The nutritional roles of zinc for immune system and COVID-19 patients. Int J Mol Sci. 2024;25(8):4167. Accessed November 24, 2025. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11066294/.
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