I am sad to say that I did not get to California last weekend to visit Sue. As it turned out, I came down with some sort of very nasty virus en route to Las Vegas last Wednesday and was so ill, I ended up paying a small ransom for a seat on a direct flight home on United Friday morning.

Well, poo.

What do you do when you get sick while traveling?

That son of a bitch next to me just sneezed on my tray table!

In my case, I ended up arranging for a wheelchair to get me through the huge Las Vegas airport because the virus caused me to be dizzy, short of breath, joints aching, etc. I’ve said this before and will say it again – if you’re feeling lousy, don’t be embarrassed to get a wheelchair to get through the larger airports. I knew I wouldn’t need one in Cleveland because there are golf carts available to give people rides. If you’re not sure about an airport you’ll be flying through, check it out online or call airport information in advance.

Buy a nice big bottle of water to bring on board. Flights are dehydrating anyway, so it’s even more important to push healthy fluids while you’re sick.

Be considerate. In such close settings, there’s only so much you can do. I wasn’t coughing, but I avoided breathing directly on the people around me to the best of my ability. No shaking hands and saying, “Hiiiiii! I’m Kaaaaaaaaate!” Not that I usually want to talk with anyone who is invading my personal space, even if unintentionally. How do you talk with a stranger who is six inches from your nose? I have a hard time with that, plus it’s another good excuse to bury my own nose in my book.

At any rate, I even felt guilty just touching the tray and buckling the seat belt – but what are you going to do? Start traveling with disposable rubber gloves in your bag? That seems a little creepy . . . .

Take that as a warning for yourself – you never know if someone sick was in your seat earlier in the day! Never put your hands or fingers to your mouth or eyes while traveling until you’ve had a chance to wash off germs with soap and warm water or at least use a hand sanitizer to kill some of the creepy crawlies.

That’s all I’ve got folks. Want to share travel tips for sickies? Comment below. Stay healthy!