It’s holiday time, but how can you avoid travel sickness?

We’re all going on a summer holiday…But if you suffer from travel sickness, like 20% of the French population, going on holiday can quickly become a nightmare.

So what causes it? Travel sickness is actually due to the difference between the movement your eyes register and the lack of physical movement registered by your inner ear. This can cause nausea, headaches, cold sweats and other unpleasant symptoms.

How can you avoid it?

There are many remedies or practices that can prevent or treat travel sickness:

- Aim to always sit facing the way you are traveling and look into the distance, avoiding reading anything.
- Try taking powdered ginger – it’s a highly effective anti-emetic. Take a capsule one hour before you travel then repeat every four hours.
- Put a few drops of peppermint essence on a tissue to inhale. This is recognised by the World Health Organisation for its effects against headaches and nausea.
- Accustom yourself to traveling, as the more you travel, the less effect it will have on you!