It seems to happen every time we travel. We have the best time exploring, trying new foods, and enjoying fancy cocktails — then we come home and feel disgusting. Our vacation week is followed by a week of sick time, and that benefits no one.
So, why do we always get sick after traveling? Stress! Traveling can be very stressful for a lot of reasons. "You don't like being on an airplane, you need to figure out what you are going to pack for carry-on vs. check-in, you need to sleep in a strange bed in a strange hotel in a strange city, and you might have to change time zones and lose sleep either on the way there or the way back," says Dr. Tania Dempsey, MD, of Armonk Integrative Medicine. These are the main causes for post-travel illness.