Do you have bad allergies or are you a germaphobic? Marriot is the first hotel chain to create an allergy-free room at their hotel in Hawaii. The JW Marriott Ihilani Resot & Spa is the first in Hawaii and one of the first in the United States to use the PURE system where guests on the 17th floor and the Presidential Suite receive “an ultimate allergy-friendly room environment.” The PURE system treats the room to specially remove contaminants from ‘bedding, carpeting, walls, furniture, air conditioning systems, and practically everything in the room.’ All five resort hotels in Hawaii are taking on green initiatives throughout the hotels.

When the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa converts its 35,000-square-foot Ihilani Spa, it will become the first and only spa facility in the United States to be entirely allergy-friendly. The five Marriott Resort hotels in Hawaii all aim to be not just allergy-free, but also energy efficient, protective of native wildlife and responsible in their water use.

More information here.

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Stay hydrated. It turns out that drinking plenty of water will not only counter the overall dehydrating effects of air travel, which can lead to headaches, stomach problems, cramps, fatigue and more, but can actually fortify your preemptive natural immune mechanisms to function considerably better. As your body dries out, your nose and throat go with them. Of course, this is the case in normal daily life — when exercising, during prolonged sun exposure, etc.; even caffeine and alcohol consumption can dry you out. However, in an airplane, where your nose and throat are on the front lines of the war with exceedingly dry air, these are the first places to suffer; most travelers have felt the sting of a brutally arid mouth, throat and nose in flight.

Sipping water or some other fluid regularly throughout the flight may be more effective than drinking a lot of water at one time before or during the flight; this will keep your protective system from long dry spells. (And we do mean to single out water here — as noted above, alcohol and caffeinated drinks such as coffee or sodas can actually dehydrate you.)

Nasal mists have been found to be very effective in keeping this system working in your nose. Additionally, hot drinks are a good way to keep your protective mucous membranes working — first, to assist in keeping you generally hydrated; second, by triggering the system into gear; and third, by directly providing moisture in the form of steam. Note that this is not a treatment, it just keeps your defenses strong and functioning.

Keep your hands clean. Your hands are the most consistent point of first contact with cold, flu and other germs. It is a direct line from armrest/seatback/handshake to fingers to fork to mouth to full-blown fever a few days later. According to a National Institutes of Health factsheet, the type of virus that causes the common cold and the flu has been found to survive for up to three hours on your skin or on objects such as armrests, TV remote control handsets, tray tables and other similar surfaces. However, the simple act of washing your hands with hot water and soap is a formidable rampart against this transfer of harmful microorganisms.

Hand washing is not just for restaurant workers and travelers; health professionals and researchers working to combat communicable diseases in many third-world countries are waging a fierce campaign to encourage residents to adopt this simple practice into their daily routines. If possible, wash your hands before any in-flight meals, and after your flight as well.

Of course, airplane cabins are tight places, and getting out of your seat to wash up before and after every snack time can be almost impossible, as the flight attendants command the aisles, your seatmates are trying to eat, tray tables are down cabin-wide, and no one involved really wants to have folks getting up and down and roaming around the cabin. In these cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends alcohol-based products made specifically for washing hands.

Don’t forget the dental hygiene. Just as keeping your hands clean can prevent transmission of germs, using a germ-killing mouthwash in-flight may add another layer of protection while simultaneously helping to keep your throat moist. Just make sure your mouthwash bottle is three ounces or smaller to comply with the latest carry-on rules for liquids and gels.

Take your vitamins. The rapid response effect of vitamins is unproven, but many travelers swear by them. The National Institute of Health concurs, sort of, offering that no conclusive data has shown that large doses of vitamin C will prevent colds, although it may reduce the severity or duration of symptoms.

Wear a face mask. The National Institute of Health cites airborne germs as one of the top two sources of cold virus infection; some travelers have taken to wearing masks either to prevent infection, or when they themselves are already infected. Personally, I would not last more than a half-hour or so behind a hot mask, but this may be an effective prevention tactic nonetheless.

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Air passengers often complain about aircraft ventilation. A normal airplane cabin changes its air 15 to 20 times an hour. A typical office building changes its air 12 times an hour.

15% of U.S. commercial airliners carrying more than 100 passengers lack HEPA filters.

Federal regulatory agencies have no requirements for how much ventilation an aircraft should have. They don’t specify what kind of HEPA filters to use or even require them.

The risk of catching something from another infected passenger is about 1 in 1,000 — about the same as an office building.

Planes normally set cabin pressure to what you’d experience at the top of an 8,000-foot mountain. Since cruising altitudes are higher than this, planes cycle air through their engines to pressurize it. That heats the air, which is then cooled. This way there’s hardly a drop of moisture.

You end up with low-humidity, desert-like air and the longer you fly, the drier your mucous membranes get. The dryer they get, the more susceptible they are to infection.

The risk is higher than your typical office environment, because of the much higher concentration of people for the air that you have.

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Air passengers often complain about aircraft ventilation. A normal airplane cabin changes its air 15 to 20 times an hour. A typical office building changes its air 12 times an hour.

15% of U.S. commercial airliners carrying more than 100 passengers lack HEPA filters. Federal regulatory agencies have no requirements for how much ventilation an aircraft should have. They don’t specify what kind of HEPA filters to use or even require them.

The risk of catching something from another infected passenger is about 1 in 1,000 — about the same as an office building.

Planes normally set cabin pressure to what you’d experience at the top of an 8,000-foot mountain. Since cruising altitudes are higher than this, planes cycle air through their engines to pressurize it. That heats the air, which is then cooled. This way there’s hardly a drop of moisture.

You end up with low-humidity, desert-like air and the longer you fly, the drier your mucous membranes get. The dryer they get, the more susceptible they are to infection.

The risk is higher than your typical office environment, because of the much higher concentration of people for the air that you have.

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If you’re heading overseas on vacation or business this summer or anytime, it’s a good idea to steer clear of certain foods and drinks to keep from getting sick.

One of the joys of traveling is eating things that you wouldn’t normally try. Make sure whatever you consume, exotic or otherwise, is safe.

You can check with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to see what you need to be wary of.

The result of eating or drinking the wrong thing isn’t pretty. Contaminated food or water can produce diarrhea, stomach cramps and fever and these are just some of the symptoms. Some illnesses can be serious and life-threatening. They include viral infections such as hepatitis A, bacteria, intestinal parasites and dysentery.

She said you can avoid problems by remembering that, It all starts with the water. You’ve probably heard the expression, “Don’t drink the water.” The CDC advises that you shouldn’t drink it unless you know your water has been very thoroughly boiled or it comes in a factory-sealed bottle. The reason that bottled water needs to be sealed is so you know that it actually came from the factory. Otherwise, the bottle might have been refilled with water from a questionable source.

If you’re thirsty, you can drink the bottled water, as long as it’s sealed when you get it. Brush your teeth with it, too. Don’t risk using tap water. Other safe beverages include name-brand drinks that come in sealed cans or bottles, such as carbonated mineral water and soft drinks and, if you don’t overdo it, beer or wine. If you know the water in your cup has been boiled well, coffee or tea should be fine. One thing to know about beverages you drink from cans or bottles: If the outside of the container is wet, wipe the surface dry, just in case the source of that moisture is untreated water.

Ice cubes should also be on your do-not-consume list and some solid food is also of concern.

No matter how tempting certain raw foods may look, they also might make you sick, either because the location where they were grown or caught was contaminated, or because water used to grow, wash or prepare them is unsafe.

Shellfish or meat that’s either raw or undercooked can cause illness. The CDC also urges you to avoid salads, uncooked vegetables, and un-pasteurized milk products, including cheese. Vegetables should be hot.

If you eat fresh fruit, insist on peeling the fruit yourself, to be sure the part you’ll eat wasn’t contaminated after peeling. And whatever you feel like eating, avoid buying it from street vendors. You don’t know where it’s been.

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