A new health study completed in the U.K. shows that people with minor heart conditions can fly without with out risking their health. The British Cardiovascular Society completed the finding showing that low-risk patients can fly just three days after a heart attack.

However, the study strongly recommends that high-risk heart patients – hold off on air travel until their condition improves. But even the most severely affected people can still fly if they follow important guidelines.

The health guidelines insist that heart patients drink plenty of non-caffeinated beverages with no alcohol, tea, or coffee. They must also wear compression stockings and take blood thinners.

The study concludes that the risks associated with flying are about the same as those associated with other modes of transportation including trains, buses and cars.

Airlines can (and do) refuse to carry sick passengers and people are advised to warn their airline if they have a condition.

The study indicates that one of the most troubling parts of the trip could take place before the person ever boards the plane because of the stress associated with crowds, delays and carrying heavy luggage.

These safety precautions are useful for everyone, but I think they’re particularly important to have in place if you’re going to be traveling alone.

I’ve traveled to all sorts of places by myself, so I’ve learned what to do/not to do and how to take care of myself. When I was in Dubai (even though it is considered very “Western”), for example, where some women are covered from head to toe, I found that I was uncomfortable, even inside my hotel, just wearing a short-sleeved dress. So I quickly learned to cover my arms—for my own comfort as well as that of the people whose country I was visiting. Here are 7 ways I’ve found to make myself feel safer—and therefore better able to enjoy myself—wherever I am in the world.

1. Be mindful of how open you are about your plans—particular departure and return dates. Especially if you use a social networking site such as Facebook, you can’t be sure of exactly who has access to your site or the information on it. You simply don’t want to advertise exactly when you’ll be away and your home will be vacant.
2. Make sure you’re aware of the travel benefits or Concierge Services on the credit card you use to book your flight and hotels. What kind of travel insurance do you get? Can you change your flight plans without incurring penalties? Can you change hotels easily? You don’t want to get stuck in a place you’re not happy just because it’s going to cost you more to leave.
3. Always carry a few hundred dollars in cash (the currency of your destination) so that you don’t have to hunt for an ATM in a strange city at the last minute if you need to take a taxi or discover that a restaurant doesn’t take credit cards. Particularly in Europe, ATMs are not always readily available or well stocked, and you could wind up in an unsavory or unsafe neighborhood trying to locate one that works. [Read more →]

It’s that time of year—school is out and children are flying, often on their own, to camp and to visit friends or relatives around the globe. Crew members will do everything in their power to make sure your child is safe and happy during the flight, but there are several things you can do help make that happen.

1. If possible, book your child on a direct flight. If that isn’t possible, try to get the first flight of the day (which is less likely than later flights to be delayed) and make sure there is enough time between flights so that if the plane is delayed, your child won’t miss his connection.

2. If your child has to change planes, be sure he knows the flight number and destination of the second flight so that he doesn’t get on the wrong plane by mistake.

3. Make certain your child understands that when the plane lands, he or she must not get off on his own and that ONLY an airline employee (either a flight attendant or a gate agent) will take him off the plane and into the terminal to be certain he is met by the “authorized” adult or taken to a connecting flight by only an airline employee. [Read more →]

All travelers need to think about safety—that’s just common sense. When you’re traveling with children, however, it’s particularly important for you to plan ahead. I certainly don’t want to make you uneasy about taking your kids on vacation—just the opposite.

If you have safety plans in place you’ll be able to relax and enjoy your vacation. So here are 5 tips for basic safety I believe everyone should have in place.

1.   Have a designated meeting place outside your hotel. If you’re separated for any reason—you might be in the restaurant having dinner while the kids are in your room—and there’s a fire drill or some other emergency that causes guests to be evacuated, having a spot to meet that’s close enough for the children to get to safely will avoid a great deal of potential confusion and unnecessary panic. [Read more →]

As my go-to person for anything related to skin care or cosmetic surgery, I asked well-known holistic plastic surgeon Dr. Shirley Madhere about particular precautions we need to take when traveling post-plastic surgery.

Dr. Shirley (as she is most often called) approaches treatment from a holistic perspective that integrates cutting-edge Western medicine with a variety of complementary modalities in order ensure the best possible care and outcomes for her patient.

Carolyn:“How long, typically, do you have to wait after minor surgery to fly?”
Dr. Madhere: “A minimum of one (1) week.  However, after plastic surgery, it is advisable not to be at complete rest, since deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and fatal pulmonary embolism (PE) may occur up to one (1) month (4 weeks) after surgery.”

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According to the New York Times, almost 90 percent of traveling Americans identify germs as a real concern when they are flying. However, sanitizing products can be hard to come by once you take to the air.

It’s not always easy to tell how affective these products are – but the In-Flight Insider has one that may just make a difference.

Nozin is an antiseptic solution that may help protect you from catching a cold or other airborne viruses while in-flight. Nozin comes either in a small bottle with cotton swabs or as individual, single-use swabs with the solution already inside.

The antiseptic it contains is vitamin E, jojoba oil and orange oil. This initially left me a bit apprehensive about putting it into my nose. Would I still smell this orange oil hours later? As it turned out, the Nozin is only applied just inside the tip of the nostril. There was a fresh orange scent, but it wasn’t overpowering and didn’t last too long.

Does it work? It’s hard to say. I didn’t get sick, but maybe I wouldn’t have gotten sick at all anyway. It seems to me that this is another simple precaution we can take—along with using hand sanitizer—to protect us against all those germs when we travel.

If you’ve ever gotten off a plane feeling 2 sizes bigger, it is most likely because of what you were drinking in-flight. Although all airline cabins are pressurized when flying at 9,800 feet or more, the pressure inside the cabin is slightly lower than what you normally experience on the ground.

As a result, the available oxygen is reduced and the gases inside your body expand. You know how plastic bottles water expand and pop in-flight – Well your body is no different.

Crew members kindly call this “jet-belly.” One way to counteract this unpleasant phenomenon is to not drink anything with bubbles—whether it’s sparkling water, soda, beer, or Champagne. As an experienced flyer, I make sure never to drink anything carbonated when I’m in the air.

However, you still need to drink because of the risk of dehydration. Passengers must drink to compensate for the extreme dryness of the cabin air and the fact that they breathe more quickly when there is less available oxygen.

So it’s imperative that you drink plenty of water and keep yourself happy and hydrated!

Having any kind of tooth problem can really put a damper on your travel experience, and it always helps to know what to do in a dental emergency. Dr. Nancy Rosen is one of New York City’s leading practitioners of cosmetic and restorative dentistry and appears as a frequent guest expert on national television as well as in magazines and newspapers. Therefore, I knew she was just the person to give sound, useful advice to my readers.

Carolyn: “What do you do if you break a tooth in-flight or on a trip? How do you fix it for the short term?”
Dr. Rosen: “If you fracture a tooth in-flight- if you can leave it alone until you can find a dentist to help you.  If the fractured tooth is very sharp, cutting into your tongue or cheek and you have a long flight ahead of you- try to gently smooth the area with an emory board or nail file.  If you are on a trip, try to find a reputable dentist in the area and have him/her treat the problem.  The hotel concierge can probably recommend a great local dentist.”

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This is where the In-Flight Insider, Carolyn Paddock, went to become FAA-certified in Aircrew Emergency Procedures Training, but there is also a “civilian” training program that delivers more than just “piece of mind.”

FACTS®, a division of AirCare International Ltd. offers a safety program which is known as “Executive Frequent Flyer Training.” It’s a training session that would be useful for anyone who travels either commercially or privately and wants to know what to do in case of emergency.

Although airline emergencies are rare, just knowing what to do can reduce the stress for any nervous flier and could potentially save your life and the lives of others.

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Sometimes those of us who travel the most are the people most likely to get careless. We’re pros, after all. We do this all the time. And if we haven’t yet had a bad experience or an emergency, we begin to think we never will. So the following 5 tips are just a reminder that whenever you’re traveling, it’s better to play it safe so that you don’t wind up being sorry.

1. Be smart about guarding your personal information. Being friendly is nice but sharing too much with strangers is foolish.

2. Plan for emergencies. Whether you’re traveling with business colleagues, family, or friends, decide on a spot where you’ll meet should you be separated or have to evacuate your hotel.

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