Reflections from the bottom of a barf bag

By James Wysong

Travel columnist

updated 2:49 p.m. ET Oct. 10, 2007

James Wysong Travel columnist • Profile • E-mail

Lots of people say they never get airsick, but let me tell you something. I deal with at least two cases of airsickness each flight, and 90 percent of the time, the shaky, pale-faced victim says, "But this has never happened to me before!"

True, some people are more susceptible to airsickness than others, but no one is immune, and if you fly often enough, sooner or later you will be caught with your guard down.

In my 20 years of flying as a flight attendant, I've seen a lot of airsickness and food poisoning on airplanes — and I've experienced them myself. I have been vomited on, I've assisted passengers who've been barfed on, I've cleaned the cockpit panels after a pilot tossed his cookies, and I once worked a flight from Paris on which 127 people got sick from bad sandwiches. Believe me, I know a thing or two about airsickness.

The usual culprit is motion sickness, a disturbance in the inner ear that is caused by certain kinds of repetitive motion, such as from the swell of the sea, the movement of a car or the motion of a plane in turbulent air. Airsickness can come on quickly during turbulence and sudden altitude changes, but it can also occur on relatively smooth flights.

Motion sickness is actually a normal response in healthy individuals. It arises when the inner ear senses motion, but other organ systems — like our vision and our muscles — don't. The central nervous system gets mixed messages, and you get motion sickness. It is nature's way of telling the brain that something is wrong. Symptoms of motion sickness include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sweating and a general feeling of unease. Females are more likely than males to suffer from motion sickness, which for some reason increases during menstruation and pregnancy.

There are lots of remedies suggested for motion sickness, and some of them work for some people sometimes. Here are some of the more effective ones:

1. Certain medications, such as Dramamine, the scopolamine skin patch and Benadryl, are very effective. They work best if they are taken a couple of hours before the flight, so if you know that you are susceptible to motion sickness, plan ahead. As always, it is best to consult with your doctor before taking any medications.

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2. You can also try ginger. It seems to work, and it is available in many different forms, including capsules, tea and old-fashioned ginger snaps.

3. Be sure to choose your seat location carefully. Sit by a window and look out, and if possible, get a seat over the wings or far forward in the airplane, as these are the best places for a smooth ride.

4. Avoid alcohol; it can make the symptoms more severe.

5. Don't try to read or write or do any kind of craftwork in your lap. Instead, look as far forward as you can, or look out the window and focus on distant objects.

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6. Eat dry crackers or olives, or suck on a lemon — anything to dry out the mouth and lessen the feelings of nausea.

7. The old wives' tale may be true: Drinking a carbonated beverage like 7UP, sparkling water or ginger ale always seems to help.

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