Here's A Simple Way To Avoid The Flu As You Travel

Getting sick can turn your dream vacation into a total nightmare. If you’re traveling in the United States at this point in the flu season, it’s more likely than not that you’ll come in contact with someone who’s sick. But that doesn’t mean you have to catch what they have…

This year’s flu season has been worse than usual in the United States, with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declaring the 2017–2018 strain both widespread and difficult to treat with this season’s much-advertised influenza vaccine. A majority of American cases are the H3N2 strain which, according to The New York Times, caused multiple deaths and hospitalizations in Australia. So far in the U.S., there have been at least 30 child deaths related to the flu and close to 23 hospitalizations per 100,000 Americans.

“Flu seasons every year are bad, so there’s never a mild flu season,” said Dr. Dan Jernigan, director of the CDC’s influenza division, during a recent briefing. “I think the simplest way to describe it is that flu is everywhere in the U.S. right now. There’s lots of flu in lots of places.”

So how do you travel from state-to-state and remain unscathed?

SickWeather is an app that literally maps sickness by area. The app uses an algorithm to scan data from social networks and third party reporting from the CDC and actual emergency room and urgent care visits. It doesn’t just track the flu. Other diseases like bronchitis, chickenpox, and even the common cold are all tracked on the app. The maps show areas with higher concentrations of each disease or infection in order to help you avoid them.

Similarly, Flu Near You collects flu data from volunteer disclosure and crowdsourced information to create maps that show where people are experiencing flu-like symptoms and where people aren’t reporting any symptoms at all. Both SickWeather and Flu Near You map sickness on the state level, and locally neighborhood by neighborhood. So, even if you have to visit a flu-ridden state, you can choose a place to stay based on the neighborhoods with the lowest concentrations of flu symptoms.

Don’t let the flu ruin your vacation. Get the flu shot, keep an eye on flu data, and do everything you can to stay healthy.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.